It’s easy to think that once your website is live that your online branding initiatives are henceforth related solely to digital marketing efforts outside of your website – but there is a lot more to explore surrounding your website that will help draw in your audience. When trying to own your corner of the online world, it’s important to reflect on how your audience is going to discover you. When the majority of potential customers are searching for your brand’s products or services in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), such as Google, you obviously want them to land on your company’s website. An issue that businesses face when their original domain garners traffic and attention is that copycat or scam brands pop up on identical domain names at different extensions. The good news is that you can protect your customers and your company by owning the domain names that matter most to you, while simultaneously elevating and benefiting your brand.
Country-Specific Domain Extensions
One great way to protect and elevate your brand identity online is to grab your Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD – or a country-specific domain extension). Owning the country’s domain extension for the location that your business is operating out of has many benefits. As a business that owns your ccTLD, you ensure you’re the only one of your brand name in your region that populates on search. For example, as a Canadian-operated company, you could own your .CA domain name to let Canadians know that you operate out of Canada and are a Canadian-owned business. There is also additional SEO value in owning your ccTLD. The country-specific domain extension tells search engines and searching consumers that you target their country. An important thing to note is that each region’s domain extension has its own set of rules and requirements, so be sure to review them before making a purchase. You can use a ccTLD as a permanent home for your brand’s website, as many companies do. You can also choose to redirect the ccTLD to your main domain and website.
Product or Service -Specific Domain Extensions
Another way to protect and elevate your brand online is to own the domain(s) centred around what you sell or offer as a company. There are countless domain alternatives to the classics, such as the beloved .COM, that are a direct reflection of the product or service your company is offering. If you are a successful realtor focusing on the condo market, a smart option may be to own the .CONDOS domain name or .REALTY domain name. These domain names, again, can redirect to your main website and domain. A great alternative for these domains is that they can act as landing pages. For example:
You could have your .CONDOS domain name land potential customers on a page that focuses on the condos you have for sale and a contact form to get in touch to drive acquisition.
The .REALTY domain name could redirect to the “About Us” page or your “Listings” page on your website.
If your goal as you grow your company is to not only protect your brand online, but to give it the best advantage possible to stand out, then owning the appropriate domain names is a great place to make your mark. Whether you choose to partner your chosen domain name with a Country Code domain, use product offerings-related ones, or have your main website exist on one of these more unique domain extensions, many choices have a benefit to your branding initiative. You can increase visibility in search and attract local consumers or help customers understand where the focus of your company lies. Grab the domain names that feel right to your business, decide whether to use them to host a landing page or to redirect to your main domain name and website, and start elevating your brand!
