Stop Before using WordPress in domain name

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Can we use the word WordPress in domain name?

This is one of the most common question that comes to a bloggers mind when they start they blogging. If you have searched the web then you must have noticed by now that, there is no website out there who have the word WordPress in domain name except for the WordPress trademark websites.word-wordpress-in-domain-name

When i started blogging i wondered why no one is using word WordPress in domain name.

Is it a coincidence that no one thought of using the word WordPress in domain name than me, no this can’t be and i was right. According to the WordPress policy they want to protect their trademark, the reason behind it is that they want to protect their brand from trademark delusion.

Trademark Delusion

A trademark delusion is a thing when a product is known by the brand name, I’ll give you an example that xerox a company who made photocopiers, but later due to more use of their product the photocopiers were called as xerox. This is trademark delusion where a brand looses its identity to a product.

trademark-delusion-of-wordpressWordPress didn’t wanted this to happen to them, they don’t want blogs to be considered as WordPresses. To protect them from this they have a policy which clearly states that you can’t use the word WordPress in domain name. you can read about it in detail here.

There were few ones who started their blogs with the word WordPress in domain name but due to the WordPress policy they have to shift their blog from one domain name to another. This can be a trouble as you have to redirect all your URLs to new ones.

Even if you get a domain name with word WordPress in it and make a website, sooner or later you will get a mail from Automatic. After that either you have to change your domain name or face the legal consequences.

How to use WordPress in domain name

If you are desperate to use the word WordPress in you domain name you can use it as a sub-domain, Like http://wordpress.zdidit.com. According to WordPress policy they have no problem if you use the word WordPress in the sub-domain.

When selecting a domain name you can use WP instead of WordPress, firstly they don’t have any problem with using WP for WordPress, and secondly WP makes URL shorter & well-known for a short form of WordPress.

If you search the web then you will notice that there are a lot of websites which starts with WP at the starting of their domain name. You can take for example, wpbeginner, wptavern, wpexplorer, etc. all these websites are very popular and uses WP in the beginning of the domain name.

What to do if i have a domain with word WordPress?

If you already have a domain with word WordPress in it, then you have to change it immediately. Don’t wait for automatic to send you a mail about their trademark protection policy.

All you have to do is get a new domain name with WP in the domain name instead of WordPress, setup the 301 redirection for your current links and you are good to go.

Redirection of old links to new one helps you to retain the traffic and link juice that comes from the backlinks that is acquired by old domain. Even search engines takes notice of redirection and transfers the rank to the new domain.

Redirection is necessary for SEO too.

If you chosen a domain name with word WordPress in it the its time to change it at once, don’t wait for authorities to jump in. As your website grows Automatic will take notice of your website and domain name.

We would like to hear about your thoughts on not using the word WordPress in domain name, you can drop us a comment about your views.

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