Spearheaded by Ilana Devillers, F4A.icu enables supermarkets with tackling the food waste issue. As a holistic solution, F4A.icu helps consumers get access to healthy food items via local supermarkets, and provides delicious recipes with those food items all on their nifty mobile app.

We caught up with Ilana Devillers, CEO, and Founder at F4A.icu, to understand what inspired her to start this revolutionary business, how it works, and where it’s going. She also sheds light on how new businesses and startups can navigate during these rather tumultuous times. Read on! 

1. What inspired you to start F4A.icu? Tell us the story.

During my law studies in Strasbourg, I made the sad realization that many people often struggle to make ends meet and eat well on a limited budget. After enjoying a dinner made of food products from a dumpster diving, it became evident that simple actions can increase food access and reduce food waste. The idea of enhancing the visibility of close to expiry products emerged and gave birth to F4A standing for Food4All. 

Ilana Devillers, CEO, and Founder of Food4All, is pictured at the inaugural Start-up Stories final on 18th December, 2019.

2. What is F4A.icu? How does it work?

F4A standing for Food4All, is a service company aiming to reduce food waste on a supermarket level and ease access to affordable food by promoting close to expiry products and optimizing the food supply chain.

F4A has developed a free of charge application, allowing food distributors to showcase their discounted, close to expiry products to provide consumers with better access to affordable food. The process is straightforward for consumers; they need to download the F4A app from Google Play or the Apple Store, geolocate themselves, and discover nearby partner stores that offer discounts on these products.

They can then select the desired products, add them to their shopping list, and go to the store to finalize their purchases. By downloading the F4A application, consumers can contribute to the fight against food waste while reducing their expenses.

After each download, we plant a tree thanks to the partnership between F4A and Eden Reforestation Project. This is a deeply appreciated initiative by the F4A community. 

F4A App

3. What are the best ways for households, restaurants, and supermarkets to handle food waste?

The most important point I would like to highlight here is awareness and education. Let us not forget that the largest proportion of food waste occurs on a household level. No matter how much effort restaurants and supermarkets put in place to avoid food waste, if there is no change on a consumer-level – habits and mentality -, the problem will not be solved.

Being conscious of the amount of food that is wasted and being aware of how this could be prevented are certainly the first steps that ought to be undertaken. This is why F4A has put a great deal of emphasis on launching a weekly newsletter to share with its followers’. The newsletter offers readers simple tips and tricks on how to avoid food waste in our kitchen and at home in general.  

Restaurants and supermarkets need to apply measures to predict and better coordinate supply and demand to avoid over-buying and over-stocking. The Ecobox is a great initiative that allows consumers to bring home their leftovers without the need for any single-use packaging. 

4. F4A recently won Startup of the year 2019 by Paperjam and you were featured on the Nasdaq billboard in NYC. How has the journey been so far and what are your future plans?

COVID-19 has certainly not slowed down our fight against food waste. On the contrary, F4A is more confident than ever that this health crisis represents a real opportunity to create the change needed for a healthier and more sustainable future. 

It was a great honor for F4A to be showcased on the Nasdaq billboard in NYC one month before its second anniversary. There could not have been a better way to congratulate the team behind F4A that has been working hard to make the business move forward despite the challenges and constraints.

Food4All displays in Times Square. Picture courtesy: Paperjam.lu

Today, F4A is proud to claim that it has developed its activities within several supermarket stores in Luxembourg in only two years of existence and expand its team, which grew from 3 to 12 people in only a couple of months.

F4A is now putting a great deal of emphasis on research and development, ensuring a smooth transformation of its legal structure, accelerating its imminent international expansion, continuing its fundraising rounds, and expanding its team.   

5. What advice would you like to share with fellow business owners trying to make their business work during this pandemic?

This period of time is indeed extremely challenging for business owners and entrepreneurs, but it is also an opportunity to observe changes and adapt to new needs. One piece of advice I would like to share today is, believe in your business ideas, persevere, and, most importantly, question yourself and your business ideas regularly.

This will force you to sit back and reflect on the areas of improvement. This is necessary to move on and succeed.  

6. What are your thoughts on the .icu domain extension? How is it helping you build a strong and unique online presence?

The .icu domain extension is very interesting for F4A as it is a generic and an independent domain, which is greatly appreciated. The .icu domain complemented by F4A’s unique branding enables the company to benefit from a strong and fun image that differentiates itself on the market. 

Building your new business with a .icu domain name!

