Multiple Domain Names: A Smart Move for Your Business 

A domain name is more than just an address on the web. It’s the foundation of a brand’s online identity. So, if you’ve ever wondered whether it’s worth buying more than one domain, the answer is yes!  

Investing in multiple domain names gives you the upper hand in the online marketplace. It helps protect your brand and prevents competitors from exploiting misspellings or errors in your domain name. Imagine a customer accidentally typing a slight variation of your domain. If you own that variation, you won’t miss out on their visit. 

This approach strategically ensures you’re covering all possible ways your audience might search for you. It’s a simple step with a big impact on your brand visibility. 

What it means to diversify your domains  

Domain diversification isn’t only about greater flexibility. For large companies like Microsoft and Amazon, owning multiple domain names helps safeguard their brand while expanding reach and strengthening marketing strategy.  

Microsoft itself doesn’t only go by Microsoft.com alone. The company owns a wide range of domain names, reflecting each of its products and services. For its Windows product line, Microsoft uses Windows.com. Its Office suite has Office.com and Azure.com as the dedicated domain for its cloud platform.  

Here are a couple of other real-life examples of big brands leveraging this multiple-domain strategy: 

Nike. This American multinational corporation owns over 4,000 registered domain names, including:  

• LetMePlay.com  

• ek.app  

• Jordan.com  

• Flight23.com   

• JustDoIt.com   

Apple. The extensive domain portfolio of Apple Inc. includes more than 6,000 domain names. Some of the notable ones include:   

• apple.com  

• apple-dns.net  

• applimg.com  

• apple.news  

• mzstatic.com  

But what about small businesses? Is it even worth it?  

Let’s take a look at how this strategy benefits you and your brand. 

Key benefits of owning multiple domain names   

Brand protection and security   

Ever heard of cybersquatting?  

Cybersquatting occurs when an unknown party registers your domain name and uses it with malicious intent. Obviously, this puts your brand’s reputation at stake. It can lead to consumer confusion and loss of trust, which ultimately results in a financial loss.  

For a small business owner, this can create serious challenges in building customer trust and confidence. Imagine all the hard work you put into building your brand, only to find out that someone else has your domain name. Even worse, they use it to mislead your customers. That’s a nightmare!   

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has reported a rise in cybersquatting cases over the years, accounting for about 67,625 cases since 1999.  

By registering multiple domains, including those with common misspellings, it protects your brand’s integrity and reduces the risk of losing visitors to competitors or bad actors.

Brand visibility and specificity of sub-brands   

Did you know that approximately 1.2 million new domain names are registered every month? This only proves that one website isn’t enough to get noticed in the web’s fast-growing environment.  

While it’s easy to assume that having multiple sites for the same brand could confuse your audience, the logic here isn’t just about a clear differentiation of sub-brands. It’s about making sure you’re covered in all potential search scenarios, including the possibility that your audience might misspell your domain. 

Beyond being able to communicate your offerings better to target demographics, it helps you capture type-in traffic. This means that no matter the domain extension a visitor types in search engines, it will always point to your main domain. A .com, a .net, or even a misspelled one will work fine. Hence, making a substantial difference in your brand exposure.  

Content delivery and searchability    

All the domains you own can fuel your searchability across search engines. Creating unique content for each separate domain equates to having a greater chance for users to click on search results from any of your websites. This approach enables a broader content marketing strategy. It’s even more effective than just having high-ranking pages from a single domain.  

Additionally, this strategy helps you to connect with specific audiences more effectively. With market-specific top-level domains (TLDs), like .coffee or .fashion, you can reach the right customers and compete successfully in niche markets. The goal isn’t only about improving your websites’ relevance in search results. It’s also about making it easier for potential customers to learn about what you offer.   

Geographic targeting  

Buying domains even with the same domain extensions offers you the flexibility of developing better search engine optimization strategies. Even more when having a specific country or geo-specific TLD like .uk, .london. and .nyc. Localized domains improve your SEO efforts by making your business relevant in local search results. 

