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Domain Name Registration & Extensions

Domain Registration vs. Website Hosting

The purchase of a Domain Name and Website Hosting are separate items. The Domain Name is the name of your website, which you register (not "buy") for 1 (.com) or 2 (.com.au) years at a time. Website Hosting is renting the space online where your website will live. One does not include the other although some hosting companies have packages which include both. There are rules regarding your Domain Name being exactly or closely related to your business. You need an ABN for a .com.au Domain Name. When choosing your Domain Name, try to use keywords that clearly describe your website focus. For example, if you are an energy healer, use the word 'healer' or 'energy' if you can in the Domain Name. Google will use the Domain Name for ranking. It may be appropriate to use your actual business name in some cases, please talk to me about this if you are undecided which way to go. More on Choosing Domain Names here.

- Domain Name - Purchase your domain name from a reputable company. At this stage I only recommend Crucial in Sydney. I have not yet found favourable reviews for any others. If you get someone to register a domain name on your behalf, make sure they put the account in YOUR NAME and you get the LOGIN details. I have had to help many of my clients wrestle their account login details back from unprofessional web designers and 'friends', once the client has indicated they want to move their web design to me.

- Website Hosting - I host with Crucial located in Sydney. Probably the most professional and technologically advanced hosting group in Australia. My clients prefer me to manage their websites, upgrade and update on their behalf. They can then concentrate on all the other aspects of their business. As everyone is on the same server space, I am unable to allow third party access as it presents a security risk, however sites are backed up weekly, and are available for download to your own PC if you would like to keep updated copies for yourself. I offer 30 minutes a month free basic content updating, blog uploads etc.

Domain Name Registration

  • registered if you do not have one, with Crucial in Sydney; if you are unsure as to what you would like to use as your domain name, please discuss with me. More on Choosing Domain Names here
  • if you already have a domain name registered - we make sure you have access to the account and any further action taken to make sure you have full ownership of your Domain Name Account
  • Always: Try to register a Domain Name yourself, or with someone you can trust to put everything into your own name, with your details - including email addresses. When someone puts their own details as the technical or admin contact, you give away all login details for that account. This can mean you cannot host your website with anyone else other than whomever that person decides. If you have a web designer register the Domain Name for your, make sure it's not in their own wholesale account, but a separate account on it's own and you have complete access
  • if you are keeping the same Domain Name for the new site, we simply replace the old website when we launch the new, this is called 're-pointing the dns or changing the nameservers'
  • if you are having a new website built using a different Domain Name, we start taking steps now to make sure the old website is able to be removed easily when the time comes; the sooner, the better
  • having two very similar websites live at the same time can prevent the new one ranking well. Google will give preference to the old site, unless it is very badly designed. If you do not need your old site for a few weeks, I recommend immediate removal. For a time the old pages will stay in Google's cache and may still appear in search results, but these will disappear quite quickly
  • Note: It is illegal to have two pages with exactly the same content, called ‘duplicating content’, and will result in the site being banned, or not being ranked
  • Myth: Domain Names cannot be "owned", you can "register" them for a year or two year period, but you cannot "own" a domain name
  • Note: You must have an ABN to register a .com.au Domain Name
  • Note: A Web Hosting Account is not the same as a Domain Name Registration Account. You can have a Domain Name Registration Account (have a website name) and no website. They are separate. A Web Hosting Account is the space your rent online to host your actual website

Domain Name Extensions

.au domain names have very specific requirements determined by .au policy, which is set by the .au Domain Regulator auDA (http://www.auda.org.au)

  • asn.au - For incorporated associations, political parties, trade unions, sporting and special interest clubs
  • com.au - For commercial entities, such as companies (with ACN as registered through ASIC), and businesses (registered with state governments)
  • net.au - For commercial entities, such as companies (with ACN as registered through ASIC), and businesses (registered with state governments)
  • id.au - For individuals who are Australian citizens or residents
  • org.au - For charities and non-profit organisations

When you register a Domain Name for a .au extension, the form asks these questions:

  • Registrant Name: - Your company or personal name, usually just the name that matches your ABN/ACN
  • Registrant ID: - Your Australian Business Number or Australian Business Number or Registered Business Number
  • Registrant ID Type: - The type of ID as above
  • Eligibility Name: - This field is usually optional and whether it is required is determined by your Eligibility Reason for the domain registration, if in doubt just use the same details as your Registrant Name.
  • Eligibility ID: - The corresponding ID number for the Eligibility Name if applicable, if in doubt just use the same details as your Registrant ID.
  • Eligibility ID Type: - The type of ID as above.
  • Eligibility Type: - The type of entity that the Registrant is, eg. Company or Sole Trader.
  • Eligibility Reason: - .au domain names can either be:

1. An Exact Match, Abbreviation or Acronym of your Entity or Trading Name, OR

2. Close and substantial connection between the domain name and the operations of your Entity.

The close and substantial connection is defined as:
- For com.au and net.au:
a) a product that the registrant manufactures or sells; or
b) a service that the registrant provides; or
c) an event that the registrant organises or sponsors; or
d) an activity that the registrant facilitates, teaches or trains; or
e) a venue that the registrant operates; or
f) a profession that the registrant's employees practise.

- For asn.au and org.au:
a) a service that the registrant provides; or
b) a program that the registrant administers; or
c) an event that the registrant organises or sponsors; or
d) an activity that the registrant facilitates, teaches or trains; or
e) a venue that the registrant operates; or
f) a profession that the registrant's members practise.

1. An Exact Match, Abbreviation or Acronym of your Entity or Trading Name, OR

2. Close and substantial connection between the domain name and the operations of your Entity.

The close and substantial connection is defined as:
- For com.au and net.au:
a) a product that the registrant manufactures or sells; or
b) a service that the registrant provides; or
c) an event that the registrant organises or sponsors; or
d) an activity that the registrant facilitates, teaches or trains; or
e) a venue that the registrant operates; or
f) a profession that the registrant's employees practise.

- For asn.au and org.au:
a) a service that the registrant provides; or
b) a program that the registrant administers; or
c) an event that the registrant organises or sponsors; or
d) an activity that the registrant facilitates, teaches or trains; or
e) a venue that the registrant operates; or
f) a profession that the registrant's members practise.


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