Marketing domain names.
When it comes to purchasing marketing domain names for your business, it used to be simple.
All you had to do was purchase the .co.uk or .com versions of your desired URL. However, from 1st June 2015, there have been more variations available. From the useful and straightforward, such as .marketing and .nutrition, to the more outrageous, such as .ninja and .fail.
This has started a spending spree in which both businesses and celebrities are snapping up domain names. This is so they can't be used negatively by getting into the wrong hands. For example, Taylor Swift reportedly snapped up a couple of questionable domain names to ensure no one else could use them. Imagine a site called TaylorSwift.fail …We can’t imagine she’d love the content! Software giant Microsoft took the same approach and other large organisations are set to follow suit.
But do you need to go all Taylor Swift when it comes to buying domain names?
This approach might be slightly extreme for many businesses. But what these reports do highlight is the need to think about your strategy when it comes to purchasing domain names for your business.
What’s the best approach to take when buying marketing domain names?
Purchasing multiple domain names is not a new practice. Many businesses purchase both the .com and .co.uk versions of their domain name if they are available. Some businesses, usually larger organisations, purchase multiple domains using different variations of their company or product names. This is a great thing to do to ensure a competitor doesn’t operate using a similar domain name.
There was even a time where companies would deliberately snap up the domain names of their competitors simply so they couldn’t get access to them. However, this practice seems to have died out in recent years.
The dangers of multi-domain purchase
The danger with the multi-domain purchase approach is that as more options become available, you could spend a sizable chunk of money snapping up every possible domain ending that relates to your business. If you are a company like Microsoft, and there is a real risk that another company or individual could use less than flattering domain names in a way that will negatively impact the company, then it’s probably a good strategy to follow.
However, smaller businesses don’t necessarily need to go down the same road. It’s probably wise to make sure your approach is in line with your budget. For most businesses, purchasing the .co.uk and .com versions, and maybe the ending that is most in line with their primary business offering, will be sufficient.
There’s no need to go over the top. But, at the same time, it’s wise to think about multiple domain purchases as an option. These additional domains can easily be redirected to your company website and used on relevant marketing materials.
Talk to Ketchup about your marketing domain names
If you would like some more advice or clarity regarding anything to do with domain names, talk to Ketchup Marketing today. We can give you advice and guidance regarding any issues or questions you may have concerning your website and/or your online marketing strategy. We are the experts in digital marketing and maintaining an effective online presence.