For a business that serves Australian customers, yes. A .com.au tells search engines and people that you are an Australian business, and the rules behind it mean only a business with a matching registered name can hold it. A .com says nothing about where you are and anyone in the world can register one.
What search engines make of it
Search engines work hard to show local businesses to local people. The country ending on your domain name is one of the clearest signals they have. A .com.au is treated as Australian without you doing anything else. A .com is treated as global, and you have to prove you are local through your address, your Google Business Profile and the words on your pages. You can still rank with a .com, but you start a step behind for searches such as “electrician Joondalup”.
What customers make of it
Australians trust .com.au. It reads as a real local business rather than an overseas reseller or a drop shipping site. On a business card, a ute or a quote, it quietly says you are here.
The protection nobody mentions
To register a .com.au you must hold a matching Australian business name, company name or trade mark. That rule works in your favour. It means a competitor cannot register your name as a .com.au, and if somebody did manage to, you have a clear path to recover it. With a .com, whoever registers it first owns it, and getting it back means lawyers.
Should I own both
If the .com version of your name is available and cheap, owning it and pointing it at your .com.au stops anyone else using it to confuse your customers. Use the .com.au as your real address for the website and email. Do not split your presence across both, because then neither builds up properly.
What about the newer .au on its own
Since 2022 you can also register the short form, yourname.au, with only an ABN. It is shorter and it is Australian, which makes it a good choice for a short email domain. For your main website address we still suggest the .com.au, because it is the one people expect and type.
What to do
Check what you own and when it renews. Make sure the domain is registered in your business name, not an old web designer’s, and that renewal is automatic. If you are on a .com and your customers are in Australia, register the .com.au now while it is available and we can move you across without losing search rankings or email. All of that sits under domain names and DNS management, and the search side under local SEO.
Will changing from .com to .com.au hurt my Google ranking?
Not if the move is done properly, with every old page pointing to its new address. Done badly, yes. That is why we do it as a planned job.
Can I keep my .com email address?
Yes. Both domains can deliver to the same mailboxes, so nothing sent to the old address is lost.
Do I need an ABN for a .com.au?
You need an ABN plus a matching business name, company name or trade mark. An ABN alone is enough for the short .au.
If this is happening in your business and you would like it sorted, call DM1 on (08) 6202 6012 or send us a message. We look after IT, Microsoft 365, websites and domain names for Perth small businesses.