This is a common question and definitely an important one to clarify. I was involved with a major re-brand and re-design project with a leading Apartment Hotel operator in Australia and we were contemplating the exact same thing about 8 months ago.

A bit of history first. It used to be that 10 years ago, Google uses the ccTLD or the country code Top Level Domains to determine how relevant your site is to a particular country.

Now it has become much more sophisticated and Google is now smarter. If you read up on the reference links shown below, there are many ways in which Google can implicitly try to define your target country without needing to get a ccTLD. These can include your geotargeting settings in Google Webmaster Tools (GWT), your server location, even your geotargeting redirects if you happen to have one or more sites. (We implemented this on a site which was getting confused between two identical sites and the moment we implemented the 302 geotargeting redirects, the traffic and rankings bounced back).

Also, there are instances where if you your site is authoritative and relevant enough you are able to rank in the top spot even if you are a .com. look at the hotel industry where www.wotif.com is consistently ranking highly. The hotels industry is a case where the market is global-based rather than just local-based. Therefore these sites like Wotif have reason to invest in content around hotels in Australia and also because it's a pay-now, experience later service; pre-purchase persuasion is important.

Perhaps a reason why .com (or general TLDs) in other verticals are not performing as well is because there is no reason to. E.g. why would Bank of Canada create large content hubs about Australia, given their limited presence? Also Australian sites won't link to it as much as they would to the Big 4 banks.

In short, if your business is primarily based in Australia, then I would personally lean towards going for a .com.au domain with a server based in Australia (or if you guys are very keen, go for a cloud-based solution such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Akamai or others.

Of course in the end, SEO recommendations go hand in hand with business considerations so you must always take that into account when making such a fundamental change to your site.

Cheers,

Cheech

References:

http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2712858 http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=62399&topic=2371325&ctx=topic 

You will have a hard time ranking .com.au on Google.com and vice versa.  It's possible but unlikely to show up on anything resembling a moderate difficulty keyword.

Second choice domain name if it's available in .com, .com.au and .co.uk is best.  Then you can decide how to proceed on the international sites.  I do this with my own site.  I have .com and .com.au  - my .com shows up on Google.com and my .com.au shows up on Google.com.au  

Your rankings will vary greatly across the international versions of Google based on local and international competition, personalized search locations, etc.

.au domain names are industry regulated while .com names are not.

.au domain names are regulated by the .au Domain Administration. They are a not-for-profit company endorsed by the Federal Government. oversee and enforce three main aspects of the domain name industry

- Domain name policy: who can register certain .au domain names (eligibility and allocation)

- Delegation of registry function (who runs the entire .au registry - AusRegistry)

- Accreditation of registrars (companies that register domain names for consumers, such as GoDaddy etc.)

The domain name policy protects consumers because com.au and .net.au domains must be purchased by ABN holders. This means you can trace the .au domain back to a registered entity. This theoretically prevents scams, etc. Policies also cover:

- Monetisation and mispellings (you can't just sit on a domain name forever without using it, nor can you register an obvious misspelling of a known domain to scam people)

- Allocation and eligibility (you can't register a domain name unless it has a close or substantial connection to your business, for example)

- Domain name arbitration (in case there are contested claims to a domain name, such as partnership breakups - which is known to happen.)

This is kind of a long winded way to say .au should be more trustworthy than a .com name, if you are looking for Australian businesses to deal with. a .com could literally be "anyone," where .au is a registered business that is based in Australia (or has dealings in Australia.)

Hi,
I have a laymans point of view about domain names. On the whole there are maybe 4 ways a domainname will be found/used.
1. They type it from a business card etc
2. Find it on a Google search
3. Click thu from another site.
4. Someone guessing the domainname.
In my  opinion none of the first 3 of the above will care what your domain name (com or com.au) is as long as it has something relevent to your business name. Only the forth one would you require the .au and most people will include it in Australia
Regards
Peter

Well .au is a country code for top level domain whose delegation is discussed in RFC 1591. Using ccTLC can boost SEO of your website by triggering it for that particular country. However there are still two views of experts about the use of ccTLD i.e. few find it useful for SEO while other not.

The ccTLD is a simplest approach to signify Google that site belongs to which country. There are other parameters too that Google uses to identify the belonging country but those are quite complicated.

Good question. With more and more businesses going online, you need to consider the domain name for your website early on when you’re brainstorming business names to register. I’d argue that your business name, and subsequently your domain name is more important than your domain extension.
 
