The Great AU Domain Showdown: .com.au vs .au

Objective

Our latest experiment sets out to explore the performance battleground between the established .com.au domains and the newer .au contenders. The .com.au vs .au debate is more relevant than ever as businesses look for the best domain to boost their online presence.

Hypothesis

Given the longstanding presence and recognition of .com.au domains, we theorize that they might hold a temporary advantage over their .au counterparts in search engine visibility, at least in the initial phases post-launch.

Methodology

Materials:

• Both domain variants will be homed on a robust VPS server to ensure a level playing field in terms of hosting quality.
• The SEO plugin Rank Math will be uniformly applied across both sites, limited to sitemap functionality to keep the SEO factors consistent.
• The Divi theme will be the common ground for both sites, ensuring design and functionality parity.
• A secure HTTPS protocol will be enforced for both domains, aligning with best practices in website security.
• Unique content will be crafted for each site to sidestep any negative SEO impact from duplicate content.
• Google Search Console integration will be a standard feature for both domains, enabling detailed performance tracking.

Procedure:

1. Domain acquisition was completed through Crazy Domains, ensuring a uniform starting point for both .com.au and .au sites.
2. Siteground was chosen as the hosting platform for both domains, standardizing the hosting environment.
3. A clean slate was ensured by purging default themes and plugins post-WordPress installation.
4. The Divi theme was deployed on both sites, setting a common design and functionality framework.
5. A ‘Home’ page was established on each site, serving as the primary landing page.
6. The ‘Business Consultant’ layout from Divi’s premade templates was selected for both sites to maintain design consistency.
7. Content on each site was carefully crafted to be distinct, avoiding any overlap that could skew the experiment’s results.
8. Sitemaps were generated using Rank Math, facilitating efficient indexing by search engines.
9. Both sites were registered with Google Search Console, with sitemaps submitted to aid in tracking and analysis.

Findings

The initial phase of the experiment unveiled a surprising twist, with the .au domain initially outshining its .com.au counterpart. However, the tide turned dramatically by the third month, leading to the .au domain’s disappearance from Google’s radar in the subsequent period.

Analysis

This four-month journey, albeit short in the SEO timeline, has provided significant insights. The .au domain’s initial success, followed by its sudden vanishing act, prompts a deeper inquiry into possible canonical issues. However, the notion that Google might equate .com.au and .au domains to subdomains seems unlikely, suggesting other factors at play.

FAQs

1. Which domain is better for SEO in Australia: .com.au vs .au?
   • While our experiment showed early success for .au, .com.au displayed more consistent performance over time.
2. Why did the .au domain disappear from Google rankings?
   • The disappearance may be due to canonical issues or other algorithmic factors, but more observation is required.
3. Should I use .com.au or .au for my Australian business website?
   • For established businesses, .com.au might offer more immediate recognition, but .au could become competitive with time.
4. Does Google treat .com.au and .au domains as subdomains?
   • There is no evidence to suggest Google treats them as subdomains, though they are similar in many respects.

Forward-Looking Conclusion

While this experiment has shed light on the competitive dynamics between .com.au and .au domains, the evolving nature of search algorithms and domain authority underscores the need for ongoing observation. Over the next nine months, we’ll continue to monitor these digital contenders, keenly observing if a fully developed website on a .au domain could tip the scales. Stay tuned as we delve deeper into this digital domain duel, committed to uncovering actionable insights for the Australian online community.