Marketing - 3 min read

.AU direct domains are now here, get yours to protect your brand today!

Middle-aged man in blue sits on blue tricycle with blue megaphone smiling

Posted March 28, 2022 | Written by David Ligtenberg

If you're an Australian business, it's time to get serious about protecting your brand online. The new direct .au domains are now available, and it's more important than ever to secure your perfect domain name.

From 24th March, Australian businesses have been able to purchase the .au direct version of their domain.

With direct .au domains, you can have a domain that is unmistakably linked to your business, making it easier for customers to find you online. It will also protect your brand if you already own .au versions of your domain. Don't wait any longer – protect your brand and get your perfect domain today!

6-month priority status to pre-register: March 24th - Sep 20th, 2022.

Businesses who already have .AU domains registered (eg. yourbusinesshere.COM.AU or yourbusinesshere.NET.AU) can apply for a Priority Status to register their exact match in .AU within the six-month period from launch, before .AU registration is open to the public for anyone to purchase the .AU extension of YOUR domain from Sept 19 2022. After this date, priority rights will kick in and people will be able to register on a first-come, first-served basis.

Graphic of cursor clicking the go button on a secure .au direct domain

What happens if two or more companies own a country-code top-level domain?

If you only own one .au domain eg: yourbusiness.com.au and then another entity owns the .net.au or .org.au version you can both apply for priority registration but in this case, there is a process and you may not always get your domain. The end decision of who gets the domain will be allocated according to the auDA’s Priority Allocation Process. This highlights the importance of securing relevant brand domains ahead of time, as this will always help protect your brand down the track.

4 reasons why you should get your .AU direct domain secured ASAP:

Protect your brand / business name and prevent competitors from registering your .AU direct domain and trading using it online! After the above mentioned 6 month period any Australian business can register the direct .au domain
While .com.au is currently the standard for Australian businesses, there’s a high chance that .AU direct will take over as the new standard for websites in Australia, so it’s important to get in now and ensure your brand is protected.
.AU means you can have a shorter and more memorable online name that is easier to type and display on mobile devices.
It's Aussie - promote our country through this great new domain 🇦🇺

Can you register the direct .au domain if you don't already have a .au domain?

Yes! If the .au direct domain you want does not have a country-code top-level domain .com.au, .net.au or org.au domain already registered you will be able to register your desired .au direct domain. So if you want to get a truly Aussie domain, get in touch and we can help you get a .au direct domain today.

Ready to purchase your .AU direct domain?

If you want to protect your brand online, there's no time to waste – get your .au direct domain today! Notify our accounts team and they will get your registration sorted as a priority.