Today’s blog post focuses on understanding the value in digital transformation, including ways to optimise your online presence and changes coming soon to the .au namespace.

What is digital transformation?

Hubspot refers to digital transformation as “a term used to describe the shift that businesses are, and have been, experiencing in terms of incorporating technology into all aspects of their business”.

We have shared various resources over the years on registering your .au domain name and choosing the right .au registrar because we want to ensure that businesses understand that domain names (and websites) are critical business assets. They are considered your intellectual property and once set up, play a large role in your business’s digital transformation journey.

Optimising your online presence

Not only does your website ensure a stable point of reference, it provides a platform to share important news, updates and relevant information. As Neil Patel explains, a reliable Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) technique for optimising your online presence is ensuring that your posts include targeted keywords that are relevant to your business.

For example, if your business sells sustainable fashion available only within Australia, your keywords may include “sustainable fashion”, “buying environmentally friendly fashion online”, “Australian fashion” and so on. By incorporating these keywords into your website as much as possible without overdoing it (also called keyword stuffing), search engines will rank your page depending on the quality of the information provided. Optimising your business’s online presence is a key part of your digital transformation journey, and it is therefore incredibly worthwhile keeping informed of any changes that might affect this.

Changes coming to .au

There are a number of changes coming to the .au namespace on 12 April 2021 as included in this post from auDA, which will mean that businesses can expect enhanced security and improved processes. Changes include the requirement of an Australian presence for all .au domain holders, refined eligibility criteria and the need to alert your registrar (within 14 days) of any changes to your contact or business-related information. 

As noted in auDA’s 2019-20 Annual Report .au is a key component of the digital economy and any changes to the namespace aim to ensure greater reliability, security and stability. Later this year, it is anticipated that people and businesses with an Australian presence will be able to register even shorter, simpler domain names with the introduction of second level domain names (e.g. example.au). A launch date is yet to be announced but in the meantime Afilias Australia is working hard with auDA to ensure these changes can be successfully implemented, so that a second level .au name can be another significant step in your business’s digital transformation journey.

Have a question, comment or idea for a future blog post? Email us at blog@afilias.com.au today.