Buy multiple domains for brand protection of your online casino

The purchase of a domain name is the first step to establishing your brand’s presence in the online casino industry. However, a formidable search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy is the key to longevity and visibility. One highly effective approach is buying multiple domains that align with your brand and services. 

To answer the question ‘Why buy domains that are similar to yours?’, it is essential to explore the concept of similar domains and their significance in the context of online gambling businesses. Here’s an overview provided by QWERTYLABS that can put it in perspective:

What is a similar domain?

A ‘similar domain’ encompasses various combinations of words, letters, and special characters that could potentially be mistaken for the real one. They are often acquired to protect a brand’s online identity and maintain its presence. 

It is crucial to grasp the nuances of domain purchasing. To begin, it’s essential to acknowledge the potential for customers’ confusion when seeking your website, brand, or services. Consider your website’s domain name in the way it is spelt exactly as the ‘legitimate domain’. Thus, you can’t just settle for one domain. You must also find similar ones that can mislead traffic. 

Significance of purchasing multiple domains for your brand

Why buy multiple domains for your brand? The truth is that you also need this strategy for the sake of brand protection. Everyone on the internet can learn SEO, and many bad actors use these tools to harass upstart business owners. 

When a business starts, bots begin taking note of names left out in domain purchasing. They then begin occupying these spaces and send you offers to buy them to protect your trademark. Likewise, a rival business may begin using that domain name and confuse your target audience trying to look for your website. 

Factors to consider before buying multiple domains

What to do if another website domain is similar? You must first have an awareness of its properties. Similar domains can be classified based on the following factors:

Domains that are the same phrase with multiple TLDs

A top-level domain (TLD) is a three to four-character extension at the end of the URL of any website. Here are a few examples of the most popular ones:

• .com
• .net
• .org
• .info

There are also TLDs based on the geographic location the website is targeting. For example, there’s ‘.kr’ for South Korean customers and ‘.jp’ for Japanese customers. There are also custom TLDs for when it’s part of your branding, like ‘.MARKET’ and ‘.io’. 

Domains that are part of your branding/trademark

Consult with the marketing team in charge of finalising your brand and trademark names. All of these can be made into a domain name you can buy to have a strong SEO. On the other hand, they can also be vulnerabilities to your online casino’s security if a malicious actor gets a hold of them. 

Domains with spelling or pronunciation similarities

An example of this is if Google is the legitimate domain, then misspellings like Googe or Gogle can fall under ‘similar domains’. However, this doesn’t apply to all cases. For example, ‘casino’ can be misspelt as ‘casein’. It’s an honest mistake, but they are two words with a different meaning. Looking for multiple domains doesn’t mean that you have to pay for all possible misspellings. Hand-pick which similar domain is most likely to cause problems for your brand if left unclaimed.

Domains related to specific products or services 

Besides domain protection and security, another reason to buy multiple domains for one website is to market niche parts of your branding. For example, an online casino can have slots, table games, and sports betting. Each one has its own respective player base, so you can trademark a name for your casino services and buy the domain for that. 

Using products and services for domain marketing also helps clarify what your casino offers. This can strengthen your brand’s authority in the online gambling industry, thereby boosting your backlinks’ score at search engine queries. 

Domains that are tied to a location

When marketing an international website, accessibility alone is not enough. Search engine results pages (SERPs) provide different results per IP address. Thus, what’s popular in one state or country can be overshadowed by a different domain somewhere else. Language is a major contributing factor to this as well because SEO keywords don’t translate effectively across borders. 

The best way to market your brand to a specific demographic is to establish a website catering to them. You can do this by using a domain name combining your brand with the country or using a region-specific TLD. Every content you publish in this new domain is a backlink opportunity written in the audience’s native language.

Benefits of owning multiple domains

Domain brand protection is not the only reason for the ownership multiples for one website. These can also bring your brand many benefits that will help the development of your online casino. Here are the benefits that you can expect when you buy multiple domains. 

Multiple domains improve customer trust

One special marketing trick that SEO excels at is the ‘exposure effect’. It means an individual is more likely to trust your brand the more they encounter it. Using all the domains can be a valuable strategy for building customer trust by increasing your brand's online presence and establishing a robust backlink network. 

Keep customers revisiting your website

Customers may make typographical errors when searching for your services like ‘casino’, ‘betting’, or ‘online games’. If you own domain names related to those words and they were previously a customer of your website, then Google is likely to recommend your brand again. 

Account for misspelling in your URL

Out of the million individuals you can expect to visit your casino, there is a high likelihood that someone will make a mistake when typing the URL. Buying the domains for the most common misspellings can help them be redirected to your website, providing a convenient and seamless experience. This prevents them from accidentally ending up on an unowned domain.

