.com.au or .com: Do You Need a .com.au Domain?
Does a business need a .com.au domain to rank in Australia?
No. A business does not need a .com.au domain to rank in Australia. Google says a country-code domain is a strong signal that a site is meant for that country, but it also reads hreflang tags, local addresses, currency and links from local sites. Choose .com.au if you qualify for one and sell mainly to Australians.
Key takeaways
- Google treats a country-code domain as a strong signal of the country a site is for, and does not say how much weight it carries.
- A .com with an Australian section can also rank in Australia, using hreflang tags and local details.
- Only a commercial entity with an Australian presence can register a .com.au, and the name must be connected to the business.
- A .au name is open to anyone with an Australian presence, with no rule about which name you pick.
- A country-code domain can target only one country, which is a reason to keep a .com if you sell in several.
In this guide
“Do I need a .com.au domain?” is asked by two kinds of owner: an Australian business choosing its first address, and an overseas business entering Australia on a .com. This guide compares .com.au, .au and .com, says who can register each, and gives a way to choose. It supports our SEO work for businesses in Australia.
Do I need a .com.au domain to rank in Australia?
No, though it helps Google place you. Google's guidance says a country-code domain is tied to a specific country and is a strong signal, to users and to search engines, that a site is intended for that country. It also lists the other signs it reads: hreflang tags, server location, local addresses and phone numbers, local language and currency, links from other local sites and your Business Profile.
Google does not publish how much weight the domain carries, and it does not say that a .com.au outranks a .com. Anyone who quotes a percentage is guessing. What Google does publish is a list of advantages and drawbacks for each way of setting up a site for one country. Its examples use Germany's .de. The same reasoning applies to Australia's .au, which .com.au sits under.
| Set-up | Australian example | Advantages Google lists | Drawbacks Google lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country-code domain | example.com.au | Clear geotargeting; server location irrelevant; easy separation of sites | Can target only one country; needs more infrastructure; sometimes strict registration rules; can be expensive |
| Section of a .com (subdirectory) | example.com/ | Easy to set up; low maintenance on the same host | Single server location; harder to separate the sites |
| Subdomain of a .com | au.example.com | Easy to set up; allows different server locations; easy separation of sites | Visitors may not recognise the country from the address alone |
Google's guide to multi-regional and multilingual sites says country-code domains are tied to a specific country and provide a strong signal to users and search engines that a site is intended for that country. It gives no figure for the strength of the signal.
Source1Google Search Central
Who can register a .com.au?
A commercial entity with an Australian presence. The rules belong to auDA, the body that administers Australia's .au domain, and you apply through a registrar.
What auDA's rules ask of a .com.au applicant
- Be a commercial entityauDA's list includes a company registered under Australia's Corporations Act, a foreign company registered under that Act, and any entity or person issued with an Australian Business Number (ABN).
- Or hold an Australian trade markA foreign business or person who holds, or has applied for, an Australian trade mark also counts. In that case the domain name must be an exact match of the words in the trade mark.
- Choose a name connected to the businessThe name must match, or be an acronym of, your company, business or personal name, match your Australian trade mark, or match or be a synonym of a service, product, event, activity or premises of yours.
- No street address neededauDA says you do not need a physical address in Australia, provided you meet the presence requirement, for example with an ABN or an Australian trade mark.
- Stay eligibleA licence runs for one to five years, and you must remain eligible for all of it. auDA's rules say a licence may be suspended or cancelled if you do not.
For a business based overseas, the routes are an ABN, registration as a foreign company, or an Australian trade mark. The Australian Business Register says non-residents may be entitled to an ABN if they are carrying on or starting an enterprise in Australia, or making supplies connected with Australia's indirect tax zone. Whether that describes your business is a question for an accountant, not an SEO agency. The full criteria are in auDA's licensing rules.
auDA's licensing rules say a com.au applicant must be a commercial entity, and define that term to include Corporations Act companies, registrable bodies including foreign companies, holders of an Australian Business Number, and foreign entities or persons who hold or have applied for an Australian trade mark.
Source4auDA (.au Domain Administration)5auDA (.au Domain Administration)
.au vs .com.au: what is the difference?
A .au name, such as example.au, is shorter and has looser rules. auDA says it can be registered by anyone with a validated connection to Australia, including citizens, permanent residents, Australian trade mark holders and organisations registered in Australia. You do not need an ABN, and you may choose any available name.
auDA describes .au as a newer, shorter alternative and says it is not replacing .com.au. For search, both sit under Australia's country code. Google's guidance talks about country-code domains in general and does not single out either one.
| .com.au | .au | .com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can register | Commercial entities with an Australian presence | Anyone with an Australian presence | No Australian presence needed |
| Rules about the name | Must be connected to the business | Any available name | No auDA rules apply |
| What it tells Google | A country-code domain: a strong signal for Australia | A country-code domain: a strong signal for Australia | A generic domain, not tied to any country |
| Countries it can target | One | One | Several, with a section for each |
.com.au vs .com for SEO: which should you choose?