Visit www.now.icu to search for and register your .icu domain name!

Whether you’re starting a new business, looking for a promotion, switching careers, hunting for a better job, or growing your network, building a personal brand can take your career to a whole new level. As a marketeer, it is essential to brand and market yourself with the same passion and intensity as your products and services.

What Is Personal Branding?

Personal branding is the process of developing a brand around your personality by consistently and effectively promoting yourself. Done well, you can tie your personal brand in with your business or career to achieve unparalleled success.

Building a personal brand can be an overwhelming and somewhat daunting task. This is because it’s easy to lose focus on what you wish to achieve and where to begin. Oprah Winfrey went through multiple style iterations before defining her voice as one of the most influential personal brands in the world.

However, building a personal brand in the digital world is a lot easier than you think. All you need is the right domain name! Now you may wonder what does a domain name have to do with building a personal brand? As it turns out, a whole lot!

5 Creative Ways To Use A .icu Domain Name To Build A Strong Personal Brand

Here are five creative ways to use your .icu domain name to build and augment your personal brand online:

1. Build A Brandable Virtual Portfolio 

A smart way to establish a strong personal brand online is to create a website that showcases your work portfolio complete with relevant links. Include your gamut of skills, projects undertaken, awards and accolades, social media handles, contact information, and testimonials from previous clients or colleagues.

For instance, if you are a marketing professional, using your first or full name with a short and distinctive .icu domain extension (www.ethanbrown.icu or www.ethan.icu) to host your body of work is a wise decision. A one-word or full name website address is easy to remember and even easier to build a personal brand with.

A domain name like www.firstname.icu goes a long way in building your personal brand. Whether you share your website address with potential employers or prospective clients, a short, meaningful, and smart domain gives people positive connotations about your work while establishing you as a highly professional and sophisticated individual. Using the right domain name is a great way to make a lasting first impression.

2. Start A Blog 

Starting a blog website is a great way to build authority in your niche and establish yourself as a thought leader. Having a blog also helps recruiters and employers get a more in-depth insight into your capabilities and skills. It’s the same with prospective clients or partners who want to learn about what drives you.

Include all relevant links to your social media handles and links to blogs that have been published on other reputable websites. If you already have a blog website, then it’s advisable to add more pages to it and build your personal brand website around it. Starting a blog aims to give employers or customers a better sense of who you are and help you establish yourself as an influential personality in a given industry.

If you are a chef, you can start a blog about healthy food habits, new recipes, baking hacks, etc. Be sure to include links to your LinkedIn and Twitter profile or your YouTube channel (if you have one). A smart, slick, and meaningful domain name like www.catherinebakes.icu or www.chefscorner.icu is a great way to write and share your blogs.

3. Convert Your LinkedIn Or YouTube Profile Into A Personal Brand Channel

Whether you’re a marketing guru, finance expert, nutritionist, medical professional, or a CEO, your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important social media channels to share as a reference with employers or clients. In case you don’t have a website or a blog site, your professional social media handle becomes the next most vital avenue to build your personal brand.

By sharing a link to your LinkedIn profile, you can give recruiters, clients, or partners an insight into your professional accomplishments, work experience, awards, endorsements, blogs, and more. Towards this, it’s better to share a personalized and memorable domain name like www.alan.icu as a smart forwarding address to Alan’s LinkedIn profile as compared to a rather long and hard to remember URL.

The same can be done for your YouTube channel too. If you are a real estate broker who also runs a property tours channel on YouTube, then a clean, crisp domain name like www.micahelsproperty.icu or www.channelname.icu makes for a smart forwarding address that will bolster personal brand in the minds of your audience.

Using a smart, short domain name as a redirect or forwarding link to your LinkedIn profile or YouTube channel will help you stand out from others and comes across as an innovative individual.

4. Rebrand Your Existing Website

If you’ve already created a website or a blog site, it’s wise to tweak that instead of creating a new website or online presence. If your website has a weird or awkward domain name that is hard to spell and harder to type, then replacing your domain name with an edgy .icu domain extension is a sensible way to rebrand your website.

For instance, if you’re using www.eric-theonline-marketingprofessional.com as your current website address, why not use www.ericmarketing.icu? Or www.eric.icu? Or www.onlinemarketing.icu?

Promote your new domain name via emails, newsletters, and social media posts to get people to remember your domain name and visit your newly revamped online presence. With a .icu domain name, you have a chance to rebuild your personal brand with a touch of flair and flamboyance – key ingredients to win mass appeal and credibility in the market.