Keep rivals from stealing your customers 

Similar domains across the top four TLDs are the best ones to buy if you’re aiming for a wide audience. Missing one of them can open the opportunity for a rival casino to confuse your customers. Even a small diversion of traffic, such as 10%, in traffic trying to find your website is still a major loss of revenue. To safeguard your brand, it’s best that you prevent that from happening. 

Prevent bad actors from harassing your brand

It’s also easy to make a scam website using missed domains. For example, your main website uses ‘.com’, but you didn’t buy the ‘.net’ version. Bad actors can occupy the vacant domain and pass it off as a convincing copy of your website. All they need to do is employ SEO strategies to pose as your domain and eventually ruin your casino’s reputation with bogus offers. 

Tips for maintaining domain management

Just like any assets and resources, domain names you own require proper management. Your domain management's efficiency can significantly impact your online business's success. Your domain name is your online presence, the address people use to find your platform. Therefore, your goal is to manage them so that your brand remains relevant and active. 

The best way to plan ahead is to learn from other businesses. They’ve already encountered and solved problems you’re bound to encounter, so they have shared some tips for proper domain management. Employ them in your strategy to expand your online casino’s reach to your loyal customers. 

Be picky with your web hosting provider 

Web hosting is a type of service that provides you with all the facilities and tools needed to host a website. This can only come from a dedicated company, and you will be their client. There are hundreds of them to choose from, each with its own unique programs to offer you. 

The best way to choose is to filter your options to just those popular among online casino websites. Consider options like AbeloHost and Slotegrato,r as they offer a ton of useful tools for domain security.

Register all your domains and potential typos

The purpose of registering typos is simply to help your loyal customers navigate to your website quickly, even if they make a mistake in typing the URL. It might seem trivial, but one or two mistakes leading to a blank domain can discourage gamblers from trying again. They can mistake your casino as inactive or cancelled, meaning they can potentially stop trying again.

It is in your best interest to reassure them that your casino is always active. Register all possible misspellings of your preferred domain name and program the web hosting provider to redirect their traffic to your main website.

Deal with cases when a domain name you need for your brand is owned

What to do if another website domain is similar to your brand’s main platform? The answer depends on how the person got the domain name and what they are doing with it. 

• Domain is bought by a bot: Contact the current owner and offer to buy the domain from them. The price should be within market standard, but expect markup and prepare a budget for it.
• Domain is bought by a bad actor: If the domain is held by an actor targeting you and your brand, it’s advisable to consult a lawyer and your web hosting provider for suggestions. Laws regarding this matter favour trademark owners so the domain can be resold to you. 
• Domain is being used in an already existing website: Use a different TLD or change your brand. Either way, you’ll have to compromise with someone who has rights to the domain name you wish for. 

Keep your SSL certificate up to date

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol for encrypting internet traffic and verifying the identity of the server. It is essential for protecting your website using Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) on the World Wide Web. Set a reminder for when your active SSL certificate is about to expire, then generate a signing request to renew it. 

Failure to renew your certificate will leave your website vulnerable to attacks, posing risks to your customers. There are bots that can help automate this procedure, but it’s better to do this manually to cut costs and to avoid system errors. 

Update your domain names with consideration for changing it

Your ownership of your domain names should also be renewed but the web hosting provider can automate this one. On top of making new contracts, it is also an opportunity to change domain names. This is an important window for when your casino is going through rebranding. 

Fortify your online casino brand with QWERTYLABS

Buying multiple domains is a crucial responsibility to keep your website and brand secure both from rival casinos and malicious actors. Additionally, maintaining accessibility for your gamblers is of the greatest importance. 

Domain management is simple on paper, but it can be a substantial addition to your daily schedule business routine. Why not hire help? QWERTYLABS offers various SEO services and has the best experts in the field. 

Learn more about our services in providing security and reliability to your online casino brand, and contact us today. 

Frequently asked questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about domain names:

What is a similar domain?

A similar domain is a web address that shares similarities with the one you use for your website. It can be a misspelling or a URL with a different TLD. Either way, these can confuse potential customers when searching for your online casino, so it’s better that you also own similar domain names. 

How much are domains worth?

The cost of domain names varies on the web hosting provider. They generally range between €1.60 to €20 based on factors like what TLD is being used or whether you are registering or applying for a renewal. 

What are the risks of not purchasing similar domains for my brand?

Neglecting to acquire similar domains carries several risks. It gives an opportunity for rival casinos to intercept your traffic when potential customers mistakenly visit their websites.  Alternatively, it could also leave your customers vulnerable to bad actors making a mock copy of your website.