Should I Buy Lots of Domain Names for My Small Business?

If you’ve got a small business and a website (or you’re about to make one), you might be wondering whether it’s worth snapping up a load of different domain names and pointing them all at your main site. You’re not the only one. Loads of small business owners have thought about this – it seems like a smart move at first, right?

But here’s the thing: it can be smart… or it can be a complete waste of money. It really depends on what you’re trying to do, how you set things up, and whether it actually brings any benefit. So let’s break it all down and help you figure out whether buying a bunch of domain names is a good shout or just another thing to clutter up your business expenses.

This article was written after “yet another” conversation with a client who thought lots of domains was a good idea.

What Does “Pointing Domains at Your Website” Even Mean?

First off, let’s get clear on what we’re talking about. You’ve got your main domain name – let’s say it’s amazingcakes.co.uk. That’s the one people type in to find your cake shop online.

Now, maybe you’re thinking about buying amazingcakes.uk, amazingcakes.com, bestcakesinlondon.co.uk, and even birthdaycakesdelivered.uk. You’d then “point” all of those at your main website. So, if someone typed in any of those extra domain names, they’d still end up on amazingcakes.co.uk.

It’s like having loads of roads all leading to the same shop.

Why Would Anyone Do That?

There are a few reasons people buy multiple domain names:

• To protect their brand name – so no one else can use a similar domain and confuse customers (or worse, pretend to be them).
• For SEO – thinking it might help them show up more in search engines.
• To catch typo traffic – in case someone spells their domain name wrong.
• To look more professional – by owning the .com, .co.uk, .uk and so on.

Let’s go through each of these and see what’s actually worth it and what’s just hype.

Protecting Your Brand Name

This one’s probably the strongest reason to buy extra domains. If you’ve got a unique business name, you might want to grab the main versions of it so no one else can take them. That usually means:

• .com
• .co.uk (if you’re in the UK)
• .uk (since Nominet released those for UK sites)

You might also grab .net, .org, or even .shop if they feel relevant. That way, if someone tries to copy your name or ride on your coattails, you’ve already got the main domain names tied up. It gives you a bit of peace of mind, especially if you’ve worked hard to build a good reputation.

It’s like registering your company name in all the obvious places so nobody else can pinch it and cause confusion.

But Do I Really Need Every TLD?

Not necessarily. It depends how unique your name is and how worried you are about copycats. If your business is called something like “The Brighton Bookshop”, it’s probably not worth buying 15 versions of the domain because the name is quite generic. But if you’ve got a made-up or brand-style name like “Bookaroo” or “Zappity”, then it could be worth snapping up the big ones before someone else does.

It’s especially important if you’re planning to grow or franchise, or if you’re investing in advertising and brand recognition. Once people know your name, someone else buying the .com version could cause confusion.

What About Using Extra Domains for SEO?

Right – this is where things get a bit trickier. In the past, some businesses bought lots of domain names with keywords in them and pointed them all at their main site, thinking it would help them rank higher in Google. For example:

• bestplumberinmanchester.co.uk
• emergencyplumber24hours.uk
• localplumbingexperts.com
• shoeshopinreading.co.uk

The idea was that these keyword-rich domains would make Google take notice and give you better rankings.

But here’s the truth: that trick doesn’t really work anymore. Google’s search engine has grown up a lot. It cares way more about your actual website content, structure, and how trustworthy you are than whether you own 20 domains with keywords in them.

Can Keyword Domains Help at All?

If you build full websites on those domains with their own good content, then yes – they might help. But that’s a lot of work. Just buying the domain and redirecting it to your main site won’t boost your SEO. In fact, if you do too much of that, it can even hurt your rankings because it looks a bit spammy.

Search engines don’t fall for that stuff anymore. They want to see value, not tricks.  Besides which, if keyword domains helped, would the last one above “shoeshopinreading.co.uk” be shoe shop in Reading  or shoes hop in Reading – and we won’t go near my all time favourite “expertsexchange.com” (experts exchange or expert sex change)

What About Typos and Misspellings?

