# Avoiding similar Web domain names

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2003/10/17/avoiding-similar-web-domain-names/
- Published: 2003-10-17T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Third Sector this week reports on two similar sounding domain names for ‘alternative
gift’ catalogues for charity. Those aren’t the only similar domain names.
Third 
Sector focuses on the launch of the Charities Advisory Trust’s catalogue at www.
goodgifts.org in September 2003. It suggested that this name was similar to that
used by World Vision’s alternative gift catalogue, run for four years at www.greatgifts.
org.

 

 

## Advertisement

There are certainly further similarities between the two online catalogues’ approaches,
although Charities Advisory Trust argues they are different in that their catalogue
is aimed at shoppers rather than donors.

 

 

Given the importance of Web domain names, this development reinforces the importance
of researching existing and similar domain names if a charity is to have any hope
of developing its brand.

 

 

But the two catalogues are not the only charity domain names to appear confusing
similar. Try visiting the following and then see if you can remember what each site
offered in 10 minutes’ time:

 

 

 * http://www.charitycards.org
 * http://www.charitycard.org
 * http://www.charitycards.co.uk
 * http://www.charitycard.co.uk

 

 

We’ll help you out. One is owned by a national charity, another a greetings card
company, another a non-profit business with 95 charity members, and another by a
bank. Two of them incidentally offer very similar services of personalised corporate
Christmas cards.

 

 

All this goes to show that even if you are quick off the mark with a good and unique
domain name, you should protect your brand by buying up similar names and the various
top level domain suffixes. However, with so many good domain names bought up now,
your only hope is to advertise heavily to promote your domain name or develop an
unrivalled reputation for quality or service.

 

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