5. Use A Professional Email Address

Your email address plays a massive role in establishing your personal brand as it speaks volumes about how professional you are. A branded professional email address is a must if you want to create a striking first impression and trust in the eyes of the people you deal with. A branded email address separates the professionals from the amateurs.

Any professional who is serious about their work and brand should invest in a professional email address. With a .icu domain name, you can register a custom-branded email address that adds character to your personal brand. For instance, if your website address is www.onlinemarketing.icu, you can choose eric@onlinemarketing.icu as your email address.

Choosing a branded email address will make you come across as a seasoned professional compared to someone who uses free email services for their business.

Final Thoughts

Building a strong personal brand is in today’s digital age can be a game-changer for your professional growth. By pairing a meaningful word or name with a short, snappy, and brandable .icu domain extension, you can create a formidable and authentic personal brand online.

With over 6.5 million registrations, .icu continues to be the largest selling new domain extension. .cyou has followed suit to become one of the fastest-growing new domain extensions on the planet with over 20,000 registrations in just over 90 days of its global launch.

We’re getting ready to end 2020 with some great promotions for #BlackFriday but here is a look back at #ShortDot2020.

There are several benefits of starting a blog, especially if you already have a website in place. Chief among which is the fact that you can attract top-of-the-funnel traffic as well as give active-intent customers all of the bottom-of-the-funnel information about your brand or product.

Here are five benefits of starting a blog.

5 Benefits Of Starting A Blog

1. Boost SEO

Search engines love fresh, new content regularly. Couple this with active usage of well-researched long-tail keywords, and you have a winning SEO strategy. Publishing value-driven content that you can link to other blogs and inner on your website will do wonders to improve your website’s SEO and to drive organic traffic.

2. Build Authority

Starting a blog is a great way to build authority in your niche. If you can translate your experience and expertise on a particular subject with well-written and informative blogs, there’s no stopping your blog from being the ‘go-to’ resource center for topics of interest in your industry.

3. Drive Conversions

Higher traffic to your website means more people will read your informative content and browse through your website’s pages. This results in higher conversion rates, meaning more people will be buying your products or completing actions on your site.

4. Better Engagement

Use your blog as a medium to share customer stories and inspirational tales relevant to your industry. Topics like how your business came to be or how to overcome the hurdles of setting up a business in your niche will engage your customers. You can also include video tutorials and high-quality images to make your blog a lot more intuitive.

5. Build Loyalty and Credibility

Starting a blog is a great way to build a loyal base of followers. High-quality content that is a mix of professional advice and relevant information, along with a touch of quirkiness, will help you establish a solid presence. This will in turn, help to build credibility in the mind of your customers as well as prospects and partners.

Tips For Starting A Blog In Lockdown

Given the fantastic benefits of starting a blog, here are six tips to help you get started.

1. Pick Your Niche

The first step of starting a blog is to pick a niche that you know you can own. If you already have a website, then it’s best to stick to the same industry and delve into obvious topics of interest. If you are starting a new blog, then it’s advisable to first identify your expertise and blog about that.

It’s essential to be specific, even in a niche. For instance, technology may be a niche, but it’s a vast industry that has numerous subtopics like software development, programming languages, smartphones, laptops, and more. It’s best to be specific in a niche and blog about only that.

There are two things to keep in mind when picking your niche:

• It shouldn’t already be saturated with valuable pre-existing content that makes it hard for you to grow your blog
• The niche you pick should be something you are genuinely inclined to blog about.

Furthermore, stay updated about what’s happening in your niche and the latest trends. Read about what your peers and competitors are doing and study their blogs to see what’s worked for them and what’s not. Identify gaps where you can create valuable content to address people’s specific queries.

2. Choose The Right Domain Name

Whether you’re starting a blog website or using a blogging platform or merely adding a blog page to your current website, it’s essential to craft a catchy name for your blog and find the exact match domain name for it. You can use your domain name as either a primary link or as a custom-branded forwarding link.

In either case, you should hunt for a domain name that is:

• Short, easy to type, easy to spell, and easy to remember
• Definitive, relevant, meaningful, and descriptive of your niche and the industry you belong to
• Unique, innovative, creative, and one that has a nice ring to it
• Clean, crisp, and free of any lingual or grammatical errors

The best way to find a domain name that meets these parameters is to register the name of your choice on a distinct, three-letter .icu domain extension.