This one’s actually a fair reason to buy a couple of extra domains. If your domain is hard to spell, or people often mistype it, you might want to grab the common misspelt versions. For example:

• shoeluvvers.co.uk – people might type shoelovers.co.uk instead.
• cakelicious.uk – someone might try cakealicious.uk or cakelicius.uk.

If you can afford to, it’s not a bad idea to cover your back with these. That way, if someone types the wrong thing into the address bar, they’ll still end up on your site.

Just don’t go overboard. Buy the most likely ones – not every possible misspelling under the sun.

Does Owning Multiple Domains Make You Look Bigger?

Some people think having a bunch of domain names makes you seem more professional or more established. And yes, having the .com and the .co.uk can make you look like you’ve thought things through. But no one’s really impressed if you say, “Yeah, I own 50 domains.” Most people won’t even notice.

What makes you look professional is having a good-looking website, proper contact details, and actually delivering what you promise. Domain names help protect your brand, but they don’t do the heavy lifting when it comes to trust.

So, How Many Domains Should I Buy?

Here’s a sensible approach that works for most small businesses:

1. Buy your main domain – whatever name you’ve chosen for your business.
2. Buy the most obvious other versions – .com, .co.uk, and maybe .uk if you’re based in the UK.
3. Consider buying 1 or 2 typos if your name is tricky to spell.
4. If you’re planning to grow big or take your business international, grab the top-level domains (.com, .net, etc.) early before someone else does.

That’s usually plenty. You don’t need to register 20 different keyword-based domains and hope they bring in traffic. They won’t. It’s a waste of your time and money.

What Should You Do With the Extra Domains?

So let’s say you’ve got your hands on a few extra domains. What do you actually do with them?

The easiest and most common option is to set up a “301 redirect” from the extra domains to your main one. That just means when someone types in yourbusiness.uk, it automatically takes them to yourbusiness.co.uk. Nice and simple.

Your web host or domain registrar will usually have tools to help you set this up. It only takes a few minutes and means all your traffic is pointed to the same place.

Can You Use Extra Domains for Campaigns?

Here’s a cheeky little idea that can actually work well. If you’re running a special promotion or product launch, you can buy a domain just for that and point it to a landing page on your main site.

For example, let’s say you’re a florist doing a Valentine’s Day special. You could buy:

• valentinesflowerslondon.co.uk

Then point it to yourmainfloristwebsite.co.uk/valentines. This can work nicely on flyers or social media ads, because it’s short, memorable, and very targeted. You don’t have to do this often, but it’s a handy trick for big seasonal events or product pushes.

How Much Will All This Cost?

Domains aren’t super expensive, but it can add up. Most .co.uk or .uk domains cost around £5–£10 per year. .com domains are usually about £10–£15. If you buy five or six of them, that’s maybe £50–£70 a year – not too bad if you’ve got the budget.

But if you go mad and buy 30 domains, you could be spending hundreds a year on names you don’t actually need. So be strategic. Think about what genuinely protects your business and what’s just clutter.

Summary: The Good, the Bad, and the Silly

The Good:

• Buying the .com and .co.uk of your name protects your brand.
• Typos or misspellings can help catch lost traffic.
• Campaign-specific domains can work well for marketing.

The Bad:

• Buying loads of keyword domains doesn’t help SEO anymore.
• Too many domains get confusing and expensive to manage.
• Redirecting 10+ domains can make your setup messy if not done properly.

The Silly:

• Thinking domain names alone will get you to the top of Google.
• Buying every new trendy TLD just because it exists (.ninja, .pizza…)

Final Thoughts

If you’ve got a great business name, buy the main domain and a couple of backups. That’s smart. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking more domains = more traffic or better rankings. It just doesn’t work like that anymore.

Focus your time and money on building a brilliant website, creating helpful content, and offering great service. That’s what really brings in visitors – not a cupboard full of unused domain names.