Your domain name is one of the small decisions you make when building a website that can stick with your business for years. Choose something simple, memorable and, if you're an Australian business, seriously consider securing more than one version of it.
Your domain name is your address on the internet.
Mine might be something like:
yourbusiness.com.au
It's what you'll put on business cards, vehicles, advertising, email addresses and social media profiles.
Changing a website design later is relatively easy.
Changing an established domain name can be considerably more annoying.
So it's worth getting this decision right from the beginning.
For Australian Businesses, I Usually Prefer .com.au
If you're an Australian business primarily serving Australian customers, .com.au is still my first choice in most situations.
Australians recognise it.
It immediately communicates that you're dealing with an Australian commercial organisation, and eligibility rules apply to registering within the .au namespace.
If I saw:
smithplumbing.com.au
I'd immediately assume I was looking at an Australian plumbing business.
That's useful information before I've even opened the website.
There are situations where .com, .au or another domain extension makes sense, particularly for businesses targeting international markets.
But for a typical Australian small business or sole trader, I'd generally start by seeing whether the .com.au is available.
Should You Also Buy the .au and .com?
If the budget allows it, I often recommend securing the obvious variations of your business domain.
For example:
smithplumbing.com.au
smithplumbing.au
smithplumbing.com
You don't need three websites.
Choose one as your primary domain and redirect the others to it.
For an Australian business, I would commonly use:
smithplumbing.com.au
as the main website, then have:
smithplumbing.au → smithplumbing.com.au
and:
smithplumbing.com → smithplumbing.com.au
That way, regardless of which one somebody types, they arrive at the same website.
Why Buy Domains You Aren't Going to Use?
One reason is simply protecting your brand.
Imagine you've spent years building recognition around:
examplebusiness.com.au
Then somebody else registers:
examplebusiness.com
That may be perfectly legitimate if they're operating an unrelated business elsewhere in the world.
But it can also create confusion.
There are also bad actors who deliberately register similar domain names to impersonate businesses, mislead customers or conduct phishing attacks.
Buying the most obvious versions of your domain doesn't make impersonation impossible.
Someone can always register variations, misspellings or other domain extensions.
But securing the obvious .com.au, .au and .com versions can remove some of the easiest opportunities for confusion.
For the relatively small annual cost of additional domains, I think it's worth considering for an established business.
You Don't Need a Website on Every Domain
This is a common misconception.
You don't need to maintain:
yourbusiness.com.au
yourbusiness.au
and:
yourbusiness.com
as three separate websites.
In fact, I wouldn't recommend it.
Pick one primary domain.
Then redirect the others.
Someone visiting one of the secondary domains is automatically sent to your main website.
It's simple and keeps your online identity consistent.
Keep Your Domain Name Short
Shorter is generally better.
Compare:
browneplumbing.com.au
with:
brownesprofessionalplumbingservicesdubbo.com.au
The second might describe the business in more detail, but nobody wants to type it.
Your domain should ideally be:
Easy to say.
Easy to spell.
Easy to remember.
Easy to type.
If you tell someone your domain over the phone, they should have a reasonable chance of getting it right.
Avoid Clever Spelling Unless It's Part of Your Brand
Suppose your business is called Creative Signs.
You might think:
kreativsignz.com.au
looks distinctive.
Maybe it does.
But now every time you tell someone your domain, you have to explain:
"Creative with a K, without the E, and signs is S-I-G-N-Z."
That's not ideal.
Your domain name shouldn't require an instruction manual.
If your established business name deliberately uses unusual spelling, that's different.
Otherwise, boring and obvious can be surprisingly valuable.
Avoid Hyphens Where Possible
If:
smithplumbing.com.au
is available, I'd generally choose it over:
smith-plumbing.com.au
Again, imagine saying it aloud.
"Go to smith dash plumbing dot com dot au."
It works.
It's just not as clean.
Sometimes a hyphenated domain is the best available option, but I'd prefer the simpler version when possible.
Should You Put Your Location in the Domain?
Sometimes.
If your business is very specifically tied to one location, something like:
dubbopestcontrol.com.au
could make sense.
But think about the future.
What happens if Dubbo Pest Control expands into Orange, Mudgee and Bathurst?
A location-specific domain can become restrictive.
If your actual business name is Dubbo Pest Control, that's different. The domain naturally matches the brand.
I generally prefer choosing a good business name and domain rather than trying to cram every possible Google keyword into the URL.
Do Keywords in a Domain Help SEO?
Don't choose a terrible domain purely because you think stuffing keywords into it will magically put you at the top of Google.
A relevant, descriptive domain can certainly make it immediately obvious what a business does.
But SEO involves much more than the words in your domain name.
