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	<title>ShortDot Registry</title>
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	<item>
		<title>How To Curb Food Waste: An Interview With Ilana Devillers</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/curb-food-waste/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/curb-food-waste/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2020 08:06:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[.icu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Testimonials]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=7142</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The key to reducing food waste lies in better planning. And food waste needs to be stopped at a household level first, then on a larger scale of supermarkets, restaurants, and society at large. A simple system put in place can go very far in reducing food waste, and that&#8217;s [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>The key to reducing food waste lies in better planning. And food waste needs to be stopped at a household level first, then on a larger scale of supermarkets, restaurants, and society at large. A simple system put in place can go very far in reducing food waste, and that&#8217;s exactly what <a href="http://F4A.icu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">F4A.icu</a> (Food4All) has done. </span></p>
<p><span>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.</span></p>
<p><span>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&#8217;s going. She also sheds light on how new businesses and startups can navigate during these rather tumultuous times. Read on! </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>1. What inspired you to start F4A.icu? Tell us the story.</h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<div id="attachment_7145" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7145" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-Curb-Food-Waste.jpg" alt="Ilana Devillers - Curb Food Waste" width="640" height="427" class="wp-image-7145 size-full" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-Curb-Food-Waste.jpg 640w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-Curb-Food-Waste-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-Curb-Food-Waste-360x240.jpg 360w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><p id="caption-attachment-7145" class="wp-caption-text">Ilana Devillers, CEO, and Founder of Food4All, is pictured at the inaugural Start-up Stories final on 18th December, 2019.</p></div>
<h3>2. What is F4A.icu? How does it work?</h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<div id="attachment_7151" style="width: 4010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7151" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/F4A-APP-2020-Curb-Food-Waste.png" alt="F4A APP 2020 - Curb Food Waste" width="4000" height="3000" class="wp-image-7151 size-full" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/F4A-APP-2020-Curb-Food-Waste.png 4000w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/F4A-APP-2020-Curb-Food-Waste-300x225.png 300w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/F4A-APP-2020-Curb-Food-Waste-1024x768.png 1024w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/F4A-APP-2020-Curb-Food-Waste-768x576.png 768w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/F4A-APP-2020-Curb-Food-Waste-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/F4A-APP-2020-Curb-Food-Waste-2048x1536.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px" /><p id="caption-attachment-7151" class="wp-caption-text">F4A App</p></div>
<h3>3. What are the best ways for households, restaurants, and supermarkets to handle food waste?</h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The most important point I would like to highlight here is </span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">awareness </span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">and</span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> education</span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">. 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 &#8211; habits and mentality -, the problem will not be solved. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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&#8217;. The newsletter offers readers simple tips and tricks on how to avoid food waste in our kitchen and at home in general.  </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<h3>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?</h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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.</span></p>
<div id="attachment_7146" style="width: 1287px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7146" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-NYC-Billboard-curb-food-waste.jpg" alt="Ilana Devillers - NYC Billboard - curb food waste" width="1277" height="852" class="wp-image-7146 size-full" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-NYC-Billboard-curb-food-waste.jpg 1277w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-NYC-Billboard-curb-food-waste-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-NYC-Billboard-curb-food-waste-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-NYC-Billboard-curb-food-waste-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ilana-Devillers-NYC-Billboard-curb-food-waste-360x240.jpg 360w" sizes="(max-width: 1277px) 100vw, 1277px" /><p id="caption-attachment-7146" class="wp-caption-text">Food4All displays in Times Square. Picture courtesy: Paperjam.lu</p></div>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">F</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true">4A 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.   </span></p>
