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BRANDING SOLUTIONS‎

Domain strategy

Domain strategy

Introduction

Mastercard’s digital presence is critical to the success of our business, and domain management plays an integral role in shaping our online identity, fostering brand recognition and facilitating meaningful engagement with our target audience. As such, having a planned domain strategy is critical for maximizing the effect of our digital assets.

 

This domain strategy establishes a framework for acquiring domains and aligning domain management practices with broader company objectives, ensuring consistency, efficiency and peak performance across the web.

Note: the following Mastercard Domain Strategy, presented by Global Brand Strategy & Innovation, is distinct from the Mastercard Domain Protection Strategy, which is maintained by Mastercard TECH.

Download the Mastercard domain strategy PDF‎

Key terms

 

Below are some key terms that will be useful when learning more about our domain strategy.

Domain name:  a unique name that identifies a website, i.e. mastercard.com

gTLD:  a top-level domain (TLD) category that is easily recognized by a (generic) suffix attached to a domain name, i.e. com, .org,.net, .app, .biz

ccTLD:  stands for country code top level domain, i.e. .us, .de, .uk, .mx, .jp

URL:  the address of a specific webpage or file on the Internet, i.e. https://www.mastercard.com

Subdirectory:  websites organize data in folders. A subdirectory is a folder within a folder, i.e. https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/issuers/products-and-solutions.html

Subdomain: created to organize and navigate to different sections of our website, i.e.

  • https://partner .mastercard.com
  • https://acquisition .mastercard.com
  • https://campaign .mastercard.com
  • https://solution .mastercard.com

Vanity URL: ;a descriptive, memorable and pronounceable URL used to promote a URL in non-digital space (TV, radio, OOH), i.e.mastercard.com/billpay.  Note: content is not hosted on a vanity URL; a vanity URL points to a URL where content is hosted.

Current domain landscape analysis

 

Currently, Mastercard maintains more than 6,000 domains, with approximately 50% of them aimed at promoting or protecting Mastercard, Priceless and our acquired brands. This includes more than 2,000 ccTLDs and gTLDs, such as mastercard.co.uk, priceless.com, etc. The remaining 3,000+ domains represent products, solutions or business entities from past and present, including acquisitions, variations and deliberate misspellings (an outdated tactic no longer aligned with our domain strategy).

Mastercard and its associated brands’ domains (native and acquired) receive approximately 50MM annual visits globally.

Business objectives alignment

 

Mastercard.com is the primary online presence of Mastercard, aimed at enhancing our brand perception as a forward-thinking and human-centered technology company, while unifying our brands and connecting our customers with innovative products, services and tools.

Priceless.com has become a consumer hub of Mastercard, a source for cardholders to discover one-of-a-kind experiences, support a worthwhile cause and access cardholder benefits and everyday value.

At a high level, we aim to consolidate web content onto our most memorable and well-known domains, i.e. mastercard.com and priceless.com. We apply smart segmentation and targeting tactics on our primary domains to ensure the right content is delivered to right users, globally. We take a thoughtful approach to how we leverage domains, subdirectories, subdomains and vanity URLs and we align our domains with our trademarks, especially in individual markets around the world.

When it does not make sense to add new content to mastercard.com (or another primary domain), a new domain may be requested via an established process. It is worth noting that you should never register a domain personally or through an agency. Domains are considered digital assets, and thus "intellectual property" of Mastercard, and may only be registered by our authorized registrar and tracked as an asset. Refer to section 10 (Getting started).

On occasion, Mastercard may acquire additional domains to instill customer confidence and protect us from brand damage, cyber-squatting and/or misrepresentation of our brand(s). That said, we do not register deliberate misspellings of our domains or domains containing negative words. Instead, we rely on our registrar, CSC, and our legal team to address any infringement on our brand(s) online. Refer to Mastercard’s Domain Protection Strategy for more.

Benefits of our strategy

Our domain strategy serves as a critical tool in advancing our brand identity and visibility with strategic precision and efficiency. By ensuring a cohesive and consistent representation across all our domains, we not only promote the Mastercard brand but also enhance the discoverability and recognition of associated brands. This strategic approach caters to the needs of our customers, partners and consumers, offering them an intuitive and seamless user experience throughout our online ecosystem. Moreover, our streamlined domain management:

  1. Simplifies administrative tasks, including security administration (certs, etc.)
  2. Mitigates expenses associated with downstream negotiations and potential litigation
  3. Bolsters our brand and supports our search engine optimization (SEO) strategy
  4. Maximizes operational efficiency, ultimately contributing to sustained growth and success in the digital landscape

Domain acquisition and consolidation

Within our domain strategy, the process of domain acquisition and consolidation plays a pivotal role in optimizing our digital footprint and safeguarding our intellectual property. By diligently assessing the necessity for new domain acquisitions, we ensure alignment with our overarching business objectives and intellectual property protection efforts.

As a rule of thumb, we assess the viability of creating new content on existing domains before considering the registration of new domains. Moreover, we seek out opportunities for domain consolidation. This enables us to streamline management processes and underscores our commitment to efficiency and resource optimization within our digital ecosystem.

SEO and keyword strategy

Embedded within our domain strategy is a fundamental recognition of the significance of search engine optimization (SEO), coupled with the imperative to consolidate domains to mitigate attrition and prevent internal competition (Mastercard sites competing with Mastercard sites for position on search engine results pages). This consolidation not only streamlines our online presence but also ensures harmonious alignment between domain names, keywords and content strategies, thereby fortifying organic traffic generation.

