Australians are voting with their computers and have propelled .au into the top 10 largest domains globally. According to a new report by .au Domain Administration (auDA), Australians recognise that .au domain names for website and email addresses are an essential business asset that guide consumer behaviour.
Why .au? Australia’s trusted .au domain highlights that Australian consumers turn to .au as they know it is Australian, recognisable and trustworthy.
The report found:
- .au domain names are a simple, effective signal that organisations and individuals have a connection to Australia.
- .au is a trusted choice relied upon by businesses and sole traders (3.9 million domain names), clubs, associations and community groups (192,000 domain names), charities and not-for-profit organisations (41,000 domain names) and government bodies (12,000 domain names)
- Three of four Australians (76 per cent) are more likely to trust an Australian business if its website ends in .au
- .au websites are sought after by consumers to support local businesses (three of five consumers) and be covered by Australian law and consumer protection (two of three consumers) when shopping online
- The majority of Australian small businesses (three of four) choose .au as their primary domain
- Despite Australia having a relatively small population, .au is the 10th most popular domain worldwide and climbing.
auDA CEO, Rosemary Sinclair AM said, “.au is powered by Australians for Australians and auDA’s Why .au? report shows that .au is a simple, credible online signifier of a connection to Australia.
“auDA has been trusted to deliver .au on behalf of Australians for more than 20 years. We are proud to provide a reputable .au domain that businesses and consumers recognise as valuable to building brands and communities online.”
Why .au? Australia’s trusted .au domain is informed by industry data as well as new auDA research, which surveyed more than 2,000 Australian consumers and small businesses with an online presence or interest in developing one. The Why .au? report is available on the auDA website.
If you do not already have a .au and are interested to learn more or register a .au for a new website or email address, speak to a .au domain name retailer.
ENDS
Note to media:
auDA’s market research was conducted by Sagacity Research. The research was carried out in March 2023 via an online survey of 2,030 respondents, comprising:
- 829 Australian small businesses with a registered domain name for business use, considering registering a domain name or with an existing online presence
- 801 Australian consumers with a registered domain name for personal use or considering registering a domain name for personal use
- 400 consumers intending to establish a business in the three years from the time of the survey.
.au is the tenth largest Top Level Domain (TLD) globally according to Verisign’s Domain Name Industry Brief Q4 2022.