<h3>5. What advice would you like to share with fellow business owners trying to make their business work during this pandemic?</h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">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. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">This will force you to sit back and reflect on the areas of improvement. This is necessary to move on and succeed.  </span></p>
<h3>6. What are your thoughts on the .icu domain extension? How is it helping you build a strong and unique online presence?</h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The <a href="https://ym.icu/icu/">.icu domain extension</a> is very interesting for F4A as it is a generic and an independent domain, which is greatly appreciated. The .icu domain complemented by F4A&#8217;s unique branding enables the company to benefit from a strong and fun image that differentiates itself on the market. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Building your new business with a .icu domain name! </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Visit <a href="http://www.now.icu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.now.icu</a> to search for and register your .icu domain name!</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/qr-code-curb-food-waste-150x150.png" alt="qr-code-curb-food waste" width="150" height="150" class="alignleft wp-image-7152 size-thumbnail" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/qr-code-curb-food-waste-150x150.png 150w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/qr-code-curb-food-waste-300x300.png 300w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/qr-code-curb-food-waste-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/qr-code-curb-food-waste-768x768.png 768w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/qr-code-curb-food-waste-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/qr-code-curb-food-waste-2048x2048.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></p>
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		<title>5 Ways To Use A .icu Domain Name To Build A Strong Personal Brand</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/icu-domain-name-for-your-personal-brand/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/icu-domain-name-for-your-personal-brand/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2020 13:05:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[.icu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ShortDot]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=7128</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[There was a time when personal branding was a concept relevant and reserved only for famous personalities, celebrities, CEO’s, and sports stars. Today, building a personal brand is a crucial skill every employee and working professional must diligently invest in. A personal brand enables professionals to differentiate themselves and position [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There was a time when personal branding was a concept relevant and reserved only for famous personalities, celebrities, CEO’s, and sports stars. Today, building a personal brand is a crucial skill every employee and working professional must diligently invest in. A personal brand enables professionals to differentiate themselves and position themselves as thought leaders in a niche.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h2><strong>What Is Personal Branding?</strong></h2>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>However, building a personal brand in the digital world is a lot easier than you think. All you need is the right <a href="https://www.hexonet.net/blog/optimize-your-website-and-domain-name-for-voice-search" target="_blank" rel="shortdot noreferrer noopener">domain name</a>! Now you may wonder what does a domain name have to do with building a personal brand? As it turns out, a whole lot!</p>
<h2>5 Creative Ways To Use A .icu Domain Name To Build A Strong Personal Brand</h2>
<p>Here are five creative ways to use your .icu domain name to build and augment your personal brand online:</p>
<h4><strong>1. Build A Brandable Virtual Portfolio </strong></h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>For instance, if you are a marketing professional, using your first or full name with a short and distinctive <a href="https://ym.icu/icu/">.icu domain extension</a> (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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h4><strong>2. Start A Blog </strong></h4>
<p><a href="https://ym.icu/starting-a-blog-in-lockdown/">Starting a blog</a> 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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h4><strong>3. Convert Your LinkedIn Or YouTube Profile Into A Personal Brand Channel</strong></h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h4><strong>4. Rebrand Your Existing Website</strong></h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h4><strong>5. Use A Professional Email Address</strong></h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>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.</p>
