There are two types of secondary names that may be worthy of your brand protection dollars: alternative extensions and similar names.
Alternative extensions are the .net and .org versions of your .com (for example). Of course, there are also .biz, .io, .info, and quite a few others. To decide which are actually worthwhile, consider the following:
- Are any particular extensions popular in your industry or among your particular competitors?
- Does your organization work in countries that have their own extensions (and are these extensions available for you to buy)?
- Can you get alternative extensions that are very popular in general?
Similarly named domain names are another path for your competitors or others to attack your brand or leech from your traffic. To decide whether to spend any branding dollars in this type of case, consider the following:
- Does your main domain name come in singular and plural forms that likely users may type into their browsers in error while looking for your site?
- Are there close alternative spellings or even commonly used acronyms or abbreviations that might be mistaken for your destination by likely visitors?
- If your domain name uses multiple words, are names that switch the sequencing of these words likely to confuse your audience and lead visitors to these alternatively sequenced names instead of yours?
Quite obviously, it is very easy to justify owning many domains for the sake of protecting just one. However, just because the domain name is likely the cheapest component in your project, does not mean that alternative names are always worthwhile. And remember that while owning some names is often worthwhile, building a strong project remains the best way to distinguish your brand online.