Your website content, individual pages, links, reputation, technical setup, local relevance, Google Business Profile and competition all matter.
I'd prioritise a domain that represents the business well over an awkward collection of keywords.
Check the Domain Before Naming the Business
If you're starting a completely new business, check domain availability before committing to the name.
I've seen variations of this problem plenty of times:
Someone chooses the perfect business name.
They register it.
They design a logo.
They print signs.
Then they decide to build a website and discover that the obvious domain was registered ten years ago.
Check first.
I'd also investigate whether the business name or something confusingly similar is already being used, and consider checking relevant trademarks and social media usernames.
Ten minutes of research at the beginning can prevent a much bigger headache later.
Make Sure You Own Your Domain Name
This one is important.
Your domain should belong to you or your business.
Not your web designer.
Not your marketing company.
Not someone's nephew who built your first website in 2014.
A web designer can help register and configure the domain, but you should know where it's registered and ultimately have control over it.
Your domain can become an important business asset.
It may control both your website and your business email.
Losing access to it can create an enormous mess.
Keep Your Contact Details Current
Domain registrars need contact information.
If your domain is connected to an email address belonging to an employee who left the business six years ago, recovering the account later can become unnecessarily difficult.
Use contact information that the business controls.
And if your registrar offers additional account security such as two-factor authentication, use it.
Don't Let Your Domain Expire
Domains aren't normally purchased forever.
You register them for a period and then renew them.
If you fail to renew an important business domain, your website and possibly your email can eventually stop working.
In the worst case, you can lose the domain altogether.
Turn on automatic renewal where appropriate.
Make sure the payment details are current.
And make sure renewal notices are going to an email account somebody actually checks.
A domain that costs relatively little each year can be worth thousands of dollars to the business using it.
Treat it accordingly.
Watch Out for Domain Renewal Scams
Once you own a domain, you may receive emails or even letters that look like invoices.
Some are legitimate.
Some aren't.
They might tell you your domain is about to expire, offer to "secure" a similar domain or make something that is actually an advertisement look remarkably like a bill.
If you're unsure, don't blindly pay it.
Check which company your domain is actually registered with.
Or ask whoever manages your website.
This is another reason having someone looking after the technical side of your website can be useful.
Your Domain and Hosting Are Different Things
This confuses a lot of people.
Think of it this way:
Domain name = the address.
Hosting = the place where the website lives.
They're connected, but they're not the same thing.
Your domain might be registered with one company while your website is hosted somewhere completely different.
Your business email might even be provided by a third company.
That's perfectly normal.
The important thing is knowing what you have, who controls it and when you're paying for it.
What About Your Email Address?
Your domain also allows you to have professional email addresses such as:
info@yourbusiness.com.au
or:
ricky@yourbusiness.com.au
For an established business, I'd generally prefer that over something like:
yourbusiness1987@gmail.com
A domain-based email address reinforces the business name every time you send an email and can look considerably more professional.
Email needs to be configured properly, though, particularly when moving an existing website or changing hosting.
It's something I take into account when working with a client's domain.
Don't Change an Established Domain Without a Good Reason
If you've been using the same domain for ten years, be careful about suddenly replacing it because you've found something you like better.
Your existing domain may already have links pointing to it.
Customers know it.
Google knows it.
It may appear on old advertisements, directories, business cards, invoices and thousands of emails.
Sometimes changing domains is necessary.
But it should be done deliberately, with proper redirects and consideration for SEO, email and existing customers.
Newer isn't automatically better.
My Simple Domain Name Checklist
Before registering a domain for a small Australian business, I'd ask:
- Does it match the business name?
- Is the .com.au available?
- Can I also secure the .au?
- Is the .com available?
- Is it short enough?
- Is it easy to spell?
- Is it easy to say aloud?
- Can someone remember it?
- Am I avoiding unnecessary hyphens and strange spelling?
- Is the name already being used by another business?
- Are there potential trademark issues?
- Will the name still make sense if the business grows?
- Will the business itself own and control the domain?
If the answers look good, you've probably got a solid domain.
Need Help Choosing or Registering Your Domain?
If all of this sounds more complicated than you expected, don't worry.
I can help.
If you're starting a new business, I can help you look at domain options before the website is built.
I can help with choosing the primary domain, registering and configuring it, redirecting additional domains, connecting the website and sorting out the technical side.
If you already own a domain but have no idea where it's registered, where your website is hosted or how everything connects together, I can help you work through that too.
I specialise in websites for small businesses and sole traders, particularly local and regional businesses.
Many straightforward small business websites I build cost under $1,000, with managed Australian hosting available for $30 per month or $360 per year.
If you're not sure which domain to buy, contact me before you register it. It's much easier to make a good decision now than fix a bad one later.