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		<title>ShortDot&#8217;s 2020 &#8211; A Look Back At A Year Full Of Milestones</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/shortdot-2020/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/shortdot-2020/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2020 23:05:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[ShortDot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[.bond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[.cyou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[.icu]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=7103</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Pandemic aside, 2020 has been quite a busy year at ShortDot. We launched a new domain extension, .cyou. We built a brand new corporate website equipped with a revolutionary domain check availability function, a dedicated registrar section, a nifty blog area, and much more. With over 6.5 million registrations, .icu [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pandemic aside, 2020 has been quite a busy year at ShortDot. We launched a new domain extension, <a href="https://ym.icu/cyou/">.cyou</a>. We built a brand new corporate website equipped with a revolutionary <a href="https://ym.icu/">domain check availability function</a>, a dedicated <a href="https://ym.icu/registrars/">registrar section</a>, a nifty <a href="https://ym.icu/blog/">blog</a> area, and much more.</p>
<p>With over <a href="https://ntldstats.com/tld/icu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">6.5 million registrations</a>, .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 <a href="https://ntldstats.com/tld/cyou" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20,000 registrations</a> in just over 90 days of its global launch.</p>
<p>We&#8217;re getting ready to end 2020 with some great promotions for #BlackFriday but here is a look back at #ShortDot2020.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ShortDot-Infographic.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="9608" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7104" /></p>
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		<title>Trademark Your Domain Name Just Like Booking.com!</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/trademark-your-domain-name/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/trademark-your-domain-name/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:21:10 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[ShortDot]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=7096</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Do you have a smart, memorable, and meaningful domain name in mind? Well, now you can trademark your domain name and make it your official brand identity! The US Supreme Court recently passed an unusual ruling deciding that “Booking.com” is eligible for a federal trademark. Why is this unusual? Because [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Do you have a smart, memorable, and meaningful domain name in mind? Well, now you can trademark your domain name and make it your official brand identity! The US Supreme Court recently passed an unusual ruling deciding that “Booking.com” is eligible for a federal trademark.</p>
<p>Why is this unusual? Because the trademark law prohibits any company or brand or individual to claim ownership of generic words or terms that describe a specific class of products by registering them under the trademark law.</p>
<p>Simply put, words like ‘cars’, ‘computers, ‘shoes’, or other generic words cannot be registered as trademarks as that would give an unfair advantage to that particular company over its competitors. For instance, anyone can name their shoe store brand &#8220;The Shoe Store,&#8221; but they can&#8217;t use the trademark law to register that name and stop others from adopting the same identity.</p>
<p>The same rule was applied almost a decade ago when online travel giant Bookings Holdings sought to trademark its booking.com domain. This time though, Booking Holdings challenged the court’s decision by proving that consumers associate the phrase &#8220;booking.com&#8221; with a specific website as opposed to a generic term for travel websites.</p>
<p>This opinion was furthered by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (and joined by seven other justices) who stated that travel companies like Expedia might describe themselves as &#8220;a booking website,&#8221; but not as &#8220;a booking.com.&#8221;</p>
<p>Booking.com’s lawyer David Bernstein said the decision was “a victory for countless brand owners that have invested significant resources in building their brands &#8211; such as Weather.com, Law.com, Wine.com, and Hotels.com.”</p>
<h2>Why You Should Choose To Trademark Your .bond Domain Name?</h2>
<p>The ‘Booking.com’ judgment is a clear indication that meaningful domain names are brand assets and should be chosen wisely. However, acquiring meaningful domain names on conventional domain extensions like .com or .net can be challenging given the sheer volume of registrations that have already been made.</p>
<p>Fortunately, new domain extensions like <a href="https://ym.icu/bond/">.bond</a> offer contextual relevance and wide availability of desirable names. The .bond domain extension is perfect for finance brands and professionals looking to build a memorable and formidable online presence.</p>
