Your company domain name is the gateway to a lot of online traffic and potential sales. You might not think the domain name for your landing page matters as long as people find you on a search engine results page. However, you still need a domain name people can enter into a browser easily that gets them where they need to go. That’s easier said than done. So, your best option is to buy as many different domain names as possible. Cast a wider net and catch a lot of fish. Here’s why this approach pays off.
Why Do You Need So Many Domain Names?
1) SERP rankings
This first reason might be the most important one. The greater your presence online and the easier it is for people to find you, the better the chances of ranking highly on search engine results pages. You want the highest organic ranking possible to convert browsers into buyers. So, if you have multiple sites with strong landing pages, backlinks, and other SEO tools, there’s more chance that Google will rank them for specific search terms. You can have your SEO team set up these secondary pages, so they have 301 redirects. This means that once visitors end up on this secondary version of the website, they can go directly to the primary website for whatever reason. This is important to ensure that a high percentage of traffic and positive analytics relate to the same page, allowing for better rankings.
2) Redirection for rebranding
As businesses evolve, names change, and there is a need for a more professional domain name that fits the business. The most famous rebranding in recent years is the questionable shift from Twitter to X. It took them a long time to switch over the domain name, but smaller businesses enjoying their rebranding can be much more on-the-ball. You can set up a new domain name with the new branding and build a great new website to match. The existing domain name can remain in place and redirect people to the new version. You can adapt the landing page to show visitors that you’ve moved and are still the same great company under a new name. This connection can reassure those returning to a brand and fearing it’s under new management.
3) Redirection for alternative names
This only applies to larger brands that have built a reputation under different names. It all depends on your following and brand story. For example, some global brands have many nicknames depending on the region. In the UK, a successful McDonald’s ad focused on all the different slang names used across the country, such as MaccyDs. So, the company could set up another website under that name that redirects people to the actual McDonald’s site. If you have an emerging brand that’s known by a nickname in your local area, why not create domain names under both names to be sure of getting as much traffic as possible? It pays to be creative here and carry out a thorough domain name search with a leading provider to get the best options for redirection sites.
4) Spelling mistakes
This one is a little less obvious from a branding and SEO point of view, but it still makes a lot of sense and works in the same ways as the redirection tools. If you have a brand name that doesn’t have the most obvious spelling, there’s a good chance that people will get it wrong when entering it into a browser. For example, if you have a name derived from another language, such as a Japanese or French term, it could be easy to mispronounce and, therefore, mistype. The same goes for words that are easily misheard. If you’re Princes, not Princess, or vice versa, that could lead to confusion. The best approach is to get hold of the domain names for all the potential alternative spellings you can think of. As with the previous domains, they can easily redirect you to the primary homepage. You won’t have to lose out on traffic for someone else’s mistake.
5) Expansion into new markets
Then, there’s the opportunity to expand into new markets. Right now, you might have a .com domain name that reflects your place as a domestic brand in the United States. But what happens if you break into other markets, such as Canada or the UK? Companies with a drive to become transatlantic can get hold of the co.uk version of their company’s domain name. There’s a good chance that visitors will go directly to the .com site because they know your origins. Still, a co.uk site is more appealing to those who want to shop online and deal with online stores and shipping. It may also be a way of creating different online content and promotions for that international market. The same goes for any other region you’re focusing on.
Finding Domain Names Early
It isn’t just a case of finding as many of these alternative and regional domain names as possible to get ahead. You must do this as quickly as possible when setting up a business online. You might think you’re entirely jumping the gun by setting up all these other domain names for alternative versions, expansions, and spelling errors. However, it pays to own the names from the start, even if it takes a while to do anything with them. The worst-case scenario here is that a competitor buys it before you do. If they suddenly get a similar-sounding domain name or UK alternative, they can use it for defamation, redirection to their company, or try and sell it to you at a high price.
This is why it’s important to do those domain name searches as effectively as possible. You want to pick up as many options as possible, even if they sound ludicrous right now. Work with a company specializing in high volumes of cheap domain names to get a good deal and set yourself up for the future. As long as all the relevant domains are in your hands, you can use them to your advantage as the business grows.
