Do you own a .COM domain? Do you own that same name as a .NET? .BIZ? .CO?
You might say to yourself, I already own myname.com, why would I need a bunch of multiple domains, with different TLDs? It’s complicated to manage those registrations, so I won’t bother.
But by leaving the other domain extensions available, you open the door to someone registering a similar domain and profiting from your name, or smearing your reputation. The practice of registering your name across multiple TLDs and variants of your name is known as defensive registration. Think of it as building a digital wall around your name.
Perhaps one of the more famous examples of defensive registration comes from the 2000 US Presidential Election. Karl Rove, the Republican strategist registered many domains for then-candidate George W. Bush—and not just the basic variants of georgewbush.com either. Rove was perceptive in guessing that someone opposed to Bush’s candidacy or political views might try to take a domain name like BushSucks.com. So he registered a cluster of domains to stop cybersquatters or political rivals from owning a domain that could negatively impact Bush’s reputation. Of course, these sites all redirected to the official George W. Bush site.
Maybe your company isn’t as polarizing as the former US President, but never underestimate the power of name-squatters to take down your online reputation.
The UD.com search engine is a perfect resource when undertaking a defensive registration campaign. It quickly searches for your name among all gTLDs and most ccTLDs to allow you to find any possible cybersquatters.
