When moving your business online, you need to find and register a domain name and consider the domain extension. What are the most popular domain extensions? And what are the best domain extensions for SEO? The most common domain extensions may not always be the best fit for your business.
Most Common Domain Extensions
- What is a domain extension?
- Most common domain extensions
- New .au domain extension in Australia
- Best domain extension for Australian individuals
What is a domain extension?
A domain extension is the combination of characters following the period in a web address. So in our case webcentral.com.au our domain extension is .com.au. Our domain extension provides the reader with information about our geographical location, the type of business run by the owner of the domain, and whether or not it’s a government-sponsored site or a not for profit. With more than 3m domains registered in Australia, domain extensions provide an easy way to filter some domains to make it easier to find the domain needed.
Most common domain extensions
There are hundreds of domain name extensions. Naturally, your choice of domain extension will depend on your business needs. To help make that choice, we should consider the most common domain extensions in 2021 for Australia: For Australian business 
Whatever the size of the business, .com and .com.au are the most commonly used domain name extensions for Australian business. Both are well regarded by consumers but perform slightly differently. If your company operates within the global market or has plans to do so, the .com extension may be better. However, a domain extension that connects the domain to a smaller geographic location, like a .com.au, may be the best domain extension for SEO. If you need to think hard about whether it is .com or .com.au, there is probably a strong argument for securing both domain extensions. Powerful reasons exist to support having multiple domain names and extensions for your business. Let’s not forget .net. This domain name extension has been primarily associated with the technology sector and appears to be diminishing in appeal in Australia. For Australian educational institutions Generally, it is accepted that if someone is seeking a school, college or university, they will search for domains with an extension of edu.au. For Australian not-for-profits If you are a registered community or non-profit organisation in Australia, the most popular domain name extension is .org.au. If your reach extends beyond Australia you may want to consider a .org version of your domain. These are just a few domain extensions examples. Clearly, there can be a marked difference between domain extensions, and it is crucial to find the one that best suits.
NEW .au domain extension launching
A new domain extension is now emerging in Australia appropriate for Australian businesses and Australian individuals alike. It is the .au domain extension. Simple, straightforward, short and easy to remember, a .au domain allows the brand or domain name to shine. We would highly recommend that Australian business, both new and existing, consider capturing the value of this new domain extension. You can register for your .au domain here.
Best domain extension for Australian individuals
The new .au domain names are an exciting addition to available extensions, not just for business. A .au domain can be used by any Australian resident, with or without an ABN. It is anticipated that the new .au domain will provide new ways for Australian business and Australians to capitalise upon digital opportunities. It is vital to protect your business and brand names by ensuring that others cannot trade on your name using other domain name extensions. Talk to us about our domain name protection service. We’re ready to help with your domain name registration or any of our range of online services.