Improved market competitiveness 

In a dog-eat-dog world like the digital marketplace, you need to position your business strategically. Maintaining a solid brand presence takes more than consistent branding and engaging content. You must power up your search engine ranking and protect your brand against cybersquatters. With multiple domain names, you can better target specific audiences and stay on top of your game. 

How to buy multiple domains efficiently  

Now that you know how beneficial it is to register multiple domains, let’s check out the tips and tricks for acquiring them effectively. 

Assess your needs thoroughly 

Keep in mind that a new domain name entails loads of SEO efforts and social proof to build credibility. If you’re only doing this for a new product line, think again! Ask yourself if this new site will benefit both your audience and your wallet. This investment can be resource intensive. So, if the product targets the same market, it’s best to use the existing domain as it already has traffic. But if you’re worried about losing traffic due to misspellings or potential errors, it’s a good idea to also consider variations of your main domain name.  

Prioritize value over premium domains 

It’s easy to fall for premium domains with a traffic history and authority. However, overinvesting in domain names doesn’t always guarantee success. Instead, focus on the overall value. Does it fit your brand? Will it connect with your audience? Just because the expired domains used to belong to a big company doesn’t mean they’ll have the same appeal and recognition when you take ownership. 

Make .com domains your top choice 

The .com TLD is the king of all domains. People recognize them easily and it’s their obvious preference when searching online. Check if your preferred domain name is available. If it is, don’t think twice.  

Consider acquiring domain extensions you’re most vulnerable to 

If you have the means, get as many TLDs as possible. Consider registering common misspellings or typos of your main domain name across popular extensions. But be smart enough to secure the most vulnerable TLDs in the digital space. Among the critical ones are .net, .org, .biz, .co, and .shop. Taking this proactive approach can efficiently protect your brand from cybersquatting.  

Leverage a bulk domain search tool 

With approximately 350 million domain names registered across all TLDs, finding a perfect domain name can be a challenge. However, by leveraging bulk domain search tools you can simplify the process. These services provide filter options so you can quickly search and narrow down choices regardless of how many domains you want to find and buy. With these tools, you can secure the best domains that can give your brand a resounding impact.  

Compare trusted domain registrars  

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recognizes over 2,400 domain name registrars to date. Do your research and compare the most trusted ones to help you make an informed decision. It will save you money in the long run.  

Pay attention to pricing, domain management tools, transfer policies, security, and support. Also, read customer reviews. Check if they’re transparent about their renewal rates and extra services, like hosting.  

One trusted option is Domain.com, an ICANN-accredited registrar. Our platform offers transparent pricing, robust tools, and reliable customer support. Choosing a reputable registrar like the team here at Domain.com ensures a smooth experience and protects your online presence. 

The domains you should buy 

Now that you’re ready to buy domain names, let’s delve into key considerations on the kind of domains that will be of value to your business.  

Niche-specific domains  

In the previous section, we’ve covered how and why a .com TLD should be prioritized. Let’s dissect thoroughly the importance of a niche-specific domain.  

• Keyword relevance. An industry-specific domain has a relevant keyword associated with your website’s content. It helps search engines index your page easily as it explicitly identifies what your focus is about.

An industry-specific domain can also benefit from registering typo variations of its brand name. Doing so ensures search engines find your page even when users make errors while searching.  

• Improved SEO. In relation to that, a category-focused domain clearly tells the search engine which category your expertise should be grouped in. This clarity reinforces the relevance of your website, giving it higher visibility and recognition. 

• Targeted audience. As your domain extension is already giving the search engine a road map to your site, your page will easily attract and engage with the right market. This can result in higher traffic and conversions. 

Exact match domains (EMDs) 

EMDs are more distinctive than niche-specific domains. An EMD is an exact match of users’ search engine queries, like exactmatchdomain.com. A real-life example is Nike’s JustDoIt.com, a company slogan.  

• Enhanced visibility. Because of the specificity of an EMD, search engines easily identify their relevance, which leads to a higher positioning in search results. 