Being a relatively new domain extension, the chances of finding the name of your choice is much higher. In addition to this, the .icu domain extension is independent of geography, industry, and language. This makes it perfect for any blog!

Here are some cool blog domain name ideas:

1. www.retailblog.icu
2. www.amandablogs.icu
3. www.blogcomics.icu
4. www.geeky.icu
5. www.makemoremoney.icu
6. www.passiveincome.icu
7. www.marketingspot.icu
8. www.smallbusinessexpert.icu
9. www.autoblog.icu
10. www.carguy.icu

3. Invest In Keyword and Topic Research

Starting a blog and making it a success is highly dependent on using and targeting the right keywords for the right topics. For your new blog, you need to determine a few focus keywords that you want to rank for and then identify several generic long-tail keywords that will help you to drive relevant traffic to your website.

However, picking the right keywords can get a bit tricky, especially when you are just starting a blog. Unlike popular belief, generic trending keywords will not get you traffic or boost you to the first page of the search engine’s result pages. As a new blogger, you should focus your attention on identifying relevant keywords that have lesser competition and are not as popular as trending keywords.

If you use highly popular keywords, your blog will struggle to rank high since those keywords have a high level of competition. On the flip side, if you use highly unpopular keywords, your blog will not attract any traffic. The trick is to find the right set of keywords that enjoy a decent amount of search queries but are less competitive.

Relying on long-tail keywords usually gives better results. This is because they are more specific, and they reflect exactly what someone would search for using a search engine like Google. For instance, ‘buy formal shoes in London’ is a specific long-tail keyword that most people would be searching for.

Apart from using long-tail keywords in your content pieces, you can also use them as the title for your blogs. Optimizing your blog titles to include long-tail keywords can give you even better results since titles play a critical role in SEO. Take help from the Google Keyword Planner tool and SEMrush to search for the right keywords and topics for your blog.

4. Go All Out On Social Media

For your blog to be a success, you need people to read it and be aware of it. The best way to make some noise and get more people to land on your blog is to harness the power of social media. While SEO is a great way to drive new audiences to your blog, the power of social media cannot be overlooked.

Go all out on your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn handles to promote your blogs. Use attractive images and insert the right hashtags to reach more people. You can even create custom images on Instagram and change the link in your bio to drive traffic from the visual social media platform.

The idea is to get as many people as you can to read your blogs and share it with their network. You can even invest in paid promotions every now and then to reach a global audience swiftly. Use hashtag tools to search for relevant hashtags based on the topic of your blog post.

5. Produce Great Content

This is probably the most important tip since the sustenance of your blog highly depends on the quality of content you create. While optimizing for SEO and doing social media promotions will drive traffic your blog, the only thing that will make them stay and visit again, is great content.

Writing compelling content that is informative, well-structured, and packed with relevant examples and analogies will do wonders for your blog. You will quickly establish yourself as an expert and engage your users in a way where they will become your promoters. Because of word-of-mouth marketing is still the most effective way to get your name out there.

Avoid making your blogs too salesy since most people who land on your blog want to leave with new knowledge, not an advertising message about how amazing your product or brand is. Instead, address a concern or highlight an issue and subtly mention how your product or business can help resolve it.

6. Install The Best Blogging Plugins

If you are using WordPress for your website or your blog, installing the following plugins will make your life much easier and will help you to impart a better user experience.

• Yoast SEO — Optimizes your blog for the best SEO results.
• JetPack – Jetpack helps in spam filtering, malware scanning, and brute force attack protection
• BackupBuddy — Enables to store and backup all your blogs on a regular basis.
• WPForms — Allows you to create various types of online forms
• Google Analytics — Provides valuable statistics and insights into the performance of your blogs
• Edit Flow — Offers a smooth workflow management system for multiple authors.
• Grammarly — Ensures that your blog is free of grammatical and spelling errors.

10 Content Ideas For Your New Blog

It’s every blogger’s dream to have months’ worth of blog post ideas ready beforehand. But that’s easier said than done. The problem is not only about finding new and exciting topics but more about immersive and value-oriented issues.

Think of it this way, there might be numerous topic ideas that you could think of, but are they all interesting enough for your audience? If your blogs aren’t interesting enough, you will struggle to shine and reach more people.

Let’s look at ten blogging ideas which can help you get great traffic through to blogs:

1. Personal Stories

When starting a blog, it’s an excellent blog idea to share your personal stories in a series of posts with your audience. Nothing engages readers more than reading about someone else’s story. Doing this will help your audience connect with you and your brand on a personal and emotional note.