Choose by where your customers are and whether you qualify. These four situations cover most owners.
Which domain fits your situation?
- You are an Australian business selling only in AustraliaUse .com.au. You qualify, and Google reads it as a clear sign of an Australian site.
- You are overseas, with no ABN and no Australian trade markYou cannot register a .com.au yet. Build an Australian section on your .com, such as example.com/au/, with Australian prices, spelling and hreflang tags.
- You sell in several countries from one .comKeep the .com and add a section for each country. Google lists this set-up as easy to establish and low maintenance.
- You own a .com.au and are expanding overseasKeep .com.au for Australia. Google says a country-code domain can target only one country, so other markets need their own address.
Whichever you choose, the domain is one sign among several. The pages still need Australian wording, Australian dollars, local details and local links. How to rank on Google in Australia covers those steps, and what international SEO is explains the choice between a country domain, a subdomain and a section in more depth.
What if you own both, or want to switch?
Run one website, not two copies. Pick the address that fits your situation as the main site and send the other to it with a permanent redirect, so customers and Google end up in the same place. If both must stay live for different countries, Google's advice for similar pages in one language is to pick a preferred version and use canonical and hreflang tags so searchers get the right regional address.
Moving an established site from .com to .com.au, or the other way, is a change of domain, and it puts your existing rankings at risk if it is done carelessly. Plan it like any other move: see how to redesign or move a website without losing SEO.
Related serviceSEO for businesses in Australia
We look at your site and your markets, tell you which address is the smaller job, and set up the signals that get your Australian pages shown in Australia. We work remotely from New York.
See the serviceQuestions people ask about .com.au and .com domains
Related serviceInternational SEO
A customer in Toronto and a customer in Sydney search in different words, compare you with different companies and expect local prices. We set up your website so each country has its own pages, and Google knows which one to show.
See the serviceCountries we work in
Does my website have to be hosted in Australia?
No. Google lists “server location irrelevant” among the advantages of a country-code domain such as .com.au. For other set-ups it treats server location as one possible sign of a site's audience and says it is not a definitive one, because many sites use content delivery networks.
What happens to my .com.au if I cancel my ABN?
You can lose it. auDA's rules require the holder to stay eligible throughout the licence, say a licence may be suspended or cancelled if they do not, and say it will be cancelled where the holder no longer has an Australian presence. Arrange another basis for eligibility before you cancel.
Is .net.au different from .com.au?
Not in who can hold it. auDA's licensing rules set the same eligibility and name criteria for com.au and net.au: the applicant must be a commercial entity with an Australian presence, and the name must be connected to the business.
Should I register both the .com.au and the .au?
It is a sensible precaution when both are free, because auDA's rules let anyone with an Australian presence register any available .au name. Use one for the website and redirect the other to it. auDA says .au is a shorter alternative and is not replacing .com.au.
Does a .com.au help me rank on Google Maps?
Google does not say so. Its page on local ranking names relevance, distance and how well known a business is, and does not mention the domain ending. Its advice for the map is about a complete, accurate Business Profile and reviews, not about the address of your website.
Find out which address suits your business.
Send us your website and the countries you sell in, and our free audit will show how you appear in Australia today and which set-up we would choose.
The authors
Who wrote and checked this guide
Written by
Jamiez Nguyen
Founder & CEO
Jamiez Nguyen founded Taskcover and leads strategy and client growth. He started it in 2017 as a team doing search work behind the scenes for other agencies, then opened it to businesses in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Reviewed by
John Edward
CTO
John Edward leads the technical side of Taskcover: how sites are built, how fast they load, and how search engines read them.
Updated Fact-checked About the people at Taskcover
Sources
Where the facts in this guide come from
Facts last checked on October 12, 2026.
- 1Managing Multi-Regional and Multilingual SitesGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 2Localized Versions of your PagesGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 3Tips to improve your local ranking on GoogleGoogle Business Profile HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
- 4.au Domain Administration Rules: LicensingauDA (.au Domain Administration)Checked on October 12, 2026
- 5com.au domain namesauDA (.au Domain Administration)Checked on October 12, 2026
- 6.au direct domain namesauDA (.au Domain Administration)Checked on October 12, 2026
- 7ABN for businesses outside AustraliaAustralian Business RegisterChecked on October 12, 2026
