Buying Multiple Domain Names for Your Brand

If website development and design isn’t your “domain,” then let’s break down the basics before we dive into the deep end.

A domain is the main part of the address you type into a web browser to get to a website. It’s two parts: a domain name and an extension (or “top-level domain”) like .org or .edu. For example, our domain is “elevatemybrand.com.” Think of it as the online equivalent of your storefront sign, guiding customers to your little corner of the internet. 

Organizations such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which coordinates domain names and systems globally, explain that domains make it easier to surf the web. Without them, we’d need to memorize long numerical IP addresses. “Visit us at 192.168.1.1,” doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?

You can have more than one domain

But while every brand with an online presence needs a domain, that doesn’t mean it needs only one. Savvy marketers often buy multiple domains, also sometimes called “vanity domains” or “vanity URLs.” Once your primary domain is locked in, buying additional domains can unlock some surprisingly useful marketing benefits.

1. Protect your brand

First, multiple domains help protect your brand identity. If your company is Kombucha for Kids, for instance, you may want to purchase:

• kombuchaforkids.com
• kombuchaforkids.co
• kombuchaforkids.net
• kidskombucha.com
• k4k.com

Even if you don’t actively use them, owning these domains prevents others from nabbing them and potentially causing confusion—or worse: ruining your brand identity and intellectual property.

2. Capture common misspellings

People make typos. Account for that by buying domains that capture common misspellings or variations of your brand name. Kombucha can be a hard one to spell, and there are so many variations, but you can address that by buying other domains:  

• kambocha.com
• komboocha.com
• kambucha.com
• combucha.com

Set these up with your host and redirect them back to the primary domain to ensure you don’t lose visitors simply because they can’t spell “kombucha.”

3. Create campaign-specific domains

Separate redirected domains aren’t all about fixing problems; they can be fun, too. Let’s say you are launching a campaign in partnership with Cha Cha Child dance studio to promote overall wellness. You could create a landing page, like kombuchaforkids.com/cha-cha-child, but that’s not nearly as cute as kombuchachacha.com. It’s a shorter, more memorable domain that increases campaign engagement.

Another example? If you attend a lot of conferences or trade shows, you could create redirected domain names that tailor your brand to the event theme:

• fermentforkids.com → redirects to info about your product creation
• parentslovekombucha.com → redirects to details on health benefits
• californiakombucha.com → redirects to a geo-specific landing page

4. Track marketing performance

You can also use redirected domains to track campaign metrics. When you use a unique domain for each campaign or marketing channel, you can easily see where visitors are coming from to surmise if your efforts are successful. For example:

• kombuchapod.com → podcast listeners
• kombuchaforsearch.com → search ads visitors
• kombuchaforfree.com → offer traffic

Each domain redirects to the same website, but the domain itself tells you exactly where the traffic originated. When you know which traffic sources are most useful, you can allocate your marketing budget appropriately to scale faster.

You should keep your domain simple

Okay, you decided to create some vanity domains to protect your domain and track your metrics. How do you decide what to call them? The answer: simplicity wins.

A domain should be short, clear and easy to spell. If someone hears it in a podcast, a video or a conversation, they should be able to type it into a browser without asking, “Wait, was that two Zs or three?” A concise domain improves memorability and reduces the chances of typos that cause you to lose traffic.

For example, a snack brand might prefer freshsnacks.com over something longer like freshsnacksdeliveredonline.com. Same idea, far easier to remember.

Simple domains also perform better across marketing channels. They’re easier to say on a stage, cleaner on packaging and more attractive in social handles. The simpler the domain, the more likely someone will actually visit it.

You need expert web support

Your primary domain is your digital home base, but buying a few additional domains can strengthen your marketing strategy in subtle yet powerful ways. Short domains improve memorability. Redirect domains protect your brand, capture typos, simplify campaign messaging and make performance tracking easier.

In other words, one domain parks you online. A handful of cleverly chosen supplementary domains get others in the lot.

If you’re brainstorming domain name ideas for your next campaign or wondering how to structure redirects to track marketing performance, talk to our experts. Sometimes the smartest marketing move is simply giving people more ways to find you.