Domain Name Variations

You should consider registering any variations of your domain name(s) that your visitors may possibly mistype in their browser when searching for your site—the cost is minimal, but the return on investment can be tremendous.

Start by registering the most common alternatives to your chosen domain name: such as misspellings, alternate spellings or other names your business may be known as. These are simple variations or misspellings of your domain name, such as “yourepersonaldomainname.com” or “yourpersonaldomanname.com.”

While you can’t anticipate all of the possible alternatives, starting with the simple and obvious alternatives can save your customers hours trying to figure out why they can’t locate your site. You can forward these variations of your domain name to your actual Web site so that your customers or visitors who mistype your domain name will still find themselves at your Web site.

Devious Domain Names

Whether you’re new to domain names or a seasoned veteran, you should consider registering any under-handed versions of your domain name(s) to protect your personal and professional identity (harmful domain name alternatives can include, but are not limited to, “ihateyourpersonaldomainname” or “yourpersonaldomainnamesucks”).

While you can’t anticipate all the possible alternatives, starting with the simple removal of the more obvious domain names can save you legal hassles and frustration in the event a third party attempts to use these names in a way that is harmful to you or your business.

In the event that someone else does own a harmful version of your domain name, consider backordering that name and getting it off the market the second it becomes available.