• Higher click-through rates. As your website aligns exactly with users’ search queries, your page will get more clicks. And since your page ranks higher on the SERPs, you’ll get increased traffic. 

Take note also that including a typo-proof variation as an EMD helps retain visitors who mistype your domain name. It redirects users to your main page without interrupting their experience.  

• Brand credibility. EMDs not only establish relevance within a specific niche. These domains also signal authority. As they mirror exactly what users are searching for, they give the impression that the websites they’re visiting are trustworthy and have what they need. 

Branded domains  

A branded domain is the most specific of these three. Branded domains reflect exactly on your brand name, such as Domain.com, Starbucks.com, or Nike.com. These are more memorable, not only because they’re shorter and easy to remember, but also because people tend to encounter these brands in their everyday lives. This prevents brand confusion and improves the cross-platform experience for customers. 

Here are the notable benefits of implementing a branded domain name. 

• Brand awareness. Branded domain names help establish your online identity. As your web address is exactly the name of your business, it sticks to your target audiences’ minds better. Over time, as they become more familiar with your domain, you can build loyalty and trust among them.  
  But then again, it pays to register alternative spellings and typos of your branded domain to make sure users reach you even when mistakes happen.  

• Professionalism and credibility. A branded domain name conveys a professional image. It shows your audience that your products are legitimate.  

• Marketing consistency and efficiency. Given how in sync your branded domain name with your company name is, it carries a consistent brand voice across different marketing platforms. This cohesive voice encourages brand recall, which leads to brand loyalty.  

Managing your domains  

So, you’ve got all the domains you need. Now, how are you going to get everything running smoothly? Here are some strategic ways to handle your multiple domain names. 

Leverage a centralized domain management  

Owning multiple domains can be time-consuming. You need to invest considerable effort in updating your content and your DNS records to keep everything in place. Each domain requires consistent attention to keep it relevant and accurate.  

Each domain represents a website. And for you to ensure your site is up and running, it helps to have a comprehensive domain management solution where you can oversee all the domains you own from a single account.  

This is actually where Domain.com’s web-based DNS management tool becomes particularly useful.  

Ensure consistent branding across domains  

Regardless of how many domains you own, keeping standardised branding guidelines is necessary. Consistency is key to avoiding customer confusion. Each website must follow the same communication style and visual identities, such as the logo and color schemes. This adds credibility and reinforces brand personality.  

Avoid duplicate content  

Duplicate content can harm your SEO. It confuses the search engine, resulting in reduced visibility and lower rankings. To help resolve this issue, you can apply these strategies:  

• Domain Forwarding. This strategy helps mitigate duplicate content problems by redirecting visitors from one website to another. This ensures a single, authoritative version of your web page.  

On that note, set up proper forwarding, especially for domains that cover typos or alternate spellings, so users are automatically redirected to the correct site. 

• 301 redirects. This approach is regarded as permanent redirection or domain forwarding. It effectively addresses duplicate content issues by guiding search engines to the new location of your website. This ensures visitors easy access to the content they need. 

• Link equity preservation. Well-managed multiple domains maintain strong value and authority through internal and external links. So, instead of creating the same content on different sites, strengthen your link-building strategy. This will boost your SERP ranking and help avoid penalties.  

Domain parking 

Domain parking is a practice of preserving the value of a domain bought even before the actual website is created. The concept is like having a vacant lot that hasn’t been built on yet. It’s a great idea to keep your domain safe for future use. 

Take control of all your domains from a single dashboard at Domain.com 

Investing in multiple domain names is a smart strategy. It not only reinforces your online presence, but it also protects your brand from demeaning competitors, seeking to undermine your business.  

Managing all these, however, is quite a task. But with Domain.com, you can take advantage of a wide array of domain services, including a bulk domain search tool, web-based DNS management, and auto-renewal.  

What’s more, hosting with Domain.com not only helps streamline your domain management but saves you money with free URL forwarding, email forwarding, and many other domain features. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)