<p>For instance, a domain name like <a href="http://www.green.bond" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">green.bond</a> can be trademarked and used as your brand identity across platforms. Some amazing .bond domain names that have been registered include price.bond, bail.bond, tezos.bond, and among others.</p>
<p>Here are three reasons why you should choose to trademark your domain name:</p>
<h4><strong>1. Names with .bond are short and easy to remember</strong></h4>
<p>.bond is a short domain extension which makes for an easy to remember choice to pair your brand name with. Being a relatively new domain extension, there is a wide availability of meaningful and memorable names with .bond.</p>
<h4><strong>2. Names with .bond are distinctive and unique</strong></h4>
<p>.bond is a distinctive and unique domain extension that adds flair and ﬂamboyance to otherwise uninteresting ﬁnance website addresses and brand monikers. This is augmented by the fact that the word ‘bond’ is universally associated with authority, panache, and fiscal solutions.</p>
<h4><strong>3. Names with .bond are premium and professional</strong></h4>
<p>Anyone who comes across your .bond domain name will know right from the get-go that they are interacting with an expert. Using a .bond domain name sends strong and positive connotations to your visitors and reinforces the benefits clients will receive when working with your ﬁrm.</p>
<h2>How To Choose The Perfect Domain Name Worthy Of A Trademark?</h2>
<p>In addition to choosing a meaningful name with a distinctive .bond domain extension, here are five handy tips to keep in mind when registering a domain name worthy of a trademark:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>1. Choose a name that is short, easy to type, easy to spell, and easy to remember so that it gets imprinted in the minds of everyone who comes across it.</p>
<p>2. Pick a name that is meaningful, contextual, definitive, and one that meets SEO requirements and also passes the radio test.</p>
<p>3. Your domain name should be relevant and descriptive of what you do, which industry you belong to, and the nature of your brand.</p>
<p>4. Select a moniker that is unique, creative, innovative, and one that makes a lasting first impression.</p>
<p>5. Keep your domain name clean, crisp, and free of hyphens, misspellings, numbers, special characters, copyright issues.</p>
<h2>Trademark Your Domain Name Today!</h2>
<p>The ‘Booking.com’ judgment certainly makes it easier for brands and businesses to trademark generic terms with a domain extension. For newer brands and businesses, this verdict serves as a great opportunity to trademark generic terms with meaningful new domain extensions like .bond. For instance, names like capital.bond, fund.bond, holdings.bond, vc.bond, to name a few, are available for registrations.</p>
<p>Want to trademark your domain name? First, head over to the <a href="http://www.ym.icu">homepage</a> to search for and register the perfect .bond name today!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Expert Interview: Bill Hartzer&#8217;s Quick Guide To SEO</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/bill-hartzers-quick-guide-to-seo/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/bill-hartzers-quick-guide-to-seo/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:28:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[ShortDot]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=6937</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Marketing professionals, solopreneurs, small business owners, and even digital agencies often find themselves bewildered when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. This is because there are no set parameters to win at SEO. And since there&#8217;s no quick guide to SEO per se, we spoke with Bill Hartzer, CEO of [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Marketing professionals, solopreneurs, small business owners, and even digital agencies often find themselves bewildered when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. This is because there are no set parameters to win at SEO. And since there&#8217;s no quick guide to SEO per se, we spoke with Bill Hartzer, CEO of <a href="https://www.hartzer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hartzer Consulting</a>, and ace SEO expert, to share a short and informative lowdown on everything SEO.</p>
<p>Read on!</p>
<h3>1. How has SEO evolved in the last two decades?</h3>
<div id="attachment_6939" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6939" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Bill-Hartzer-quick-guide-to-seo.jpg" alt="Bill Hartzer - quick guide to seo" width="300" height="201" class="wp-image-6939 size-full" /><p id="caption-attachment-6939" class="wp-caption-text">Bill Hartzer</p></div>
<p>At the beginning (the late 1990s to early 2000s), the focus was more on the on-page and on-site SEO. HTML markup was necessary. Then, we saw a strong focus on off-page and off-site issues, mainly links from other websites and anchor text links that seemed to be more critical than on-site and on-page SEO.</p>
<p>Now, in the past few years, the on-page and on-site issues have been increasingly important, where sites and pages can &#8220;rank well&#8221; if the content and on-page &amp; on-site SEO is done well.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>2. Do domain names or the choice of domain extensions affect SEO? Will the new domain extensions negatively impact your SEO?</h3>
