- A Kathmandu startup announced their brand name on social media before registering the domain.
- Within 12 hours, a cybersquatter had registered the .com and was demanding NRS 5 lakh.
- Do not let this happen to you — here is what to register before you go public.
In Nepal's growing startup ecosystem, brand launches are celebrated publicly — on social media, in press releases, in Facebook groups. But every premature announcement is a window for opportunists to register your brand's domain and hold it hostage. This guide tells you exactly what to secure before you say a word publicly.
The Cybersquatting Threat in Nepal
Cybersquatting — registering a domain in someone else's brand name to sell it back at a premium — is increasingly common in Nepal. Domain names cost NRS 1,200/year to register. A squatter who registers your brand.com and demands NRS 3–5 lakh is making a 200–400× return on investment. The math makes it worth doing.
Nepal does not yet have robust legal mechanisms equivalent to ICANN's UDRP process for resolving domain disputes quickly. Even where remedies exist, legal proceedings take months and cost more than buying the domain back. Prevention is the only real defense.
What to Register Before Any Public Announcement
The Core Registration List
| Domain | Why | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| yourbrand.com | Global standard, primary brand anchor | Critical |
| yourbrand.com.np | Nepal local identity + free | Critical |
| yourbrand.net | Common alternative people type | High |
| yourbrand.org | Non-profits, institutional lookalikes | Medium |
| yourbrandnepal.com | Geo-variant squatters target | High |
| getbrand.com | Common "get" prefix variant | Medium |
| yourbrandapp.com | App-focused variant | Medium (for tech startups) |
Typosquatting Protection
Typosquatters register misspellings of your domain to capture mistyped traffic. For a brand called "Sajilo," register:
- sajiloo.com (double letter)
- sajillo.com (transposition)
- xajilo.com (adjacent keyboard key)
The more recognizable your brand becomes, the more valuable these typo domains are to squatters.
Social Media Handle Matching
Brand consistency across domains and social handles builds trust and improves SEO (brand search coherence). Within 24 hours of domain registration, secure:
- Facebook Page: facebook.com/yourbrand
- Instagram: @yourbrand
- LinkedIn Company Page
- Twitter/X: @yourbrand
- YouTube Channel
- TikTok: @yourbrand (critical for Nepal's young demographic)
Use Namecheckr.com to check availability across all platforms simultaneously before committing to a brand name.
Domain Ownership: Keep It in Your Name
This is the most common mistake Nepali businesses make: allowing a developer, agency, or employee to register the company domain in their personal name. If that relationship sours, you can lose control of your primary business asset overnight.
Golden rule: Every business domain must be registered with:
- Your company's email address (not a personal Gmail)
- Your company as the registrant
- Payment from the company account
- Access credentials known to at least two authorized people
Setting Up Domain Transfer Lock
Once registered, immediately enable Transfer Lock (also called Registrar Lock) on all domains. This prevents any transfer request from being processed without your explicit authorization via a two-factor email confirmation.
In WebsNP's domain dashboard: Domain Settings → Enable Transfer Lock → Save.
Domain Monitoring: Know When Variants Go Live
After securing your primary domains, set up monitoring for new registrations of brand-similar domains. Services like DomainTools or Google Alerts for your brand name notify you when a squatter registers a variant — giving you time to respond legally before they establish a presence.
Your domain is not just a website address. It is your brand's digital identity, your email infrastructure, your customer trust signal, and your most permanent online asset. Protect it like the business asset it is — before anyone else can.
WebsNP offers bundle pricing for multi-domain registrations. Register your core brand portfolio today before your launch announcement. Check domain availability or talk to our team about a brand protection domain bundle.