Methodology

As mentioned in Section 4, we aim to consolidate web content onto our most memorable and well-known domains, i.e. mastercard.com and priceless.com. Sometimes, however, that’s not possible or achievable. In order of preference, below is how we prefer to launch new content within our digital ecosystem.

PREFERENCE #1: SUBDIRECTORY (SUB-FOLDER) OF EXISTING DOMAIN

Example subdirectory:
https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/personal/ways-to-pay/click-to-pay.html

Adding new content to a subdirectory (sub-folder) an existing site, i.e. mastercard.com, is the quickest and easiest way to add content to our ecosystem. Plus, hosting content on mastercard.com leverages our accumulated domain authority and credibility, making it more likely for your content show up in search results (eliminating SEO competition that would otherwise occur with multiple domains competing for the same traffic). Lastly, managing one domain simplifies technical maintenance and reduces costs associated with hosting and domain registration.

Benefits of a subdirectory (sub-folder):

  • Simple to setup and manage
  • Avoids domain management considerations; doesn't require DNS entry
  • Application management using reverse proxy rules, which are easier at the folder (subdirectory) level
  • Intuitive navigation for the visitor
  • Improves brand recognition
  • Easier training for content providers/authoring teams
  • Supports SSO for Mastercard content
  • Can be promoted via a vanity URL, i.e. mastercard.com/clicktopay

PREFERENCE #2: SUBDOMAIN OF EXISTING DOMAIN

Example subdomain:
https://partner.mastercard.com

 

If a subdirectory is not possible, the next best alternative is often a subdomain of one of our primary websites, rather than creating a new domain altogether. Utilizing a subdomain maintains the association and trustworthiness of our primary domain. This means that any authority or reputation our primary domain has gained over time is automatically extended to the subdomain, boosting its credibility in the eyes of search engines. Additionally, managing content on a subdomain can streamline technical maintenance and administrative tasks, as it can all be housed within the same hosting infrastructure and administrative dashboard. By centralizing content under a subdomain, we avoid diluting our SEO efforts across multiple domains, ensuring that our overall SEO strategy remains focused and effective. Finally, from a branding perspective, using a subdomain maintains consistency and cohesion, ensuring a seamless user experience as visitors navigate between different areas of our online ecosystem.

Benefits of a subdomain:

  • Can be used to distinguish relationship between Mastercard and the partner or solution
  • Supports cobranded user experiences
  • Supports Authentication/Federated Single Sign On (FSSO) between partner and Mastercard
  • Can segregate infrastructure, isolating potential load/failures/hacks from primary domain
  • Can provide a home for acquisitions during the integration journey, i.e. brighterion.com → brighterion.mastercard.com → mastercard.com/en-us/businesses/mid-large/enterprise-ai
  • Can be promoted via a vanity URL, i.e. mastercard.com/partner

PREFERENCE #3: NEW DOMAIN

Example domain:
https://www.instantpayments.com

Whenever possible, new content should be added to an existing domain—using subdirectories or subdomains— before requesting a new domain.

When to request a new domain:

  • New business entity
  • New trademarked solution
  • New standalone service (that cannot/should not be rolled into an existing domain)

SEO best practices to consider when requesting a new domain:

  • Aim to use your brand or product/service name as your domain name. Search engines value branding over keywords.
  • If using your brand name is not possible, consider using a keyword in your domain name. However, be careful while using keywords; avoid using exact match keywords as that will be considered spammy by search engines.
  • Make it relevant. It should be short, memorable and easy to read/spell.
  • Avoid hyphens, numbers and special characters.
  • Use gTLD for websites targeting global market. When using gTLD, choose a .com over other options such as .biz, .info, .net, etc.
  • Use appropriate ccTLD for websites targeted in a specific region or location. This will help the website rank well on that country’s search engines. For example, .co.in domains should do better on google.co.in.
  • Always use https over http as it is secure. Search engines prefer secure websites and using https is considered as one of the ranking signals.

 

Helpful tip:Never abbreviate Mastercard as “ma” or “mc” in a new domain. In fact, if you are inclined to request a new domain with “ma” or “mc,” chances are you should be building your content in a subdirectory of mastercard.com.

 

Domain security and management

Paramount importance is placed on domain security and management. This entails implementing rigorous security measures to shield our domains from potential cyber threats and unauthorized access, safeguarding our online assets. Regular monitoring of domain registrations, renewals and DNS settings is conducted to ensure the continuous integrity and functionality of our domain portfolio. Additionally, we establish clear domain management protocols and assign specific responsibilities within the organization and within our domain registrar, CSC, to oversee domain-related tasks effectively. By adopting these comprehensive measures, we fortify the resilience of our domain infrastructure, bolstering our online presence and protecting our digital assets against potential vulnerabilities. For more, refer to Mastercard’s Domain Protection Strategy for more.

Getting started

Things to know when requesting a subdirectory, subdomain, domain or vanity URL:

  • Always submit your request via Aprimo
  • Know which “Program” in the Mastercard Catalog to which your request can be assigned
  • Have your BizOps representative’s contact information handy
  • If you’re requesting a vanity URL, know the destination URL to which it should point

Conclusion

Our domain strategy encapsulates a multifaceted approach aimed at maximizing the effectiveness and impact of Mastercard’s online presence. Through meticulous content consolidation and alignment, we harness the full potential of our domains to bolster SEO and user engagement. Moreover, our commitment to ongoing monitoring, evaluation and adaptation ensures that our strategy remains agile and responsive to the everchanging landscape of business needs and market dynamics. By adhering to these principles, we not only strengthen our online presence but also lay the groundwork for sustained growth and success in the digital space.