Protecting Your Brand: Which Domain Variations to Buy

Your brand is valuable. Protect it by securing key domain variations before competitors or cybersquatters do.

Why Domain Protection Matters

**Risks of not protecting:**

**Benefits of protection:**

Essential Domains to Buy

1. Your Main Domain + Common TLDs

**Minimum protection:**

**Enhanced protection:**

**Cost:** $10-15 per domain/year

**Priority:** HIGH

2. Common Misspellings

**Identify likely typos:**

Example: Fiverr.com also owns:

Example: Google owns:

**How to find yours:**

**Cost:** $10-15 per domain

**Priority:** MEDIUM to HIGH

3. Hyphenated Versions

**Examples:**

**Why:** People often guess hyphens exist

**Cost:** $10-15 per domain

**Priority:** MEDIUM

4. Plural/Singular Variations

**If your brand is singular, buy plural:**

**If plural, buy singular:**

**Cost:** $10-15 per domain

**Priority:** MEDIUM

5. Country-Specific TLDs

**Buy for:**

**Examples:**

**Cost:** $10-40 per domain

**Priority:** MEDIUM (HIGH if doing business there)

6. Product/Service Variations

**Example:** If you're "Blue Widget Co":

**Why:** Customers search many ways

**Cost:** $10-15 per domain

**Priority:** LOW to MEDIUM

What NOT to Buy

Usually Unnecessary:

**.biz, .info, .name**

**Every possible typo**

**Different word orders**

**Competitor names**

Protection Levels by Budget

Minimum Budget ($50-100/year)

**Buy:**

1. Main .com

2. .net and .org

3. Top 1-2 misspellings

**Total:** 5-6 domains

Standard Budget ($150-300/year)

**Buy:**

1. Main .com

2. .net, .org, .co

3. Top 5 misspellings

4. Hyphenated version

5. Plural/singular

6. Your country TLD

**Total:** 10-15 domains

Premium Budget ($500+/year)

**Buy everything above, plus:**

**Total:** 20-30+ domains

How to Manage Multiple Domains

Option 1: Redirect All to Main Site

**Setup:**

1. Buy all domains

2. Set up 301 redirects to main domain

3. Users land on your main site

4. Capture all traffic

**Best for:** Most businesses

Option 2: Specialized Landing Pages

**Strategy:**

**Example:**

**Best for:** Larger businesses

Option 3: Hold for Future Use

**Strategy:**

**Best for:** Startups planning to scale

Registration Best Practices

1. Register All at Once

**Why:**

2. Use Same Registrar

**Benefits:**

**Recommended registrars:**

3. Enable Auto-Renewal

**Critical:**

4. Privacy Protection

**Consider:**

Red Flags: When to Take Action

Someone Registered Similar Domain

**Immediate steps:**

1. Check the site - what are they doing?

2. Is it trademark infringement?

3. Contact them (polite inquiry)

4. Consult lawyer if necessary

5. File UDRP complaint if appropriate

Typosquatting

**If someone is catching your typo traffic:**

1. Document the infringement

2. Send cease and desist

3. File UDRP complaint

4. Consider legal action

Phishing/Scam Sites

**If impersonating your brand:**

1. Report to registrar immediately

2. Report to hosting company

3. Report to Google Safe Browsing

4. Warn your customers

5. Pursue legal action

Legal Protection

Trademark Your Brand

**Why:**

**Cost:** $250-750+ for registration

UDRP Complaints

**When similar domain registered in bad faith:**

Monitoring Your Brand

Tools to Watch For New Registrations

**Free:**

**Paid:**

Monthly Checklist

Example Protection Strategy

**For "Blue Widget Co":**

**Year 1 (Essential):**

**Year 2 (Expansion):**

**Year 3 (Comprehensive):**

The Bottom Line

**Minimum protection: $50-100/year**

**Standard protection: $150-300/year**

**Budget allocation:**

**Start with essentials, expand as you grow.**

Protect your brand before someone else profits from it!

Use our domain finder to identify which variations are still available for your brand!