Talk about your life, professional hiccups, your achievements, your failures, or even small incidents.

2. Product Reviews

Writing product reviews is one of the best blogging ideas as everyone wants to know just how good or bad the new product or service is. Since there are abundant products in the market, from technology to retail to food and beverages to cars and bikes, you can specialize in your interests and write product reviews in your niche.

You can use the following points to write great product reviews:

• Include an attractive picture of the product
• Mention its benefits
• Highlight its flaws
• Give your overall opinion about it

3. Interviews

When starting a blog, try and schedule a few interviews with experts in your niche. Interviews are an excellent way to diversify your blog and get expert people to share their thoughts on your platform. Guest interviews are a great way to build authority. Doing interviews with renowned experts is one of the most effective ways to get your work out to relevant audiences that probably don’t know about you.

Be sure to interview influential folks from your industry that your readers are interested in.

4. ‘How To’ Blogs

Google is filled with people searching for ‘how-to’ posts. If you are writing about a specific niche, do cover articles that with a ‘how-to’ guide that makes it easier for your audience to discover your blogs on search engines.

By using the right keywords and SEO best practices, your blog could rank high in search results when people perform search queries on Google about a ‘how-to’ post related to your niche.

5. What’s Trending

Write about what’s trending in your industry. Your blog should always keep your readers informed about the current trends of your niche. Simply identify what’s trending, gather facts about it, write a quality article about it, and post it.

6. FAQ Posts

Write simple FAQ posts to answer common questions or queries that your readers might have about topics related to your expertise or niche. If you can answer these FAQs and address people’s questions, it will instantly build credibility and interest among your readers.

7. Study Your Competitor Blogs

Before starting a blog, see what your competition is doing. Competition is often strategically helpful. Regularly check and read the blogs published by your peers and competitors. Don’t just read, but try to study them and understand the things that they are doing better than you are.

Run through their blog topics to find any topics that you haven’t covered yet. Do not plagiarize or blatantly copy their blog posts. Also, remember to read through their comments section as there may be a few good blogging ideas hidden there suggested by their customers.

8. Write About Common Mistakes to Avoid

The only thing that works better than telling people’ what to do’ is by telling then ‘what no to do.’ Writing about things like ’10 things to avoid’ or ‘5 things you are doing wrong’ is a great way to attract people and write about tips, tricks, and hacks about your niche to help your audience not to make mistakes.

9. Case Studies

If you are starting a blog and struggling with where to begin, then writing case studies is a brilliant way to show your level of expertise and provide value to your readers. Case studies are even more effective than customer testimonials since they show the true magnitude of your knowledge.

10. Guest Posts

Not all your blogs need to be written by you. Guest blogging is a great way to generate new content without actually writing it. Inviting an influential and well-respected guest blogger to write for your blog can break the monotony and give your readers a fresh perspective.

Most guest bloggers have a massive social media following and a robust online presence, and having them write for you will surely do wonders for your blog.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, a complete guide for starting a blog in lockdown. If you are new to the world of blogging, then these tips will surely help you get some skin in the game and make your blog a success. It’s essential to take the first step and simply start. And don’t forget to get your domain name with .icu! Search for the registrar of your choice here.

Happy Blogging!

Why do you need all of this? To attract the right audience and to establish credibility, of course.

After you register with a domain extension, follow these 3 steps.

1. Work With A Web Developer

In order to ensure your site looks professional, to get prospective clients to call you or order a service or product online, you are going to need to work with an expert web developer.

If any of your industry peers have a site that you love, get hold of them and ask them what their process was and whom they worked with. Ask them what they paid and if they were entirely satisfied with the work carried out.

Before you get in touch with a web developer, it would be beneficial in the long run if you do some research looking for sites that you like so your web developer can use them as a reference. This is especially important from a functional point of view because a web developer has nothing to do with the visual aspect of your web site; they are responsible for the usability.

Be specific with your references, making notes on precisely what it is that stands out to you about the sites.

2. Work With A Web Designer

The second step after you register with a domain extension is to work closely with a web designer to bring your visual ideas to life. Again, in this situation, it is best to compile some references. When working with a designer, your input is imperative. You will need to provide much direction in order to give the web designer a strong starting point. What many people don’t realize is that the process is a collaboration from start to finish.

Once you have provided the designer with references to other sites that you like, what colors and feel you prefer, then they will provide you with a mockup of the proposed design.

