“how important is it to buy both the .net and .com of the same domain name?”
Over on Twitter TragicDog asked me this question domains.
Different bloggers will have different approaches to this one but my personal preference these days is to secure the .com version first and then to seriously consider other versions of the domain if you are serious about developing it in the long term.
There are a couple of reasons I advocate grabbing the .net version (and potentially others) of your domain name in addition to the .com.
- As Defensive Move – just yesterday I received an email from a distraught blogger who had worked for 4 years to build their blog up only to find that this week another blog had started using the .net version of their blog. While the 2nd blog was behind the eightball and wouldn’t rank as well in Google this blogger saw it as a threat to their business.
- With a View to Expansion – having a second domain gives you the possibility of expanding your brand later with a different type of site. For example here at ProBlogger I initially set this blog up on ProBlogger.net (.com was parked and not for sale at the time) but now I’ve secured the .com version I now have a 2nd domain to set up another site. In fact with the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge I set up the forums on ProBlogger.com/31Days which gives you a hint at what I have planned for that domain.
Whether you use all of the versions of your domain that you secure or not they are generally handy to have. I usually set mine to redirect to my main blog until I develop them.
My last piece of advice is to secure whatever versions you ‘might’ buy one day now. If you don’t you run the risk of losing your opportunity when others snap them up and either hold them ransom, develop them themselves or park them for their own profit.
For Further reading on domain names check out:
- Choosing the Domain Name for Your Blog
- How to Choose a Domain Name – Brandable Domains vs Keyword Rich Domains
- ProBlogger.com Sold! (the story of me buying problogger.com)
What is your approach to domains? Do you get more than the .com version?
