Why you should be using complementary domains

If you haven’t already heard the news, here it is again: The internet is expanding at an insane pace. Website owners have more opportunities than ever to create a striking online presence that will attract the interest of internet surfers.

But the simple days of one-site, one-URL are slowly caving away to the more evolved practice of branded navigation, which simplifies the way users find specific information about your site or company. All you need is one key tool: complementary domains.

A complementary domain is a URL that is different from that of your main website, and directs visitors to specific locations. It may take users to your main site’s home page, a specific part of your website, or to a social media account that’s run by your company.

Sound strange? Chances are you’ve encountered a complementary domain before and never realized it. For example, geodomains like .UK or .NZ are often used in addition to a main website. If a business spans across multiple countries, the website tends to be divided by location—especially if there are language differences to consider.

But complementary domains can do far more to make navigating your website interesting and easy. By using one or multiple complementary domains on your website, you can enjoy the following benefits.

Use keywords likely to be searched

Let’s say you’re a Denver-based costume design company called Capes and Crowns. You may miss out on the chance to optimize the organic traffic you can get from the search term “denver costume design” if you only use the URL capesandcrowns.com. By using the complementary domain name denvercostume.design, (which forwards to your primary website) you can hit three relevant keywords right in your URL.

Easily point to a specific area of your website

Short, memorable domains are helpful for encouraging people to visit certain areas of your website. For example, direct potential new employees to the domain yourcompany.jobs for easy access to career information. Or, highlight your company’s community service and philanthropy efforts with the complementary domain yourcompany.gives.

Give users a shortcut to the information they want

Rather than asking visitors to look you up on SoundCloud or Bandcamp, why not direct them to the complementary domain yoursite.rocks? Or, encourage visitors to keep up with the latest and greatest by linking yoursite.news to your blog or press releases.

If you’re worried about receiving Google penalties from using multiple domains, don’t stress! As long as you use your complementary domains correctly, you can enjoy their benefits without taking a SEO hit.