Register a few, not dozens. For most Australian businesses, defensive domain registration means the .au direct version of your name, the .com if customers might type it, and one or two common misspellings. Point them all at your main website. Skip the long tail of new extensions and rare typos: they cost money every year and protect very little.
Key takeaways
- Defensive names earn their keep by stopping impersonation and catching lost visitors, not by improving SEO.
- The usual shortlist is .com.au, .au direct, .com and your most common misspelling.
- A deliberate misspelling may not qualify as a .com.au, but .au direct names have no matching rule.
- Redirect every extra name to one website and keep them all on auto-renew in one account.
What is defensive domain registration?
It’s registering domain names you don’t plan to use as your main address, so nobody else can. Typical examples are other extensions of your name (yourbusiness.au or yourbusiness.com) and misspellings (yourbusines.com.au).
The risk is real but specific. Criminals register lookalike names to send fake invoices or phishing emails. Identity Digital, which runs the .au registry, describes “typosquatting” as relying on people “not noticing a small typo in the domain name” (Identity Digital). Australians lost $166.8 million to payment redirection scams in 2025, according to the ACCC. That figure covers all fake-invoice scams, not only those using lookalike domains.
Which domains are worth registering?
The .au direct name
If you own yourbusiness.com.au, the shorter yourbusiness.au is the most obvious lookalike. In May 2026, .au direct made up 18.4% of Australian domains against 74.9% for .com.au, according to auDA’s product guide. So most matching .au names are still unregistered. Our guide to the best domain extension covers when the .com matters too.
Misspellings
Pick the one or two mistakes people actually make. Look at how customers spell your name in emails and reviews. Double letters, dropped vowels and “s” on the end are the usual culprits. Our domain name search guide shows how to check what’s available.
There’s a catch with .com.au. auDA’s allocation rules say a .com.au must match your business name, an acronym, a trade mark or a synonym for what you do (auDA). A deliberate misspelling may not qualify. .au direct names only need an Australian presence, so register the typo there instead.
Is defensive registration worth the money?
Do the sums. With us, a .com.au costs $80 + GST for two years, or about $40 a year. Four defensive names might cost a few hundred dollars a year in total, depending on the extensions. Compare that with one customer paying a fake invoice, or the cost of a dispute to win a name back.
The value drops quickly after the first few names. Registering 30 variations won’t stop a determined scammer, who can always find another. Spend on the names people are most likely to type or trust, then protect your email in other ways.
What protects you better than more domains?
- Email authentication. SPF, DKIM and DMARC records make it much harder for anyone to send email pretending to be your real domain.
- Telling customers how you invoice. State your bank details won’t change by email, and print your real domain on invoices.
- Keeping what you have. An expired main domain is a bigger risk than any typo. Turn on auto-renew and lock your names.
How do I manage extra domains without the hassle?
- Keep them in one account. One login, one payment method and one list to check.
- Redirect every name. Point each one to your main website with a permanent (301) redirect, so visitors land in the right place.
- Don’t use them for email. Unless you set up email properly on a name, publish SPF and DMARC records that say it sends no email.
- Review once a year. Drop names that get no traffic and add any new lookalikes you’ve spotted.
Our .com and international domains page covers names outside .au, and you can register your domain with WMS alongside your hosting so everything renews together. If you’re refreshing your brand at the same time, our sister businesses offer design and marketing from the Next Level Creative family.
Frequently asked questions
Do extra domains help my Google ranking?
No. Search engines rank your content, not the number of domains you own. Redirected names pass visitors to your main site, which is useful, but they won’t lift rankings. Running the same content on several domains can actually cause duplicate content problems.
Should I register my business name as a .com if I only trade in Australia?
Often, yes, if it’s available at a normal price. Many people type .com out of habit, and a stranger holding it could pick up your email or customers. If it’s already taken or priced as a premium name, it’s usually not worth chasing.
Someone already registered a lookalike of my domain. What can I do?
Check what it’s used for first. If it’s impersonating you, report it to the registrar and warn your customers. For .au names held in bad faith, the auDA dispute process (auDRP) may help. For .com and other global names, a similar process called the UDRP applies.
Do I need a trade mark to protect my domain?
It isn’t required to register a domain, but a registered trade mark makes it much easier to win a dispute over a lookalike name. If your brand is central to your business, it’s worth talking to a trade mark attorney.
Sources
- What are homoglyph domains?, Identity Digital, September 2021
- Continued action critical to combat fraud as annual scam losses exceed $2 billion, ACCC, March 2026
- .au Product Guide 2026, auDA
- com.au and net.au rule changes, auDA