ARA members should take time to consider if they would like to register their business for a .au domain name, ahead of the 20 September deadline for priority registration.

Currently, most businesses will use a .com.au domain name extension. The new .au extension provides customers with a more succinct domain name to access their favourite businesses with, but this requires those businesses to register the .au equivalent of their current domain name.

The priority registration process, open now, allows businesses to register the .au equivalent of their current website, and protect their online presence going forward.

Not doing so ahead of the 20 September priority registration deadline will mean that anyone can register the domain name thereafter, which may expose businesses to impersonation with websites potentially set up to deceive customers with fraudulent transactions.

Businesses do not have to migrate their online activities if they do not wish, but consideration should be given to registering and maintaining the licence for relevant .au domain names. Doing so will protect the key online asset many businesses maintain, in their unique domain name, whilst also thwarting would be fraudsters or web-name campers looking to extract monies from business owners for domain name access.

auDA, the domain name administrator for this process, has a registry where businesses can check that their preferred domain is still available. From there, the auDA website also has links to accredited domain name registrars, who can provide licences to business for their domain names.

How to register

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has provided this single page resource to explain license acquisition and maintenance, including relevant links to auDA websites.