This document discusses the importance of choosing the right domain name for a business. It recommends selecting a domain that matches the business brand and targets the location of customers. A survey is presented showing more people found websites using domains like www.brand.com.ph instead of modified versions. Choosing the right domain preserves the brand, directs more visitors to the site, and is a low-cost marketing strategy compared to other expenses. While an exact brand domain may sometimes be taken, disputing ownership through organizations like WIPO is more affordable than losing business to a wrong domain choice.

1. Choosing the Right Domain for your
Business
The Official Domain Registry of the Philippines

2. Choosing the Right Domain
A domain name is your Internet business
address
How people find your business on the
World Wide Web.
Google.com
Dot.ph
Meralco.com.ph
Harrods.co.uk

3. Choosing the Right Domain
Keep your BRAND
Target the LOCATION of your customers

4. Choosing the Right Domain
DOMAIN NAMES
A Marketing Issue, not Technical
Your domain must build up “top-of-mind awareness”

5. Choosing the Right Domain
Customers will easily find you website
by following your
Some businesses start by choosing an extension (like
PH or COM) and end up hurting their own brand.
If your domain name is different from your brand,
customers may not find your website.

6. Choosing the Right Domain
How does a wrong choice of domain affect
your brand/business?
We conducted a survey to find out how domains
using modified brand names affect businesses.

7. Survey
674 respondents looking for
www.cebupacific.ph 371
www.cebupacificair.com 303
(existing site)

8. Choosing the Right Domain
Not the official Cebu Pacific website
Squatters will make money off YOUR brand.

9. Survey
677 respondents looking for
www.eastwestbank.ph 402
www.eastwestbanker.com 275
(existing site)

10. Survey
1997 respondents looking for
www.unionbank.com.ph 1,385
www.unionbankph.com 612
(existing site)

11. Survey
525 respondents looking for
www.maybelline.ph 417
www.doyoudare.ph 108
(existing site)

12. Survey
717 respondents looking for
www.bench.ph 517
www.benchtm.com 200
(former site)

13. Survey
has finally changed its website
from www.benchtm.com
to www.bench.com.ph

14. Findings
One of the main reasons why some
businesses modify their brand names
is that their desired domain name is
already taken
What they don’t realize is that they are
hurting their brand and their business

15. Keep Your BRAND
That’s how customers will find your website.
Getting the right domain is one of the most important
considerations in promoting your business.

16. Other bad domain name choices
hondaphil.com
Isuzuphil.com
mitsubishi-motors.ph
mtvphil.com
devbankphil.com.ph
eo-executiveoptical.com

17. Choosing the Right Domain
Keep your BRAND
Target the LOCATION of your customers

18. Choosing the Right Domain
SET YOUR BUSINESS WHERE YOUR
CUSTOMERS ARE LOCATED
It’s not only in traditional business that strategic
locations are considered important. Location plays a
crucial part in acquiring and retaining customers.

19. Where are your clients ?
Yes, you keep your brand. But does your chosen domain
properly target the location of your customers?

20. Location is key
SEO experts agree: To target a local
market, get a local domain
Search engines prioritize local search results, therefore,
using a local domain gets better results.
Default behavior of Google is Google.com.ph

21. Think global, act local
If the COM domain for your brand is
available, register it.
Protect your brand from cyber-squatters.
Prepare for future growth.

22. Think global, act local
How does a local domain help your
business?
A local domain for your website plays a big impact and
makes a big difference to your business. Here are
some more examples from our surveys.

23. THE ‘FRENCH PARADIGM’
Customers are more likely to search
for businesses that are close by
- Order fulfillment is easier
- Customer support is better
- ‘Nationalistic’ considerations

24. Survey
409 respondents looking for
www.figarocoffee.com.ph 291
www.figarocoffee.com 118
(existing site)

25. Survey
292 respondents looking for
www.fitnessfirst.com.ph 206
www.fitnessfirst.com 86
(existing site)

26. Survey
1,339 respondents looking for
(existing site)
www.villman.com.ph 912
www.villman.com 427
(existing site that’s being promoted)

27. Survey
425 respondents looking for
(existing site)
www.tipidpc.com.ph 336
www.tipidpc.com 89
(existing site that’s being promoted)

28. Survey
550 respondents looking for
www.chikka.com.ph 316
www.chikka.com 189
(existing site that’s being promoted)

29. Survey
To easily target their customers in the
Philippines, Chikka is finally using
www.chikka.ph

30. Findings

31. Choosing the Right Domain
BRAND NAME is PRESERVED
More Visitors = More Business

32. Cost considerations
All extensions technically work
the same
“Why not just buy the cheapest
one?”

33. Cost considerations
Domain names are the
smallest component of the
cost of getting online
But they can make the biggest difference for
your business

34. Cost considerations
Domain names range from
$10-35 a year
A difference of $25 a year = P 2.80 a day
Is paying P2.80 a day
worth it for more customers?

35. Cybersquatting
What do I do if someone else has
registered my domain?
WIPO (com and ph)
1 panelist $1,500
3 panelists $4,000
Is paying P2.80 a day
HKIAC (ph)
1 panelist $750
worth it for more customers?
3 panelists $1,750

37. THANK YOU!
www.dot.ph
The Official Domain Registry of the Philippines