How to Check a Brand Across TLDs Before You Buy

Published 2026-11-09 · By Aaron Kempf

TLDs .COM Branding Developer Domains Planning

You've found a name you like and the .com is open. Before you register it, look at the same name on the other extensions. If a competitor runs the .net, a scam site sits on the .co, or an unrelated company owns every country version, you'll want to know now rather than after you've printed business cards. This guide explains how to check a brand across TLDs in a few minutes, and how to read what you find.

Why one extension isn't enough

Confusion. Customers who mistype or guess an extension can land on someone else's site.
Trademark risk. An established business on another extension may already hold rights to the name.
Reputation. A spam or adult site on a matching extension can reflect on you.
Growth. If you'll expand to other countries, you may want their local extensions later.

Which extensions to look at

Start with the big generic ones: .com, .net, .org, .io, .co. Add the country codes where you trade or plan to trade, such as .co.uk, .de or .ca. Finally, add any niche extension related to your field, like .studio, .shop or .app.

The process, step by step

Run a sweep. A TLD Sweep checks up to ten names across many extensions at once.
List the taken ones. For each, note what's on the site: active business, parked page, for-sale notice, or nothing.
Search the name. Look for businesses using it without a website, and for social handles.
Check trademarks in the countries where you'll trade. See the domain trademark check for how.
Decide. Register the extensions that matter and walk away from names with serious conflicts.

How to read the results

Open everywhere: a good sign, but still check trademarks and social handles.

Taken but parked: usually low risk. The owner may sell later.

Taken by an unrelated business in another country: moderate risk. Fine for a local brand; harder for a global one.

Taken by a business in your field: high risk. Change the name.

Taken by a site you wouldn't want associated with you: consider changing the name, especially if it's the .net or a typo-adjacent extension.

When you check a brand across TLDs, keep a record

Save a short table: extension, status, what's on the site, and the date. It helps when you compare shortlisted names, and it's useful evidence if a dispute ever comes up.

A worked example

A team (invented for this example) wants to call their scheduling app "Tallyhop." Tallyhop.com and tallyhop.app are open. The sweep shows tallyhop.io is parked and tallyhop.net is open. A search finds no businesses using the name, and a trademark search in the US and UK shows nothing in software. They register the .com, .app and .net, note the .io for later, and secure the social handles the same day.

What to register

You don't need every extension. Most small businesses register the .com, their main country code and one or two close alternatives. Redirect the extras to your main site.

Repeat the sweep later

Results change. A parked name can be bought by a competitor, an expired one can be picked up by a reseller, and a new extension can launch and open your name to anyone. Run the same sweep again a few weeks after launch and once a year after that, ideally around your renewal date. If a close extension becomes available and the price is reasonable, register it before someone else does. If a problem site appears on a matching name, your saved table shows when it wasn't there, which helps if you ever need to file a complaint.

Common mistakes

Checking only .com. You'll miss conflicts on other extensions.

Skipping trademarks. An open domain doesn't mean an open name.

Buying dozens of extensions. Renewals add up fast.

Frequently asked questions

How many extensions should I register?

For most small businesses, two to four: the .com, a local country code and a close alternative or two.

Is it worth buying the .net if I own the .com?

If it's cheap and the name is your brand, yes. It stops someone else using it.