Innocent Drinks registered 7 variations before launch. Smart. 40% of UK scale-ups face domain squatting from competitors who registered the obvious alternatives first.
Register Core Variations
Plural, singular, with/without hyphens. If you're "TechHub," register "TechHubs," "Tech-Hub," "Tech Hub."
Common Misspellings
Register what customers type wrong. "Definite" gets typed as "definate." Buy both domains.
Alternative TLDs
.co.uk, .uk, .com minimum. Competitors squat on the others and redirect to their site.
Trademark Classes
Register in your class and adjacent classes. Expanding later? You'll want protection already in place.
Warning: Domain squatters monitor Companies House registrations. Register domains BEFORE filing company name. Squatters move within 48 hours of public filing.
Budget Reality
Defensive domains: £100-300/year. Defensive trademarks: £700-2,000. Buying squatted domains later: £5,000-50,000.
Generic Names Can't Be Trademarked
If you want legal protection and a name competitors can't copy, make it distinctive from day one. You can't defensively register generic terms.