This week we've been telling you about domain names, different type of extensions and even strategies to register additional domain names for secondary websites.
Today we will explain the basics of what you could do with the secondary domain names.
Let's assume you take our suggestion and register the .net, .org, .us and .biz variants of your domain name. Once you own them, you could simply leave them deadheaded in your domain account which is the easiest strategy to protect your branding.
Another possibility is to 301 redirect them to your normal domain. If you have your domains registered through GoDaddy or Stellium Networks, you can use the built-in "301 Forwarding" feature. Again, the main reason for this is simply to protect your branded identity.
Another possibility is to point all the domain names directly at your original .com website but have your website and track each one. This would allow you to use each domain name in different advertising.
As an example, your .com is printed on receipts, business cards, letterhead and gift cards; but on the next direct mailing use your .net version; then on your radio ad use the .biz version, etc. With this strategy you can watch your analytics and see exactly which domain name is used, thereby telling you if your advertising is effective.
In some very rare situations, you might need to change your domain name. Perhaps due to copyright infringement, or maybe you finally acquired the domain name you always wanted. When this happens, you should use the 301 redirect feature from GoDaddy or Stellium to forward the old domain name to the new one. This will help save the search engine ranking you had with the original domain name.
