When you start a new business you should register your internet domain name(s) as soon as possible to avoid cybersquatters or competitors buying your ideal domain name. Because they could hold you to ransom or even harm your business later.
An internet domain name has 2 parts:
- The actual domain name.
Eg centralcoastplumbing - The domain extension (or TLD).
Eg .com.au
Match your domain name with your business name
Ideally you should register your Australian Business name at the same time that you purchase your domain name(s) so they can match. There’s nothing more frustrating than registering a fantastic business name and then find out that someone else owns the matching domain name. Or vice versa.
Here are a few tips to select the right domain name:
- Keep it short and sweet.
If you can’t use your brand name then choose 2 or 3 short words. An invented word is fine but avoid slang. - Avoid numbers, hyphens, double letters.
Eg coasttradesman.com - It should be easy to pronounce, to spell and not be misinterpreted.
What is www.childrenswear.co.uk really about? - Make sure it’s not trademarked or copyrighted
Run a quick search on IP Australia. - Keywords and geographical location are not always necessary.
Choosing keywords and a location may help in search engine ranking but this is not as important as before. Make sure you don’t restrict how your business may evolve because you may serve a new area or sells different products and services.
The best domain extension still is .com.au
As of April 2021, there are more than 1,500 TLD (Top-Level Domains) worldwide. You could buy a .sydney or .plumbing domain extension but these are not well recognised by customers.
For a small business serving Australian customers, we still suggest you purchase a .com.au domain and the corresponding .com domain if it’s available.
How to check if a domain name is available
Visit a reputable Australia domain registrar to search and purchase domain names.
We recommend VentraIP (no affiliate link) for .com.au and .com domains.