This can be the most challenging part of your website development process. The reason being that it can take some time for you and a web designer to be on the same page from a visual perspective. There could be a lot of back and forth, but it is par for the course when building something spectacular. So, be patient and open to ideas. It is a collective effort, after all.

3. Work With A Copywriter

Understanding what SEO is and how it will be beneficial to a business’ website doesn’t have to be your responsibility. SEO is crucial to helping a website gain more visitors, but any good copywriter will be well-versed in this.

After sourcing a copywriter, set up a one-to-one meeting with her/him and tell them your story. It would be best if you told them everything; how the idea for your business came about when it was first established, and your milestones. Audiences become invested in a brand the more human their story is, so don’t be afraid to be yourself.

You will then need to outline specific details on your service or product offering and point out what makes them unique. Essentially, you need to arm your copywriter with all the information they need to bring your brand across in the exact way you see it in your head.

Concluding Thoughts

At ShortDot, we are creating valuable content to help business owners stand out online. So whether you need more detail on what goes into building an effective website, or you are wanting to register a domain extension that represents individuals who are revolutionizing the modern world, visit our blog for a wide array of useful resources.

Furthermore, there is a lot to think about in terms of what product or service you offer, the industries you provide value to, and who your prospective clients are.

Including all this in your website build is imperative. As a tech startup, you need to provide the right resources, including compelling call-to-actions and ensuring the correct research has gone into your audience before even getting to the design stage – more on that below.

Here are our top 4 website design tips and hacks for tech startups:

1.  Search Engine Optimisation

When designing your website, you need to keep SEO in mind. This means conducting extensive research before writing the content that is to be published on your site.

Writing for SEO is a must and should be generated to high standards determined by apps like SEMrush and Google Analytics for higher visibility.

If you would like to rank for a particular keyword, you must ensure that you are providing the most relevant and valuable information to that related search query.

As a tech startup, you should try and work with the best web designers to obtain the most current and effective frontline web design services.

2.  A Design Strategy

Frequently, people jump into building a website due to the urgency of having one. It is understandable, you have received funding, you have deadlines, and KPI’s so making sure your website is live as soon as possible is important. However, rushing in could prove detrimental, or at the very least, create future headaches. Designing your website should be first on your list of priorities. For example, let’s say you open a physical clothing store selling imported, handmade Kashmir apparel. Can you see how selling premium quality clothing out of a poorly arranged store in a dingy part of town would negatively affect your brand? The same sentiment applies to building a website; it is your digital home and a direct reflection of your startup.

What overall message do you want your website to convey? Are there specific features that will excite your audience and therefore make you stand out? Ask yourself these questions after conducting target market research and let them shape and influence your design.

3.  Keep it orderly

A well thought out, and organized layout and structure to your website will simplify the navigation for your users. When you plan the structure with simplicity in mind, users will find it easy to use and which, believe it or not, has significant influence over their buying decisions. Functionality is the most important thing. Design your website in such a way that it is clear, for example, make sure you have a main menu that links to all your primary pages so that a visitor knows exactly where to go.

Some visitors may not want to know about your background and how he idea for your startup came about. They may see an ad on Google or Facebook, like what they say and immediately want to purchase your product or service.

Therefore, strong call to actions on your website and adverts need to be bold and clear. How should the copy on your website be displayed? Well, it isn’t as if someone is sitting down to read a novel. So, keep it concise – use bullet points, infographics and headers.

4.  Choosing the right domain for tech startups

When it comes to choosing the right domain name for tech startups, you should try to match your website’s extension to your industry or purpose.

Domain names are much more than just a web address; they tell your customers who you are and what you stand for. The good news is, there are new and emerging top-level domains that can enhance your brand campaigns.

By choosing a domain like .icu, for example, you will immediately be seen as a creative and boundary-pushing startup. With our domain extension, choosing a domain name for tech startups has never been easier.

A domain or domain extension is what comes after your businesses name on your URL such as .com or .icu.

You have two types to choose from, a local domain such as .co.uk or an international domain like .com or .icu.

Choosing a domain name that is best suited to your business should be influenced by your objectives.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both to help you find out which type will be most effective for you or your business.

Using an international domain

Due to generic international domains such as .com, .net, and .org being used by so many; search engines deeply trust them. This means that websites which use generic international domains may be easier to rank on Google.

International domains can also help to establish a more global online presence for your website. For instance, if your services are offered globally, you will want to go with an international domain because a local domain such as .co.uk may give users the impression that a website is for the UK only, which would be limiting for your business.

