Hi guys I'm looking to build my first website, generate traffic then monetise it. I'm looking at the home brewing niche and my question relates to local vs .com sites. There are a lot of .com sites in this niche (in fact it is pretty saturated) but not many .com.au (I live in Australia). Do you think it is worth going for a .com.au site or am I still likely to be out-ranked by the .coms? I would be happy only getting Australia traffic. Any advice appreciated!
I suggest that you purchase both to start. Domains aren't all that expensive. Direct them both to the same site. Track each of them so over a period of a few months you can determine how well they do traffic wise. Then you can keep both (because they compare close in traffic attraction), or drop the non-performer.
The domain is less important than your content and how your readers will perceive your site. If you expect your readers to be mostly Aussies then you're ok with .com.au but it may be a turn off to US or UK readers. On the other hand, your readers may be less tech savvy and not even notice the domain extension.
if you are going to create a blog or website with content related to a specific country, you should go with the country-code domain of that country. Does it matter? Yes it matters. The top-level domain that you choose will affect how search engines will perceive your site, and hence it will affect the amount of organic traffic you’ll get.