When it comes to creating your first website, whether it’s for your business, blog, online store, or portfolio, choosing the right domain suffix is crucial. A domain suffix is the end of a domain such as .com, .com.au, .net, .org, among others.
While these suffixes may seem insignificant at first glance, they play a significant role in brand recognition and SEO, particularly for local Australian or international websites.
Choosing the Right Domain Suffix: .com vs. .com.au
So which one is best for an Australian website – .com or .com.au? Well, it depends on the type of website you want to create.
For instance, if you plan to build a local plumbing or mechanical website for your small business, then a .com.au domain suffix would be a great fit. This is because you will be targeting local customers in a particular city in Australia. Having a .com.au domain suffix will help locals find your business website easily and also give more relevance since you have a country-specific domain.
Using a .com.au for an Australian-based business is also beneficial since it helps Google to better place your search results in the Google rankings. On the other hand, if you have an existing website that has a .com suffix and is targeting customers from Melbourne or Sydney, it’s advisable to switch to a .com.au domain suffix to attract local customers easily.
The .com.au domain suffix is also suitable for national-based news websites, online stores, photography portfolio websites, Australian forums, and so on.
What About a Blog?
For bloggers, using a .com.au or .net.au instead of a .com domain suffix is a common mistake. Even if your content mainly targets Australians, it’s advisable to go with a .com domain suffix since you can target a worldwide audience instead of only Australia. By opting for a .com domain suffix for your blog, you can reach a broader audience, including those from the United States, which accounts for 50% of all internet traffic worldwide.
What About an Australian-Based Travel Blog?
Suppose you plan to travel around Australia and document your trip, and perhaps you might continue overseas afterwards. In that case, it might be tempting to opt for a .com.au domain suffix for your travel blog since it’s an Australian-based website. However, you need to think about the web searcher. While you will undoubtedly get visitors from Australia, most of your traffic would come from other countries, particularly those researching their next trip to Australia.
In this instance, a .com domain suffix would be more appropriate since you can target both the Australian audience and the international one.
Conclusion
When creating a website, choosing the right domain suffix is critical to its success. A .com.au domain suffix is perfect for local Australian-based businesses, while a .com domain suffix is suitable for international or national-based websites, blogs, and online stores. Remember to keep in mind the web searcher and the audience you intend to target when selecting a domain suffix for your website.