I attended the .au Domain Administration Limited (auDA) Member Networking breakfast at the Sofitel on Collins in Melbourne this morning. I’ve got to say that I am so proud of our Aussie .au (dot hey you!) country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) ecosystem and governing body.

I get that this topic is quite dry and misunderstood by many small businesses, however, it’s one of the underrated corner stones of an effective online identity. Your domain name forms a part of your intellectual property (IP), it builds brand recognition and credibility. It is the root of a strong online presence that then branches out to custom email and a website - fundamental tools in an effective digital strategy. A domain name is one of the things that can mean the difference between your emails getting read and clicked on or added to SPAM and deleted.

According to the ABS, at 30 June 2020 there were 2,422,404 actively trading businesses in the Australian economy. As at today, the auDA states that there are 3,304,599 .au domains registered. I think it’s safe to assume that 73% of the .au domains are registered businesses and that Australian businesses value the .au TLD.

With a focus on small business, it’s my opinion that the .com, .org and many ccTLD/TLD spaces like them are akin to the wild, wild west. They are run by cowboys, they are under-regulated and can leave users and consumers open to unethical, immoral and even illegal practices.

When things go wrong, it can be so difficult for a small businesses to manage and control their own digital footprint and can expose them to disgruntled or extortive operators.

To be honest, way too much of my time is spent on domain recovery for small businesses due to questionable domain management practices, especially in the .com and custom TLD space.

In contrast to the cowboys, the auDA is endorsed by the Australian government to represent Australian interests and works collaboratively to increase effective and ethical multi-stakeholder policy development of the .au ccTLD space and on behalf of Australia nationally in ethically shaping global cyberspace policy with ICANN.org and related entities outside of the .au space.

The new .au domain planned to roll out this year adds interesting options for a branded digital footprint. So instead of onlineiseasy.com.au I would be able to use onlineiseasy.au. The new .au domain offers Aussie businesses simplicity, credibility and legitimacy not seen in the .com and .org space. It gives prospective customers an extra level of trust in knowing that they are purchasing from a bonafide Australian business. It allows a clearer delineation for those wanting to #shoplocalonline and buy from an Australian business.

In recent developments, the .auDA policies and rules are tightening on .org.au and .com.au domains to maintain and legitimise entities using these domains and ensure they are doing so under under the appropriate Australian regulatory body. This builds integrity and trust in the .au domain. It ensures IP rights and control remains with the legitimate and rightful owner.

It’s great to see the that the colloquial Aussie ‘fair go mate’ attitude is not dead or confined to the blokey annals of the corner pub but is indeed alive and well in community policy and being championed at the highest levels of business to keep Australian domains and internet access for Australians, “open, free and secure”.

If you’d like to understand more about registering a domain name for your business or group go onlineiseasy.com.au/domains