Should You Register Every Variation Of Your Domain?

If you own a domain name and have a branded website parked on it, odds are your domain name, as well as your brand, are very important to you. Whether you host an ecommerce store, blog, or forum, websites are a lot of work, and can also be expensive.

The amount of time, energy, and capital invested in your website are significant and worth protecting. You may be wondering if it is worth registering additional, if not all, variations of your domain name to ensure domain and brand protection. Read on to learn more about how much you should invest in alternative versions of your domain name.

Why register additional variations of your domain?

There are several reasons why domain name owners are interested in registering variations of their web addresses, including:

Domain Protection

Registering domains that others could use for malicious purposes can save your brand reputational damage.

Misspellings

For domains that are easily misspelled or mistyped, registering domains similar to your domain could hold an advantage.

gTLDs

If you are lucky enough to own the .com and .co.uk versions of your domains, it may be worth investing in the .uk or other gTLDs like .guru, .info, or .site.

Before you register…

Prior to organising, researching, and spending additional capital to register variations of your domain name, spare a moment to gauge the interest in your brand, and take a few moments to prioritise the domains you are most interested in. The questions below can help you prepare for your new registrations:

Are the domains available?

Before you complete your domain shopping list, it’s important to make sure that the domains you would like to register are available. You can easily search for available domains using the UK2 domain search tool.

What’s your budget?

Once you confirm that your required domains are available, make sure you run a quick price check. How much are the domains per year? Can you save money by registering the domains for a longer period of time? Will the price of the domains change after an introductory period? Once you have assessed the cost, it is important to compare that amount to what you intend to spend.

How long do you want to register each domain for?

Since registrations range from one to ten years, it’s important to choose your registration period wisely. While it may cost more upfront, you can usually save money over time with a longer registration period. It will also save you the hassle of remembering to register your domain, and potentially allowing it to lapse, or worse losing the domain to the highest bidder.

Do you feel that domains similar to your existing brand are at risk?

If you feel like your domain is at risk of domain squatting, make sure you register as many domains as you feel comfortable. While it is unfortunate, there are many malicious individuals around the globe who are looking for successful websites to try to extort or copy for financial gain.