Why do people register multiple domain names?

Many business owners register multiple domain names for various reasons.

=1= In most cases, it is done to protect their brand such as registering the same name with different URL extensions ( .com, .net, .info, .org, etc.) or registering domain names that are similar to their company name or their brand.

=2= There are times a company might launch a marketing campaign and it might be easier for prospective clients to type in a shorter domain or one with easy words to memorize and spell out.

=3= Other times, the registration of multiple domain names was done for search engine optimization purposes. This SEO technique started years back when Google mentioned that owning a domain name with strong keywords would help having a better ranking. People went crazy and registered lots of domain names. As you know, Google is always evolving and what was true back then is unfortunately no longer a valid optimization technique. We all remember the “mullet” back in the 80’s, well that too is no longer a great hair cut for anyone!

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What is the difference between forwarding and pointing?

What is forwarding?

Forwarding automatically redirects a visitor to your company’s website.

Forwarding is set up where the DNS settings for your domain name are managed. In most cases, it is with the domain name registrar which is the company where you registered your domain name. Note that, if you moved your domain name at some point, the new registrar is where you can establish the forwarding. Also, if you are a larger company, you might manage your DNS with a third party company or in-house. In such case, this is where the forwarding would need to take place.

Example: Type in http://novatowebsite.com/ and you will be redirected to http://santarosawebsite.com/ which is our primary domain name for our company. You will notice the domain name in the browser bar actually changing.

There is also forward while masking your domain name. It prevents your web visitors from seeing where he/she is being redirected to. In such case, the domain name stays the same in the browser even though the visitor is technically redirected elsewhere.

Example: Type in http://petalumawebsites.com/ and you will be redirected to the same website yet the domain name in the browser bar remains the same so it “appears” that you are . That is masking.

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What is pointing?

Pointing is different. It actually points the domain name to the actual website. It is a direct connection and there is no redirection at all. It is directly pointing to your hosting account just like your main domain name is. This is also done with the DNS settings. In many cases, you would have to add the domain (also called add-on domain name) to your hosting account so that the name and site can connect.

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Should you forward or point your additional domain names to your website?

As mentioned earlier, Google is continually changing its algorithm and what used to be a great SEO technique can now backfire and cause your website indexation penalties with the search engines.

When you point a domain name instead of forwarding, Google considers each “pointed” domain names as separate websites. For instance if you point 123.com, 456.com and 789.com to the same site, all three are treated as individual websites.

In the best case scenario, Google will ignore the pointed domain names as its search engine bot may realize it is one and the same company. In the worst case, Google may think you have lots of duplicate content and, as we all know, duplicate content on the Internet is bad for search engine optimization. Remember that Google, Yahoo!, Bing and other SE companies are in the business of delivering unique content and duplicate content is one of the most penalized elements on the web.

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What should you do with all of my extra domain names?

Keep them if they protect your brand, support your marketing efforts, contain good keywords for your SEO goals and/or you may have a use for them in the future.

=1= If they do not provide any of the benefits mentioned above, let them expire or try to sell them. Some domain name registrar companies like GoDaddy offer auction services in which you can advertise your domain names for sale.

=2= Let them sit in your account without forwarding or pointing.

=3= Build individual websites for each domain. This can be costly but effective. The content would need to be different for each. You can still use the same design but would need to make sure that the images are named differently.

=4= Forward them by doing a 301 redirect (= Permanent website forwarding) which is done in the DNS management of your domain name registrar account. They will also count as quality incoming links to your website which will help your ranking. That way your main domain name receives all of the SEO values and has better chances to be listed on page one of Google or other major search engines.

For additional questions about how to properly handle your multiple domain names, do not hesitate to contact us.

You can also watch our 15 min-video below.