Only a week to go until the arrival of the .au domain name – here’s why you should care

The .au domain name is officially launching on 24 March 2022, as an alternative to the .com.au, .net.au and .org.au domain names among others. Here’s what it means for your business.

We all know that having a business involves a lot of blood, sweat and tears. There’s so much effort that goes into creating your brand, not to mention the time and often money that goes into finding new customers. So how would you feel if a competitor took advantage of your brand to divert your leads into their business? For example, if CyberGuru didn’t buy the cyberguru.au domain name, then a competitor could buy it and redirect those queries to their website.

Secondly, allowing someone else to buy your equivalent .au domain name presents a cybersecurity risk. What if a scammer bought your domain name? For example, if a cyber criminal sent out scam emails from a @cyberguru.au email address and used the logo/branding off the website, how many people would recognise that the email address is incorrect and that the email was fraudulent? Even if it’s only a single person it’s still too many.

At CyberGuru we’ve always championed strategies that provide the most bang for your buck. Buying your .au domain name is one of those strategies. For the cost of an existing .com.au address you can help protect your brand and minimise a cybersecurity risk.

The good news for business owners is that if you already own a .com.au (or for organisations a .org.au) address then you have priority access for the next six months to buy your equivalent .au domain name. After that, it’s open for anyone to do so.

We strongly recommend getting in touch with your existing IT provider/web designer to buy your equivalent .au domain name and redirect it to your existing website. Please ensure that when the domain name gets purchased, it is done so in your name.

CyberGuru is able to assist you to be able to apply for priority status for a .au domain name. To express interest in your .au domain name, please complete this form. If you need any assistance, please get in touch.