They look like a few different letters at the end of a web address, but .com and .com.au behave very differently once you own one. Here is what actually changes: who is allowed to register, the renewal risk nobody warns you about, what each really costs, and whether .com.au helps you rank.
They are not just different letters
.com is a global top-level domain managed by ICANN. Anyone, anywhere, can register one, and there are no eligibility requirements. .com.au is Australia's country-code domain, administered by auDA, and it carries a clear signal that there is a real Australian business behind it.
That difference shows up in three practical ways: who can register, the risk of losing it, and the effect on local search. Let us take them one at a time.
To get a .com.au, you have to qualify
A .com.au is not open slather. To register one you need one of the following:
- An Australian Business Number (ABN)
- An Australian Company Number (ACN)
- A registered trade mark in Australia
- An incorporated association registered in an Australian state or territory
The domain also has to be an exact match, abbreviation, or acronym of your registered name. A .com has none of these hoops. You just register it and it is yours.
The risk nobody talks about
Your .com.au can be taken from you. Because eligibility is tied to your business registration, auDA can cancel or transfer a .com.au if the thing that qualified you lapses: a deregistered ABN, a wound-up company, or an expired trade mark. A .com has no such link. As long as you pay the renewal, it stays yours indefinitely.
This is not a reason to avoid .com.au. It is a reason to keep your business registration current if you build your brand on one.
What it actually costs
Neither extension is expensive, and the gap between them is small.
Typical yearly cost
| Extension | Yearly cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| .com | ~$15 to $30 AUD | Often $1 to $2 USD for the first year on promo |
| .com.au | ~$15 to $35 AUD | Through Australian registrars |
| Both | ~$50 to $60 AUD | The full dual-domain setup |
Does .com.au actually rank better in Australia?
Google uses geographic signals to decide which results to show which users, and the domain extension is one of them. A .com.au is automatically treated as Australian. A .com is geographically neutral by default, though you can set a target country manually in Google Search Console.
Google does not publish exact ranking weights, so nobody can promise a fixed boost. The honest summary: for a local Australian audience, .com.au is unlikely to hurt you and may give a marginal edge. For global ambitions, a .com is the more flexible base.
The dual-domain strategy
Here is what most established brands quietly do: own both, and point one at the other. You register both extensions, pick one as your primary, and set a 301 permanent redirect from the other to it.
Do not run both live at once without a redirect. Two identical sites on two domains creates duplicate content, which splits your search signals. Pick a primary, redirect the rest.
Which one should be primary?
- Australian audience only: make .com.au primary
- International ambitions: make .com primary
- Not sure yet: start with .com for flexibility
So which one should you actually register?
Pick your path
| Go .com.au if | Go .com if | Do both if |
|---|---|---|
| Your customers are almost all Australian | You plan to operate internationally | You are past the idea stage and building for real |
| You want local credibility signals | You want flexibility without eligibility rules | You want to protect the brand from squatters |
| You have an ABN and will keep it current | You are building a geography-agnostic product | You want to catch traffic from both variations |
Register both. Pick one as primary. Redirect the other.
That single move protects your brand, keeps your options open, and costs about the price of a couple of coffees a month.
Need a hand picking and setting it up?
We help Australian businesses choose the right domain, register both, and build the site on top.
Talk to us