How to choose a good domain name
The right domain name is just as important as a really well constructed site. Your domain name should be recognizable, relate to your business name, brand, product, and/or activities. Make sure it fits on a business card and is easy to remember whether seen in print, mentioned in conversation or in radio advertising.
Always a name people associate with your business. Ask other people such as customers, friends, and family what domain name they’d expect your company to have.
Size matters
You can use up to 67 characters in your domain name but remember a good domain name is easy for customers to remember, easy to spell, and short.
If at first you dont succeed
If your first domain name choice is not available choose another alternative and register a variation of your first choice.
For example, if your business name is Bobs Mowing, but bobsmowing.com.au and the more obvious mowing.com.au are registered, try adding a small letter such as “e” to indicate that it’s an online business. Or add the word online. Or add your location to attract customers from your local area:
Use some creativity, and you may find your alternative beats your original choice. Once you’ve got a list of alternatives, show them to your friends and customers to see which ones they like best. Make sure these names can be easily pronounced and spelled.
Register your product names
When users search the Internet for a particular product or service they often search by product or service, rather than business name. To increase the chances of having your site found, register extra domain names that relate to your core business or products. If you owned the hypothetical company name of Widgets & Widgets co. but you sold an array of household products, you could register generic domain names relating to all aspects of household goods. You may be too late to snap up obvious domain names such as detergent.com.au or vacuum.com.au, but a little creative thinking into alternatives can be lucrative. These alternative domains can be easily linked to your main web site.
Rules for .au domain registrations
If you want to register an Australian Domain Name, these rules will apply to you. During the registration process, you will be required to meet these requirements.
.com.au / .net.au
To own a .com.au or .net.au you must be an Australian registered company, or business with a registered business number (ABN, BRN, BN). The simplest method is to register a business name in your state or territory as a sole trader. This will cost you around $60 to $80 depending on the fees in your state or territory.
The domain name you order must have a relationship to the business it represents.
For example:
Mazda Motor Company would be reasonably entitled to own:
www.mazdacars.com.au
www.mazda.com.au
www.zoomzoom.com.au
www.cars.com.au
.org.au / .asn.au
To qualify for these domains your organisation must be a “non-commercial organisation”.
The domain name you register should have a solid relationship to the organisation to which it represents.
For example:
Red Cross are reasonably entitled to own:
www.redcross.org.au
www.rdhelp.org.au
.id.au
Especially designed for individuals, who reside in Australia.
You may register ANY personal name by which you are known.
For example:
Fred Bloggs would be reasonably entitled to own:
www.fred-bloggs.id.au
www.bigfred.id.au
www.bloggsy.id.au