An important first step for new companies is registering a domain name for their business website. Many business owners believe a single domain is enough, but registering more than one domain name can provide a distinct advantage. For example, with multiple domain names, businesses can acquire legal protection, get a marketing edge, and boost their SEO.

In this article, we’ll look at why purchasing more than one domain can benefit your company.

Why Owning More Than One Domain is Important

There are many reasons for registering more than one domain name. While registering more than one domain may seem silly, spending the time and effort to set them up and manage them can have a few key advantages:

• Legal protection: Purchasing domains related to a business or its brand name ensures that no one else can own them. This helps protect any trademarks you own and avoids suing someone for trying to steal that domain later.
• Search engine optimization (SEO): Domain names have a large impact on search engine results. When you own multiple domains, there can be a distinct advantage to how search results are displayed.
• Marketing advantages: Branching out to multiple domains can make it easier to tailor your offerings to different markets or develop individualized marketing campaigns.
• Business planning: Purchasing additional domains can make it easier to expand a business and branch it out.

These are just a few reasons a business should consider purchasing more than one domain. In the next section, we will walk through some domain types you should consider when registering domain names.

The Best Domain Types To Consider Purchasing

In addition to being aware of how multiple domain names can benefit your business, you also need to know what types of domains to purchase, as each type has its advantages and disadvantages. Today, there is an almost limitless number of domain types available, each tailored to a specific purpose.

Top-Level Domains

Top-level domains (TLDs) are the most commonly purchased domains for businesses and individuals alike. A top-level domain is a suffix at the end of a URL following the dot. 

ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the global authority governing domains, introduced generic top-level domains for almost any word back in 2012. Before this, there were far fewer top-level domains available. 

Today, there are numerous top-level domains, and many of them are premium domain names. To find the right domain for your business, research what is available. One great way to find domains related to your business is to check and see if geographic terms are available or register a domain name with an extension that has no geographical limitations such as .icu.

Trademarked and Patented Domains

Businesses that own a trademark or patent should consider registering a domain for the product. For example, a business might own www.myproduct.icu and then also register www.myproductcompany.icu. The first domain can point to the second website to direct customers to a single web domain. 

By owning both domains, the business can point the generic name to the specific brand website. You can also create a separate website used exclusively for that product.

Similar Sounding or Spelling Domains

Another reason to purchase multiple domains is that some products or businesses can be misspelled or may sound similar. If someone is searching for your business and they misspell the name, owning the misspelled domain can help lead them to the correct place. Domain squatters may register these domains too, which means traffic will be directed away from the correct website.

Service-Related Domain Names

With the expansion of top-level domains, it’s now easier than ever for businesses to find a domain related to their product or service. Businesses can register top-level domains for attorneys, dentists, and veterinarians. Registering a domain related to your specific business function is a great way to get a top-level domain that’s unique.

Location-Related Domain Names

Many localities also have their own domains too. Registering a domain for a specific geographic location can help drive customers to the right business and boost search results. Geographic-specific domains have better results for local searches compared to other domains.

Managing Multiple Business Domains is Easy

Businesses that own multiple domains have a few different options for managing them. One of the simplest ways is to have multiple domains pointing to a single website. This is commonly used when a company owns multiple domains with similar names. For example, a business that owns www.mybusiness.icu, www.mybusiness.cyou, and www.mybusiness.bond, can redirect all of these URLs to the same website.

Another option is to build a different website for each unique domain. It may help you catch more visitors; however, it also means you need to build and manage multiple sites. 

An important thing to remember is that when a business owns multiple domains, it has to renew the registrations of all those domain names regularly. Usually, domains are registered for one year and can then be renewed the following year. 

If your business fails to re-register your domain, it can be taken offline or registered by someone else, so it’s important to monitor when domain registration is required. ICANN has many resources in case a domain is lost.

Problems Associated With Owning Multiple Domains

Although there are many benefits to owning multiple domains, there are also some drawbacks. The following problems are the most common issues that web owners face when managing more than one domain:

• Growing costs: Besides paying for a domain name, which will cost you around $10 to $15, renewal costs can add up. Similarly, hosting costs may become expensive if you host your websites on different servers. 
• Frequent domain renewals: As stated earlier, it’s important to keep domain registrations up-to-date. Forgetting to register a domain can bring your website offline.
• Confusing customers: Multiple domains can help capture customers that accidentally type in the wrong domain address, but it can also be confusing. One way to prevent this is to ensure your business only advertises your primary web address and then just use other domains for redirecting to the main domain.
• Managing forwarding: Owning multiple domains also means managing all of those domains. If your business changes hosting plans, you will have to adjust these settings for all of your websites when you transfer.

Next Steps for Buying Multiple Domains

If your business decides that owning multiple domains is a good idea, the next steps are simple. First, determine which domain name registrar is best for your business. Second, compile a list of all the different domains and top-level domain endings that your company needs. When purchasing a large number of domains, you can request a discount from the domain name registrar. 

After your domains are purchased, your business will need to set them up. This means building the websites and/or setting up domain name redirects. Also, be sure to calendar domain name registrations to avoid losing the domains.

The Bottom Line

Purchasing more than one domain can be a great way for businesses to capture more traffic to their website. It can boost marketing, help feature products, and make your business easier to find. By utilizing top-level domain names, your business can better advertise its services and build a better brand.

 

Author Bio

Nahla Davies is a software developer and tech writer. Before devoting her work full-time to technical writing, she managed—among other intriguing things—to serve as a lead programmer at an Inc. 5,000 experiential branding organization whose clients include Samsung, Time Warner, Netflix, and Sony.