Buying similar domain names?

Percy1983

What is peoples advise on buying similar domain names?

In short when I setup my site the exact domain I wanted had a domain squatter, so I used the same thing with a - in the address (logically placed so no problem).

Now as it is I could now buy the original domain so I would have (not my actually website)

my-domain.co.uk
and
mydomain.co.uk

Of course from there should I start looking at .com .net... etc?

But then I could be spending a fortune on domains with no real benefit.

In short do people think its worth blocking and forwarding domains, likewise with the example above would you say its worth blocking the same site less a -?

Is it worth buying just as a forward and to block a potential copy cat?

paddyrg

I'd get the other .co.uk, hyphens are lame.

Unless you have overseas customers the .com doesn't add a lot, and most UK buyers are familiar enough with .co.uk now to understand it (not like in the olden days when muppets paid out for .gb.com addresses!). If you do reasonable overseas sales then the .com is worth it.

.net, .eu, .info, .name, .xxx, forget them, no point. Nobody uses them or cares.

.ltd.uk might be useful if you have a corporate site as well as commercial one - it is however only available to the ltd company owner, so it can't be squatted, nothing to worry about.

InsideInsurance

What do you use your website for? Is your website My-Brand-Name.co.uk or What-I-Do.co.uk?

There are a couple of reasons why you want to buy multiple domains which in part depends on your answers to the above:

1) To protect your brand and prevent cyber squatters/ passing off in the future if you use your brand name

2) To deprive your competitors of keyword rich domains if you use what you do rather than your brand

3) To have different sites targeting different geographies or customers etc

4) Have different sites for different purposes with the hope of getting SEO benefit from interlinking between them

I always try to get the .co.uk and .com of any domain I'm wanting unless I am targeting exclusively the US in which case I may not buy the .uk. Given you were forced to buy the hyphenated domain I would buy the non-hyphenated one now that its available and 301 redirect to it from your old domain. Its then up to you if you want to retain the hyphenated one in the long term or not.

Given domains are normally only a few pounds a year each it really should be a major business expense to have a few of them unless you are talking about a hobby

Percy1983

Thanks, I have now bought and forwarded.

I won't bother with the others (.com etc) I am certainly not taking this one out of the uk any time soon.

I think going forward I will keep the hyphened version as the primary as I already have around 1000 products out there with it and many invoices, business cards in the wild aswell as company tshirts. (2 years trading)

It will help with mistypes and of course if telling somebody verbally I can then drop the hyphen for easy of use.

Thanks for the input.

Takeaway_Addict

just link the other one through to your hyphoned one?

Atidi

I would suggest getting the .com as well as the .co.uk if available.

Then link them all together. i.e. point them to the domain of your choice.

I agree, I wouldn't bother with any others.

Percy1983

the .com isn't available, but luckily is an American firm so there should be no confusion.

CKhalvashi

Our websites (multiple) all reroute to a .com, so just from memory of some we have (there are several more language-specific pages)

.co.uk changes to .com/en
.ro changes to .com/ro (Romanian)
.su, .ru, .ua and .by change to .com/ru (Russian)
.ge changes to .com/ka (kartuli/Georgian)
.am changes to .com/hy (hayeren/Armenian)

.com gives you a number of flags (language), and photos (clickable) of a number of our clients.

Of course, for many businesses, this isn't necessary, so I'd stick with .co.uk, and .com if you can get anything similar.

CK