Between the default .com or .com.au domain extension, you could decide based on the obvious, whether you are targeting local customers or outside of Australia. Obviously, your customers outside of Australia may not even think of typing in the .au extension because they won’t know it.
 
Apart from that, search engines are smarter nowadays and the domain extension doesn’t influence your ranking, anywhere near as much as your content, your site’s SEO and off-site SEOs. You could be a local business with a .com domain, but Google will still figure out you are a local business based on your online listings, reviews, website content, etc. Or you could be a global business with a .com.au extension, and search engines will still figure it out. This is only if you have done your SEO right and put some effort in it. Customers outside Australia can always google your business name and should be able to find your .com.au web address if your SEO is good.
 
If possible, get both for your online address. The uncommon names or unique domain names are usually available across multiple domain extensions and are fairly affordable. This is good to protect your brand and online presence.
 

I used to have a .com website for a few years for my business and then changed it to a .com.au and saw no major difference. I have been researching SEO for 18 years and look at my rank position frequently. 

In Google Search Console you can specify the country you want to target and rank highest in too, which I recommend if someone has told you about it. Its the best kept secret for organic traffic there is for a website by the way. 

I also recommend setting up your Google My Business profile and make sure your business address is Verified. This occurs by specifying your addess in Google My Business and waiting for Google to mail you the postcard (which takes 4 to 6 weeks) and then entering the code on it. This is another way you are telling Google your location. 

Another is to embed the Google map code on your Contact page showing either your registered street address for your business (as in Google My Business) or your region. Running a home office you can still specify the region and embed the map on your Contact page. This helps your business significantly. 

Google is very intelligent these days and uses AI and over 200 ranking factors. I've been tracking its primary ranking factors for many years to identify major factors. Your Contact page address is something Google pays attention to and it will rank your website geographically based on that and the industry you operate in.

Google is smart enough to know if you trade nationally or locally so it can rank you according to where your visitors come from. For example, an electrical contractor in Brisbane that only trades from its office in Brisbane won't rank just as high for other cities because Google recognises you're a local trading business. You can rank in other cities for a national business if you really know what you're doing with SEO. 

I recommend you apply all of these and that will make a bigger difference than whether you go with a .com or .com.au website.

Keep in mind the 'local' appearance factor too. If you are a .com.au site you look Australian based and Aussies love dealing with Australian businesses. That can affect your rank by CTR on organic search results. 

There is a new .au option now available so I thought it worthwhile to address it here:
 

Including the newer .au domain option expands your choices and considerations:

1. Global vs. Local Recognition: The .au domain is a shorter, more direct way to signify an Australian presence without the explicit commercial indication that .com.au provides. While .com domains have global recognition and are not country-specific, both .com.au and .au clearly signal an Australian focus. The .au domain offers a concise alternative that is still unmistakably linked to Australia.

2. SEO and Local Search: Similar to .com.au, a .au domain can improve SEO for searches originating in Australia, as it's a strong signal to search engines of your website's relevance to Australian users. This is particularly beneficial for businesses targeting an Australian audience, potentially offering a slight edge in local search rankings over generic .com domains without regional ties.

3. Domain Availability and Branding: The introduction of .au domains provides more options for branding and domain name selection, especially in cases where your desired .com or .com.au domains are already taken. The .au domain offers a shorter, potentially more memorable option for businesses aiming for a crisp, modern web presence. This can be especially appealing for organizations looking to streamline their digital identity.

4. Trust and Credibility: Just like .com.au, the .au domain requires registrants to have a connection to Australia, which can enhance trust among Australian customers by emphasizing your local presence and commitment. The choice between .com.au and .au might come down to personal preference or specific branding strategies, with both options reinforcing local credibility.

5. Future-Proofing and Flexibility: Choosing between .com, .com.au, and .au may also involve considering future expansion and flexibility. A .com domain provides a level of ambiguity regarding geographical location, which might be beneficial for businesses planning to broaden their market reach beyond Australia. Conversely, .com.au and .au firmly root a business within the Australian market, which is excellent for local focus but might require additional strategies for global expansion.

Is it worth worrying over? Yes, especially if you're focused on maximizing your brand's effectiveness in reaching and resonating with your target audience. The decision between .com, .com.au, and .au should align with your business's strategic goals, target market, and branding considerations. If your primary market is Australia and you want to emphasize your local presence, .com.au or .au would be preferable. If you're aiming for a broader, international audience or prefer a domain that doesn't explicitly tie to a specific location, .com might be the way to go. Choosing the right domain is a strategic decision that can impact your brand's online identity and search visibility.