- 31% growth in new .au domain names registered during COVID-19 (Apr-Sept 2020) compared to the same period in 2019
- Equates to an additional 80,000 domain names registered in the period, predominantly in the com.au namespace by businesses
- Around 85% of the new com.au domain names registered are from businesses established before the pandemic (prior to 2020), with about one-third of these being businesses more than ten years old
- New domain name growth in NSW & Queensland peaked in July then dropped off, while new Victorian registrations continued to grow through August and plateaued in September
Registry statistics published by auDA, the Australian administrator for the .au country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), highlight the extent to which businesses have pivoted online through the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions.
These figures show 31 per cent growth in new domain names registered across the namespaces in the .au ccTLD (eg com.au, org.au) in the six months of the COVID-19 pandemic (Apr-Sept 2020) compared to the same period in 2019.
This equates to an additional 80,000 domain names registered during COVID-19. The vast majority of these new domain names were registered by businesses in the com.au domain.
“auDA’s internal analysis found that around 85 percent of new com.au domains created since the COVID-19 restrictions are associated with businesses that were established pre-pandemic, indicating the many thousands of local businesses pivoting to an online presence to continue operating through the pandemic,” said Ms Rosemary Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer of auDA.
“Our analysis also indicated that one-third of the businesses registering new domain names in the past six months are more than ten years old, indicating the dramatic shift to digital during COVID-19, even for well-established businesses,” Ms Sinclair said.
The influence of COVID-19 can also be seen in the State breakdown of new domain registrations. In NSW and Queensland, new domain name growth peaked in July then dropped off, while in Victoria new registrations continued to grow through August and plateaued in September.
Businesses can find a trusted com.au domain name in seconds by visiting getyour.com.au.
Note:
- auDA’s registry and namespace reports are published each month
- August 2020 consumer research on online shopping habits and perceptions of the com.au namespace
