When we hear about “domain hack” we usually associate it with something bad, like domain theft. However, it’s important to distinguish between “domain hack” as a clever linguistic manipulation and “domain hijack” which is a malicious cybercrime.
Domain hacking is a linguistic manipulation that helps combine domain name parts with top-level domains (TLDs) to form creative words or phrases. It allows us to create unique domain names. It’s a form of wordplay, using the domain structure to create a desired linguistic result. Here are some examples of the domain hack:
ro.bot
make.it.com
inter.net
Advantages
Domain hacks often aim to create shorter, more memorable domain names. This makes almost any business extremely desirable to end customers.
It can be a marketing component. Even if your client already has a website, acquiring a clever domain hack and setting it up as a redirection to the primary site can be a potent marketing move.
Shorter domain names are often more favored by Google’s search algorithms, potentially improving search rankings. Also, they are more effective when promoted on social media platforms, where there is a limit on the number of characters for posts or advertisements.
Interesting fact
Netflix took the “.es” TLD (Spain) for the domain movi.es, which then redirects visitors to the leading Netflix site.
In summary, a domain hack is a clever linguistic manipulation of a domain name, not a malicious security breach.