Should I register all variations of my domain name?

One question which comes up frequently is, “Should I buy all of the extensions of my domain name?”

This is a common question because sites which sell domain names will often try to get you to purchase every version.

A new client recently asked me about what domain names he should register, and in particular, how many variations of his basic domain name he should register.

I replied that there were pros and cons each way.

Domain Name Extensions (Photo credit: The Booklight)

I have mixed thoughts about registering multiple derivations of domain names.

Yes, it does secure many variations and cover many options.

But each domain has a cost to maintain, albeit relatively it small.

You might also consider popular mis-spellings of your domain name.

I do not think that it can hurt to have more rather than less domain names registered.

But I am not sure that it is going to add much commercial or SEO value for you.

5 Domain Name Failures

Choosing a good domain name is vital for the success of your business. Your website is the virtual shop front for your business, so it’s essential that it’s easy for your potential customers to find. Choosing a domain name may seem simple – it’s just the name of your company, right? – but there are still a number of pitfalls for your company to fall into if you’re not careful! Here are our top 5 domain name fails:ᔥ NSDesign Blog » 5 domain name fails

Will people type in the domain or use Google?

Things have changed with the power of search–the idea that most people won’t type in a URL, but they’ll search for the terms in Google.

Here’s the Google search for “fast wordpress hosting” (with no quotes):

Google search for: fast wordpress hosting

As of today, the business who owns fastwordpresshosting.com isn’t even on the first page.

Or second.

Or third.

Hmm.

So they might as well not even exist–or at least be competition. Wouldn’t they “automatically” be on the first page because they have an exact match domain?

Not necessarily. In fact, who comes to the top?

Well, the very top are the advertisements. The people who pay get to the top. But that’s not the same as true search, of course.

So who’s at the top of the search results? The sites with the most “authority” on those search terms.

This the heart of SEO (search engine optimization). . . . ᔥ Should you to buy all variations of a domain name? – Likoma

Here is some further discussion on the relevance of domain names to business.

Does the domain name even matter anymore?

You could make an argument that the domain name plays a much less powerful role than it did before search became so commonplace.

Who is at number one in search? Our pals over at WP Engine. Did they buy fast-wordpress-hosting.biz?

No, they didn’t bother. They just have a page on their site that’s dedicated to Fast WordPress hosting or at least is “optimized” for that search term. You’ll notice I’m talking about SEO here more than domain names or variations on spelling. That’s because the Internet isn’t the Yellow Pages. The Yellow Pages, at least in its paper form, didn’t have search. You went to the page you wanted (under the letter F for fast … or maybe W for WordPress or maybe H for hosting … ) and found them and called them.

To answer the question of whether or not you need to worry about your . . . ᔥ Should you to buy all variations of a domain name? – Likoma

More Reading

↬ 10 Tips on Choosing the Right Domain Name | MotoCMS
↬ Kevin Rose, the Domain Name Variation Guru | Accidental Domainer
↬ NSDesign Blog » 5 domain name fails

Introduction

As all brand owners know, protecting your name and trade marks online is becoming increasing complicated as new internet domains are opened up on a regular basis, including the new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs, that is, as a .brand domain).

Because of the proliferation of domains available, even the most well resourced brand owners cannot protect their key brands across all domains through prophylactic domain name registrations.

The long discussed Trademark Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) is intended to assist brand owners to prevent third parties from registering domain names which incorporate their registered trade marks. The Clearinghouse is now set to launch and will begin accepting registrations on 26 March 2013.

.ᔥ Protecting your brand from domain name piracy- the launch of the Trademark … – Lexology (registration)

How to Find a Decent Website Name

One of the most important things you will do for your online business is to choose a name for your web site.

It can be extremely difficult to find a name that reflects the business that you do, especially if you have a great deal of competition and most of the names you are thinking about have already been purchased.

1. You are going to have to put some thought into your web site name, and a good starting point is to list some terms that are extremely relevant to the type of business that you do.ᔥ How To Find A Decent Web Site Name – InventorSpot – Inventorspot

Using Google Adwords to Test a Domain Name

Finding and Securing the Perfect Domain Name

Domain Names – Do You Need One?

This video is a bit amateurish, but has some good basic information.

Skip through the first 45 seconds and the last 30 seconds.

It’s only when you go looking for a domain name that you realise how much of the Internet is just empty plots with Sold signs stuck in them.

— seanblezard (Sean Blezard) (@seanblezard) Sun Apr 21 2013

Until twitter auto-linked it I never knew http://t.co/d7xMq42leb had his name as his domain too – I wonder which came first…

— SCRWD (Jon B) (@SCRWD) Sun Apr 21 2013

Well, that is quite simple really!

What should you do now?

Choose your domain name(s) wisely.
Balance budget against commercial results.
Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.

Quote

There are times when we are confused because we have too many choices, and there are others when we are confused because we don’t have any choice.
~ anon