If you have a .com business name, you may think that you don’t need any other domain extensions. .com is the most popular and sought-after domain extension, and it is true that having a .com is probably best for your reputation and your business. However, there are two key reasons that you may want to buy additional domain extensions, such as the .org, .net, .co.uk or .digital.
Reducing Opportunities for Competitors
From time to time, competitors may consider purchasing domain names that carry your brand in order to compete directly with you. They shouldn’t do this, especially if you have a copyright on the name, but the process of getting them to cease-and-desist can be a cumbersome one.
By having additional domain name extensions, you limit the opportunities for competition to either compete directly or damage your brand by putting up content that isn’t suitable or in line with your brand philosophy.
To reduce competition, consider getting the domain name for your geographical area, and company type – the .org, the .net, the .info and perhaps the .biz. You may also like to get additional domain extensions that are appropriate to your niche, such as .tech, .store, or whatever else is appropriate.
Being Able to Target Another Audience
When your business expands, you may well have additional target markets that you want to operate within. But .com may not be the best way to target another geographical region. In addition, you may want a different website for another region due to differences in culture or approach in your sector in another region.
For example, if you are offering search engine optimisation services in England and in New Zealand, although both countries have a very similar form of English, with similar spellings, the markets might be at a slightly different stage of development, and their levels of competition may be different as well.
In order to convert clients in New Zealand, you may need to use slightly different messages to when you do so in the UK. By having the .co.nz as in https://www.domains4less.co.nz/, you are able to do this but also maintain brand integrity and consistency through the same name. If you begin to operate in the United States, you’ll want your website targeted towards that market, and you’ll also want the language changed to fit US English.
When you begin operating in different markets, you may not want a new website. However, you may want to redirect the top-level geo domain for that region to your .com so that when someone types in yourdomain.co.nz, they are redirected to the.com. This ensures that you don’t miss visitors who input your domain with their local extension.
These are the two main reasons that you may want to buy multiple domain extensions for your website. How many domains you purchase largely comes down to your budget and the regions in which you operate.