One of the most basic steps in having and maintaining your online presence is to purchase the proper domain names for your website that can clearly identify with your brand, company or profession. In most cases, companies would buy a domain name with the very familiar .com. Some may even purchase the .org equivalent of the same name. Many, however, stop from there – and this is where a potential problem may start.

A third party out to damage your online reputation with a terrible smear campaign can do so not only by defaming your brand, product or profession through social networks or blogs. Some may go to the extent of purchasing the .us, .net, or .tv equivalent of your domain name and put all sorts of content that can damage your reputation. Worst, they can purchase a domain similar to what you have but combines this with defamatory words such as scam, fraud or ripoff and create a high-traffic website using these. There is a potential that such domains land on top of search engine results, causing irreparable damage to your online reputation.

It is advisable that companies facing such potential threats buy all the domains and domain name combinations as part of their internet reputation management program. The few hundred dollars it will cost you to purchase all these domains are nothing compared to the potential damage it may cause should you have no control over these domains. But don’t stop there. You must also own all social media profiles, properties, and pages that can be associated with your brand, company or profession as a pre-emptive measure. Internet reputation management may take a lot of work – but it is your first line of defense in protecting your online presence.