Domains
Your Domain
The Linchpin of Your Brand
Your domain is the linchpin of your brand’s online presence. It is the uniting factor for your email, websites and other services both technically and conceptually.
While your search engine marketing (SEM), electronic direct mail (EDM), social media and printed media may end up being thrust into people’s eyesight, a brand’s domain represents the brand on its own and should lean into SEO keywords to allow people to find you organically as well.
Domain Registration
How to Choose a Good Domain
A good domain is clear, memorable and relates to your brand. When a brand name is lengthy, businesses have the choice of opting for one or two domains - one matching the commonly used name, and/or one that is an abbreviated version.
The Sydney Morning Herald is one example - smh.com.au
Another thing that should be considered is whether your domain (or brand) is something that is or abbreviates to something else. The above Sydney Morning Herald example has a domain that matches Shake My Head, a commonly used abbreviation in online chats and text messages. This may work for your brand, but some research is advised.
Domains for Days
You can have as many domains as you wish. There are over 1,500 domain extentions, so if the last two letters of your brand work, you can even be adventurous and use the domain extension that matches. For example, if your brand was Find It you could use find.it. Similarly, Grammarly could use grammar.ly.
That said, there are some limiting factors you should be aware of. Some regulatory bodies put restrictions in place for their Top-Level Domain (TLD), but most of these are directly related to the country specific domains (ccTLD).
Some examples are:
| Extension | Country |
|---|---|
| .ly | Libya |
| .it | Italy |
| .is | Iceland |
| .us | United States |
| .me | Montenegro |
| .to | Tonga |
| .in | India |
| .at | Austria |
| .be | Belgium |
| .do | Dominican Republic |
| .am | Armenia |
| .ie | Ireland |
| .by | Belarus |
| .co | Colombia |
There's also:
| Extension | Country |
|---|---|
| .io | British Indian Ocean Territory |
| .fm | Micronesia |
| .tv | Tuvalu |
| .ai | Anguilla |
Australia (.au)
An Australin domain holder must have an ABN for au, com.au, org.au, net.au, asn.au. The domain name must be an exact match, an abbreviation, or an acronym of the registrant's name or trademark, or be closely and substantially connected to them.
The extensions of id.au may be held any Australian resident, but must be an exact match, acronym or abbreviation of the registrant’s personal name, or closely linked to their personal interest or hobby.
While an edu.au and gov.au are restricted to recognized and relevant Australian entities.
USA (.us)
The USA restrictions boil down to you having a genuine connection to the USA. For example: be a US citizen or permanent resident, a US-based organisation or entity, or a foreign entity with a bona fide presence in the US (e.g. a business operating there).
Libya (.ly)
The Lybian restrictions are quite generous. Provided you don’t use anything obscene, scandalous, indecent, or contrary to their local laws or customs, it’s ok.
Italy (.it)
The Italian domain is restricted to individuals and organizations with ties to the European Economic Area (EEA), the Vatican, San Marino, or Switzerland.
Generic Domains (gTLD)
Given the ccTLD restrictions, the gTLD’s are considerably more open. While there are some restrictions on things like gov, edu, museum, pro and some others, most of them require nothing more than a valid (and working) email address.
The gTLD list includes the ubiquitous com, as well as: global, group, guru, help, legal, life, marketing, and many more. At the time of publishing, there are almost 1,250 extensions for gTLDs. See the the full list of gTLD’s at IANA here. (https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt)
So, What's Next?
The next step is to register domains. Why not conatct us and get the process started today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definition of Terms
Every system, organisation or technology comes with it's own lingo. Here are some terms related to domains.
| TLD | Top Level Domain. Can be either of the following. |
| gTLD | Generic Top Level Domain (.com, .net, etc) |
| ccTLD | Country Code Top Level Domain (.au, .nz, .us) |
| Domain Extention | This refers to the part after your brand. (i.e. .com, .net.au, .geek.nz) |
| ICANN | Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (global overseer) |
| auDA | The Australian Domain Administration. This organisation manages all domains ending in the country code .au. |
| WHOIS | The public database of domain ownership records. When you register a domain, the provided details are put in here. Many domain extentions allow for privacy measures. |
| RDAP | Registration Data Access Protocol. This is the new version of WHOIS, but is not implimented everywhere yet. |
| EPP, EPP Code, Auth Code | These all relate to the code or password that is required to move a domain from one registrar to another. (EPP stands for Extensible Provisioning Protocol) |
Do I have to provide true and accurate information when registering a domain?
Yes. The organisations tasked with domain oversight — such as ICANN and auDA — require it, and they do check.
For .au domains (auDA rules)
auDA requires that registrants provide accurate details and actually have an eligibility to register the domain — e.g. an ABN/ACN for .com.au. Providing false information can get the domain cancelled or suspended. It's not just a terms-of-service thing, it's a regulatory requirement.
This also extends to sale of business with the domain. If the business is operated under a new ABN and the domain remains with the business, then the ABN needs to change too.
For gTLDs (.com, .net etc.)
ICANN also requires accurate WHOIS data. Deliberately false information can result in the domain being terminated by the registrar.
How do I start the process?
Just contact us. Simple!
We can also tell you over the phone or via email whether or not your location can be upgraded free of charge.
