One of the best ways an organization can defend against cybersquatters is by registering multiple domain names, it has been claimed.
Speaking to the Worcester Business Journal, Michael Kennedy, head of search engine optimization at Boston Web Design, said companies and public sector bodies should consider using a variety of top level domains.
While their website may be hosted at a .com domain, there is a chance Internet users may attempt to access the portal using an alternative such as .net or .org, he explained.
Mr. Kennedy urged organizations to snap up a number of similar domain names, helping to prevent cybersquatters from using these locations to divert traffic from the main website.
He suggested that one domain name — potentially the .com address — could be used for the main website, while others could be used for blogs or landing pages.
“If they don’t want to bother keeping up a blog, the next best option is to simply have the secondary addresses redirect visitors to the same site,” Mr. Kennedy told the news provider.
The World Intellectual Property Organization recently reported that the number of cybersquatting cases reached record levels during 2010.
According to the body’s Arbitration and Mediation Center, the number of reported cases increased by 28% during the 12-month period.