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Just wondering if I should register just a standard dot com domain or a dot com dot au [australian] domain?
If I register dot com, will it really matter that the shirts they buy are comming from australia?
Or would registering .com.au help them understand shipping wise... it only takes about 3-10 working days to get to most places in the world anyhow from australia...
Or would registering dot com dot au hurt sales ? Maybe I should get just a nice clean .com website...
I was confronted with the same question when seeking a host for my Perth punk history site, and after much research, decided that .com was the way to go. Far cheaper (mine was $5US). Also, I believe that you are supposed to have an ABS and a registered business or some such rubbish to get a .com.au name (can't recall the exact details, but it is some requirement that does not apply for .com names).
Also, US hosts are FAR better value than the Australian counterparts. I researched this exhaustively and finally found a deal with a host that I have found to be truly excellent, especially with their super-prompt and reliable online support. Check the white link at the bottom of my site if you want further details.
I was confronted with the same question when seeking a host for my Perth punk history site, and after much research, decided that .com was the way to go. Far cheaper (mine was $5US). Also, I believe that you are supposed to have an ABS and a registered business or some such rubbish to get a .com.au name (can't recall the exact details, but it is some requirement that does not apply for .com names).
Also, US hosts are FAR better value than the Australian counterparts. I researched this exhaustively and finally found a deal with a host that I have found to be truly excellent, especially with their super-prompt and reliable online support. Check the white link at the bottom of my site if you want further details.
Cheers
I live in the UK and I'm thinking of hosting my site in the States as well. Who is your host?
One consideration is to check alternates for your name - close spellings and especially and .net .biz .??? - Kind of default thinking is .com - in other words I usually will try companyname.com before a search (or as a search on google) so if someone hears your company name and thinks of a web site they might try .com.
The whole story of my search for a host and the reasons I chose the one I did is on my site accessible from the white link at the bottom of my home page. PM me if you want to ask anything specific and I'll be happy to respond.
Cheers!
Last edited by Rodney; August 14th, 2006 at 10:48 AM.
Reason: removed URL - feel free to add your URL to your signature
I've heard about some of the .com.au registration stuff you mention, though I haven't bothered to register one either. I was interested in registering a .org.au once, but in Australia you need to be an actual registered non-profit organisation to get a .org.au (unlike .org which is completely unregulated and often used by non-organisations), so it wouldn't surprise me if you need to be an Australian business to get a .com.au. Though an Australian t-shirt business should probably get itself an ABN, register a business name, etc. anyway (though it isn't required if you're small enough).
There's no doubt you need the .com, but I think everyone knows that anyway. I've wondered about the .com.au thing myself, but never really come to a conclusion. They cost a lot more to register, which is a non-issue if you're making money, but still seems like a waste of a nice meal and a bottle of wine
I think ultimately it depends on where your main target audience is. If you're trying to sell to Australians, it would be worth seriously considering getting both. If you're trying to sell to mostly international customers, you might only want the .com. There's also the usual issues of "what if I get big enough, will I want to have a placeholder on the .com.au so someone else doesn't take it?". Basically... it's tricky. Personally I don't believe there is a conclusive answer (other than you need the .com - .biz, .net etc. do not cut it for a business).
I don't have a .com.au, Ross doesn't have a .com.au, Nick doesn't have a .com.au... no-one here that I know of has a .com.au... that probably tells you something.
Last edited by Rodney; August 14th, 2006 at 10:50 AM.
.com or .com.au ? 