So, let’s look take a quick look at the pros and cons:

International domain pros

• Both users and search engines deeply trust major generic international domains such as .com
• International domains help to attract worldwide traffic to your website
• New international domains such as .icu let domain businesses or individuals be more specific with their website domain name

International domain cons

• Some generic international domains such as .biz and .info have a terrible reputation with users and Google
• With a generic international domain, it might be more challenging to target and attract a local audience

Using a local domain

While a website’s SEO ranking is usually improved through the use of an international domain, using a local domain could still prove beneficial – depending on what you intend to use it for.

As we’ve somewhat outlined above, the primary benefit of using a local domain such as .uk or .nl is targeting and attracting a local audience.

To better understand, ask yourself this:

If you are based in the UK and you are looking for leather boots online, once you have typed your search query into Google’s search bar, will you be more inclined to click on a .co.uk result, or a .com result?

You would click on the .co.uk result for several reasons; cheaper shipping, convenience etc.

So, it is no surprise that local domains are better suited for local business websites and services as opposed to international domains.

If you are catering to a specific audience, and your services apply only to a particular town or region, then it is best to go with a local domain.

For example, if you are a chiropractor that works out of a local practice, you don’t need to be targeting the whole world.

Local domain pros

• Great for targeting and attracting local business, if that is your businesses main objective.
• If a user is searching for products or services on a localised search engine, a local domain may help improve your websites search ranking.

Local domain cons

• Local domains do not have the global range that international domains do, which means your reach may be limited.
• Local domains have limited SEO capacity because they are limited to country-specific search queries.

It’s not so much a question of which is better, but more about what suits you best. We hope that clears things up because choosing a domain should be the easiest step towards building a great website that will help you stand out and be seen.

Before you start thinking about the content that will go on your site, you need to make some critical decisions.

1.        Choosing a domain name

Domain name for startups? Domain name for corporates? There’s a difference. Regarding a domain name for startups, your domain name should be a combination of your businesses name, with a domain extension that represents who you are as a company or individual.

Choosing a domain name is your first step when starting a website. It is your digital home that people will use to connect with you.

When you see .org, what do you think of? Non-profits, right? You need to bear this in mind when choosing a domain extension.

You can scan websites like GoDaddy and NameCheap for extensions, but finding one that represents your business and allows you to use the exact name you want can prove quite tricky.

At .icu, we represent startups, trailblazers and individuals who are doing authentic things in the creative and tech industry.

Say your businesses name is SmartPets, and you make AI dogs and cats that can accompany you on an afternoon stroll and make you a cup of coffee, placing your name next to an extension like .icu immediately gives people the impression that you’re joining a fast-growing community of innovators.

Get yours today.

2.        Get a business email address

Having an email address that matches your domain name and extention is crucial if you want to be taken seriously.

Why?

Using free email services does nothing for the credibility of your business. Say your name is Victoria. What looks more professional? Victoriasmartpets@gmail.com or Victoria@smartpets.icu?

Unfortunately, internet users are quite judgmental, making their mind up about a brand or business within seconds.

As a result, when you opt for a free email service, many people you communicate with will immediately be under the impression that you cannot afford $5 per month on a business email subscription.

What do you think that says about your reliability?

When people visit your site, most of them will have just found out about you, visiting for the very first time.

If they like what they see, their next step will be to get in touch with you to enquire further. If visitors see you are using a free email service, it could create doubt in their mind about your offering.

It may seem like a minor detail, but as they say “To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.”

So, if you want to build a website that can help you attract new customers and grow your business, opt for an email that matches your domain extension.

3.        Design a logo for your business

Lastly, you need to design a logo and perhaps a monogram to go with it.

By design a slick logo that also ties into the representation of your business, you will be enhancing the brand you are now starting to build.

When it comes two designing a logo, you can go about it in tow ways.

Either you hire a graphic designer, or use an online logo generator.

Let’s look at both options:

Hiring a graphic designer

This option will more than likely get you the most unique result, but it may end up being more costly.

You can expect to pay anything from 100 – 500 dollars for a good one. This depends on who you choose to work with.

This design will typically include a logo with a well-defined company name and mark. The more straightforward, the cheaper, because a logo design with intricate patterns and sophisticated typography will most certainly increase the price.

The key to keeping costs down is by being upfront and honest with the designer you choose to work with from the very beginning. Let them know exactly what you want and spend some time putting together a Pinterest board with visual references.

