On the net is pretty similar – you secure a domain name (your online address), register yourself with search engines so you can be found easily on the digital super highway and then invest in some good SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and Google AdWords campaign so people can easily find you.
So let’s look at the first part of building your presence online – securing the right domain name.
First up you need to decide where your business is going – are you planning to remain the local corner store or eventually grow into an international group of franchised offices?
You may have a product or service that has global potential or opportunities for your business outside of the Australian market.
With that in mind it is vital that you secure the .com for your business or product brand.
Unfortunately for most businesses these days that domain is already taken – probably snapped up by some small US operator years ago.
The challenge now is to think a little creatively and come up with a domain name that is available that is not identical to your business but relates to it.
For example, Accounting Australia would not be available as a .com but Accounting In Australia is available.
Next you need to secure the local domain for Australia – the .com.au. It is far better to secure the .com.au than an alternative like .net.au as the market is more familiar with the former so will search for that first.
Once again www.accountingaustralia.com.au isn’t available when conducting a domain search but www.accountinginaustralia.com.au is.
Your domain doesn’t have to match your business name exactly or indeed at all – many businesses opt for a name that says more about what they do rather than who they are.
Search for names easily using a free app called domain search or on your desktop use www.netregistry.com.au.
With (according to DaniWeb) an astonishing 215 million registered domain names worldwide it is not surprising that the registration criteria for URL’s has opened up.
Late last year the first of the internet’s new generic top level domain names that include everything from .menu to .tennis went live and UK Premier League football club, West Ham has become one of the first businesses to sign up for a .london domain name. See all the new domain name options at http://www.1and1.com
So the bottom line is for every product, service or business that you are involved in (as well as your own personal brand – it’s important to register ‘yourname.com’ before someone else does) you must claim your domain.
At a cost as low as $2.95 per year for a .com domain (Crazy Domains and Go Daddy) it is not a big investment but one that could cost you dearly if a competitor registers it for you.
Tony Eades is the Director of Brand Strategy at BrandManager, a creative, marketing and digital communications agency based in Sydney and Perth. He is a business branding expert with more than 25 years experience in building brands – online and offline - in Australia and overseas.
