So, you’ve searched your preferred domain name on a registrar and found out that it’s available? Perfect. Welcome aboard and begin setting up your online business.

However, are you aware that you’ve now began your journey to creating your online brand? As such, it is prudent that you safeguard this brand as early as possible. So, how should you go about this process? Well, it could be as simple as purchasing a few additional top level domains and not just the .com one as most webmasters do.

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What’s a Top Level Domain?

When you register a domain name, there are two parts you need to choose; the top level domain (TLD) and the second level domain. To put this into perspective, we’ll use a quick example here. Suppose you have a domain that reads youronlinebusiness.com, the “youronlinebusiness” part is your second level domain while the “.COM” part is your chosen TLD. A majority of businesses today go for the .com TLD while others prefer using other popular ones including the .ORG, .EDU, and .GOV.

Why You Need to Register Other TLDs for Your Business

While it is easy to settle on a .com domain alone when starting out, it makes a lot of sense to register other top TLDs especially if you’re looking to build a brand around the name you’ve used for your domain. This helps to prevent other people from registering domains similar to yours by using your second level domains and only altering its TLD. Of course, this can be quite damaging to your brand especially if you’ve already worked your way up and established a great brand.

So, What Should You Do?

One of the best ways to prevent brand confusion and infringement of trademarks is by registering other TLDs alongside your preferred .com when registering your domain. This means registering .NET, .ORG, and any other TLD that you deem appropriate. Besides, it is recommended that you go for other upcoming TLDs which you feel could have the potential to threaten your brand later on in its development. Others to consider are those TLDs that seem relevant to your content. For example, if you’re an online worker, consider getting a .ONLINE TLD alongside others such as .COM.

To check out various options you can consider when registering your domain name, please visit GoDaddy or NameCheap where you can review the most popular TLDs as well as the new ones available currently.