Sydney’s most highly prized online real estate assets have today been released to the market as Australia’s most iconic city inherits a truly iconic web address with the launch of .sydney domain names for pre-release applications.

Sydney today joins the likes of New York, London, Melbourne and other leading cities around the world in acquiring its very own domain namespace.

Individuals and business owners in New South Wales – along with service providers to the State – now have the opportunity to apply for a locally relevant web address and be a part of Sydney and all that it represents.

Adrian Kinderis, CEO of ARI Registry Services – the Australian-based technology company managing .sydney and .melbourne – said the launch of .sydney would mark one of the most significant technology infrastructure projects in the State.

“A .sydney web address will provide businesses, individuals and service providers to the State with an innovative way to show an online affiliation to the city and increase geographical relevance to their target audience,” Mr Kinderis said.

“We know that city-based domain names like .sydney reward businesses by improving customer recall of their web address and enhancing trust through geographic association. They also provide greater message recall, increased engagement and search engine optimisation benefits that could give savvy businesses the edge over their competitors.”

Mr Kinderis said there are many benefits for registering a .sydney web address and he expected many of the city’s leading businesses and proud residents to snap up the chance to own their piece of Sydney online.

Applicants who apply for a .sydney domain name during the pre-release phase will get a head start to acquire their piece of Sydney’s new digital real estate.

They will join some of the city’s most recognisable brands and personalities to be the first proud citizens of the State to use a .sydney web address.

.sydney domain names can be purchased from featured retailers such as Crazy Domains, Instra, Melbourne IT and Netregistry.

For those interested in applying for a .sydney web address during pre-release, please visit www.nic.sydney.