Using a logo generator

Logo generators allow you to create professional-looking logos without autonomously. This is usually the cheaper and less tedious option.

You won’t have to wait for a real human being and their schedule, but you won’t get a one-of-kind logo design this way either. You will, however, get a professional-looking logo that you can tweak online.

So, in short, whether it comes to a domain name for startups, an email address for your sole proprietorship, or a logo for your personal website, it’s imperative to pay attention to the details.

Use this checklist to create a website that highlights the things that make you incredible.

1.  Choose a domain extension for your personal website

The first thing to check off of your list is choosing a domain extension for your website.

Nowadays, your domain name is your brand name. They need to be the same. Therefore, domain extensions for personal websites are just as important as your product or service.

Domain extensions like .com or .org are overused, so the likelihood of you being able to use your desired name is minimal.

Our recommendation? Choose a domain extension that represents your who you are. For example, .org usually represents non-profits. Our domain extension, .icu represents innovation and creativity.

2.  Write an impactful elevator pitch

You need people to understand who you are, what you do, and what you’re looking for from the word go. This means you need to grab their attention as soon as they land on your site.

Use your home page to tell them the most important things about you. Make this conversational, but include career highlights such as who you’ve worked for/with and memorable projects you’ve worked on.

It’s important to be yourself, so don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through.

This is your elevator pitch. What are you going to say? Limit this copy; you haven’t got much time.

3.  Show them your best work

Now, hopefully, your elevator pitch will have been enough to sustain their interest. If so, the first thing they’re going to look for is examples of your work.

Treat your website as your digital portfolio. This is especially crucial for creatives, such as designers, artists, and photographers.

If you’re in marketing or business, you should use this as an opportunity to include examples of successful campaigns you’ve run, or products you’ve launched. Provide insight into some of the companies you’ve helped, and be specific on the results you achieved.

4.  Include social profiles

People want to know who you are. The more personal your website, the better.  This means including links to your socials such as your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram profiles.

Link to all your social profiles. If you appear anywhere on the web and it’ll make you more credible, mention it and provide easy access to it.

If you contribute or have contributed to any websites, link to them. Your personal site is the perfect place to bring all of this together.

5.  Provide visitors with testimonials

Testimonials are another great way to show your worth. By including quotes from colleagues you’ve worked within the past, or team leaders and ex-employers who have positive things to say about you, you will give people even more reason to hire you, use your services, or work with you on future projects.

Testimonials can help you highlight your soft skills that are somewhat difficult to demonstrate.

Having respected industry players sing your praises is one of the most effective ways of convincing someone that you’re good at what you do.

6.  Visualize yourself

Don’t make the mistake of including too much text though. This tends to bore people.

So, try to visualize yourself, your achievements, and your skillset. This can be in the form of infographics, a well-designed logo, a video and professional photographs of yourself.

This will make your personal website more engaging and aesthetically pleasing.

7.  Include a blog page

Lastly, if you’re looking for ways to boost your credibility, a great way to do this is to share thoughts or methods that relate to your industry. Doing this through a weekly (or bi-weekly) blog is your best bet.

Not only will you be producing unique and valuable content that will help build your audience, but it’s also an effective way to rank organically on search engines.

At the same time, by sharing your experiences, you could establish yourself as a thought leader in your relevant field.

For these reasons, consider adding a blog to your site and use it to talk about the challenges you face as a professional, share your opinions, or give tips to less experienced people in your industry.

Now that you’ve got the ultimate checklist for an excellent personal website use it to establish yourself as an invaluable professional, and become sought-after in your field.

.icu is now the 6th largest new domain extension in the world with over 1 million registered domains. Join our collective of trailblazers to exhibit precisely what makes you exceptional.

A few fun facts about Mayuri; She loves animals, claiming to have ‘cat-like’ reflexes (we’ll have to test this at the next domain industry event). She loves cooking, and some of her favorite foods are cookies, donuts, chocolate and ice cream.

Our customers can expect to start hearing from Mayuri immediately. She will be making sure all of our registrar partners are up to date with what’s happening at ShortDot. End users will be able to hear from her as she contributes to our blog and lets you know all about her Computer Engineering experience!

ShortDot is currently the eighth largest new domain registry in the world. They own .icu and .bond. .icu is now the sixth largest new domain extension with more than one million domain registrations. .bond was recently acquired from Bond University in Australia and will be launching very soon!