Why Buy Multiple Domains?
We build websites daily, and most of our clients have multiple domains. Unfortunately, most get additional domains without even considering their impact on search engine optimization.
The truth is that having multiple domains can affect your website rankings on Google, but it really depends on how the domains are set up.
“Why would anyone have more than one domain?”
Well, there are many reasons that multiple domains would be useful. At Zeal Media, we have numerous domains! We even have some keyword domains for sale.
Benefits of Multiple Domains
Stop Your Competition
Some businesses will buy a particular keyword domain to ensure their competition doesn’t purchase it. Eg) homesinmartensville.ca, homesinmartensville.com, martensvilleforsale.ca, etc… Though this is an acceptable practice, buying the brand domains of a competitor may not only be unethical, it may get you in trouble if it’s a trademark domain.
Protect Your Brand
Ensure your brand identity is protected by purchasing the other variations of your domain. Having a competitor buy your domain and redirect it to their website could harm your brand. eg) ginzinc.com, ginzinc.ca, ginzinc.us, ginzinc.net, etc…
Keyword Domain
A domain with keywords will rank higher than a domain without. In this case, your company name could be used for marketing and then redirected to the keyword domain. Eg) anseladams.com could be a domain for marketing that redirects to saskatoonphotography.ca, the primary domain.
What is an Email Domain?
An email domain is a shorter, easy-to-remember domain for email. Eg) the main domain may be stonetempledecorativeconcrete.ca, and the email domain may be stdc.ca. It’s much nicer having a shorter email address to tell people. Besides, if you visit the email domain, it will redirect to the main website, as long as your web designer sets it up that way.
Years ago, people would use multiple domains and mirror their websites. This gave them an advantage in search rankings because multiple sites were listed. Some websites still do this, but often without their knowledge.
It wasn’t long before Google caught on. A few years back, Google introduced an algorithm to take care of duplicate content, penalizing websites that don’t comply with their standards. When there are multiple domains, the alias domains must be redirected to the main domain to properly comply.
Is Having Multiple Domains Bad for SEO?
There aren’t any downsides to owning multiple domains assuming they are set up correctly. You will have to purchase the domains and renew them annually, but other than that, the benefits outweigh the downsides.
How to Check Redirection of Your Domain
Simply type the name of an alias domain into your browser and hit enter. If the domain doesn’t redirect to your main domain, contact your web designer or web hosting company to fix it. It should be as easy as creating a 301 redirect entry in your .htaccess file.
Did you know? If you are looking for a new web host, we will switch your website to our servers for FREE!
