There are several things to consider once you own your brand’s .SUCKS domain, but the most important thing is to determine how to make it as powerful as possible within your existing digital marketing strategy. Let’s dive in.
The Truth About New Domain Extensions
Page URLs that end in the most prominent domain extensions, like .com, .org or .net, rank better in search engine results—right? Not necessarily. In fact, there really is little to no research indicating that this is the case! When tested, Lucra Cars retained the same ranking for both Lucra.com and Lucra.cars, suggesting that these preconceived notions may be incorrect after all.
RankingOnGoogle.Sucks sometimes, so it’s important to be on top of the latest SEO and digital marketing tactics to make sure you are using your assets to their greatest potential.
Owning Multiple Sites: Yay or Nay?
A survey conducted on Who.Is suggests that 41.3% of people believe that a brand or business needs 2-4 domain names. Why? It may be valuable to protect your domain by registering it on multiple TLDs or you may require different, specific domain names to point to useful areas of your site. If you’re a real estate company, for example, perhaps you could use different domains for those customers looking to buy residential properties and those looking to buy or rent commercial space. For several reasons, it’s becoming far more common for companies to own multiple domain names for their brand.
SEO Strategies on a Changing Web
In an FAQ published by Google, the company indicated that new gTLDs and traditional gTLDs (your .coms and .orgs) are both treated equally in search rankings. But does owning multiple domains hurt your SEO? Well, it depends. Owning multiple domains may prove beneficial if you want to take advantage of certain keywords and/or improve user experience with a specific marketing initiative. On the other hand, having multiple domains can mean you are splitting link authority between your own two sites, which may be a risky move for websites in competitive niches.
To tackle the issue of SEO in this world of ngTLDs, many brands think that forwarding these URLs to their main site is the easiest way to make use of multiple domains. However, the best thing you can do with a second domain is actually to use it to generate new content. By creating a unique, purposeful page using an ngTLD, you can target specific sectors of your consumer base, and provide them with a unique platform from which to seek answers to questions they have and access specific information they need.
American video game developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment uses its website to promote and sell its games and merchandise, yet uses dedicated domains for each of its games, like Overwatch, to provide a platform for players to access more in depth information and to get involved in forums. Both sites serve specific functions, and appeal to different pockets of Blizzard Entertainment’s user base.
BadSEO.Sucks so make sure your current digital marketing efforts are up to snuff by keenly managing your available TLDs.
Bolster Your Brand with .SUCKS
There are so many things you can do with a .SUCKS domain that it seems a waste to just sit on it or redirect it to your primary site. For example, you may want to launch and maintain a reputation management strategy separate from your primary domain to assist disgruntled customers. Compelling, unique marketing strategies do get noticed, especially online—and “going viral” can bolster your business in a big way.
The Takeaway
When it comes to SEO and digital marketing strategies, things are ever-evolving and there is always more to learn. While current research suggests that TLD redirects won’t hurt your site per se, they also won’t help you maximize your potential. Using your secondary domains in a creative manner is a wiser alternative to a redirect—you just need to figure out what makes sense for your brand. Experimentation is key, and with a .SUCKS domain you can freely do exactly that. You never know what crazy, original idea might strike gold and deliver a wealth of new interest, awareness and customers to your brand online.
Redirecting.Sucks, so try something new and innovative in the digital marketing space with a custom .SUCKS domain.
Photo Credits: Unsplash / Damian Zaleski, Unsplash / Studio Republic, Unsplash / Rawpixel
