Typosquatting protection starts with a simple idea: find the look-alike names that exist, register the obvious ones yourself and watch for new ones. Then lock down your email and report abuse when you see it. Six steps cover most of the risk for a small brand.

What typosquatting is and why protection matters

Typosquatting means registering a misspelling or look-alike of a known name. People who mistype your address land on the wrong site. Criminals also use these names for phishing, where a fake page copies yours to steal passwords.

The damage is real. Customers lose trust, and they blame your brand for a site you do not run. Even a small brand can be a target, as soon as people know it. Good typosquatting protection is cheap compared with the loss.

Step 1: find the look-alikes

Before you can defend, you need to see the problem.…