The devil is in the details - what are so-called typo domains?

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

If you are familiar with the domain world, you have probably heard about "typo domains". But even a beginner, who is not into domains and web hosting, probably has a rough idea of what is hidden behind this term.

Typo domains are domains that have similarities with another, already registered web address. Mistyped domains are often caused by a small inattention, while typing in the browser bar: A forgotten dot, letter or hyphen can lead the user to land on another website. But also misspelled letters, duplicated letters or classic spelling mistakes are popular sources of failure. 

The business with mistyped domains

Many typo domains are filled with advertisements. The sneaky thing about it, is, that if for example the rogue webmaster placing Google Ads to your offer, you indirectly co-finance the revenues of this redirection trick. About 20 % of typo domains are redirections to other offers that contain advertisements or other undesired content.

How do domain owners protect themselves?

Depending on the character of your domain, you can take special protective measures: If your domain name contains for example a hyphen, you should definitely register a variant without the hyphen - ideally under both - .de, .ch, .at, etc. and .com. However, this rule of thumb should not only be taken to heart by companies, it can also be used to avoid unexpected surprises for private users.

If your domain name is often misunderstood, you should register those incorrect variants as well. Furthermore, we recommend registering plural terms as singular terms as well. If the domain contains two letters repeated, try to register it also with one letter (you would be surprised how many people type Gogle to get to the famous search engine). Always keep in mind: The costs of a well thought-out domain strategy are far lower than the damage that can be caused to you by dubious webmasters.