<p>Technically speaking, all domain names have the same opportunity to rank well in the search engine results pages. There is some bias when it comes to crawling and indexing, but ultimately all of the domain name extensions (TLDs) have the same opportunity for rankings and search engine visibility. When choosing a domain name, though, I prefer to have the keyword in the domain name, either in the beginning or the ending.</p>
<p>If the main keyword or topic is in the domain name and matches the content on the site, then it has a better chance of being referred to by other websites in a way that helps SEO. For example, if a website about Red Bond uses Red.bond for its domain name, other sites will refer to it and link it to the anchor text &#8220;red bond.&#8221; That ends up helping, rather than hurting, a website&#8217;s ability to rank well.</p>
<h3>3. What are the best SEO techniques for a new website?</h3>
<p>For a new website, it&#8217;s essential to focus on the site&#8217;s content, but also on the on-page SEO. The website will need some links from other quality websites, but pages can rank fairly quickly if you spend time developing quality content and optimizing the pages. For instance, <a href="https://ym.icu/starting-a-blog-in-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">starting a blog</a> for your website would surely help with SEO.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>From an SEO standpoint, are there any hidden or indirect advantages of choosing a name with a new domain extension?</h3>
<p>I wouldn&#8217;t necessarily say that there is a hidden or indirect advantage of choosing a domain name with a new domain name extension. However, if you can use an on-topic keyword-rich domain name in a new extension (new TLD), it&#8217;s preferred over one that doesn&#8217;t have a keyword in the domain name.</p>
<h3>4. What best practices or tips would you suggest to anyone who wants to migrate their website from one domain name to another without losing much SEO value?</h3>
<p>When migrating a website from one domain name to another, ideally, it&#8217;s preferred to take some time to do it. Initially, the new domain name would be, at a minimum, a microsite, a website on the same topic as the website that&#8217;s being moved. Give it time to get the microsite crawled and indexed in the search engines. Get some links to it and verify the website in Google Search Console.</p>
<p>Once you&#8217;re comfortable that the microsite is indexed, usually a month or two, proceed to move the content over to the microsite. Set up 301 Permanent Redirects from the old website URLs to the new pages on the new domain name. Use the Change of Address tool in Google Search Console to tell them you&#8217;ve moved from one domain name to the new domain name.</p>
<p>Then, update any links that you have control over, such as social media profiles and other website listings.</p>
<h3>5. How does having a sitemap help with SEO?</h3>
<p>There are two types of sitemaps, an HTML sitemap, and an XML sitemap. The HTML sitemap can be helpful for users if it doesn&#8217;t have too many links as it tends to get unusable if it contains more than about 50 links on the page. If there are important pages that you need to keep indexed and if it&#8217;s a large website, you may want to include those critical pages in the HTML sitemap.</p>
<p>An XML sitemap file, and potentially multiple XML sitemap files are important—to make sure that the search engines can find and crawl all of the pages on your website. While having an XML sitemap won&#8217;t help rankings directly, it can indirectly help, as it ensures that all of your pages are index.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote><p>Want to register a keyword-rich domain name that will help with SEO? Search for and register short, meaningful, and memorable names with <a href="http://www.now.icu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">.icu</a>, <a href="http://www.we.cyou" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">.cyou</a>, and <a href="http://www.get.bond" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">.bond</a>!</p></blockquote>
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		<title>3 Reasons To Register Your Perfect Domain Name With .cyou</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/reasons-to-choose-cyou-domain-name/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/reasons-to-choose-cyou-domain-name/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2020 07:05:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[.cyou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domain Names]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=1080</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Let&#8217;s face it, the key to winning at online branding is to pick an identity that is memorable and meaningful. This starts with choosing the right domain name. What you ideally need is a smart, slick name on a cool new domain extension that catches the attention of anyone who [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let&#8217;s face it, the key to winning at online branding is to pick an identity that is memorable and meaningful. This starts with choosing the right domain name.</p>
<p>What you ideally need is a smart, slick name on a cool new domain extension that catches the attention of anyone who comes across it. And the best way to do that is to pick the name of your choice with a cool new .cyou domain extension.</p>
<p>With most brands, businesses, and individuals settling for weird or awkward domain names that lack context, a name on a fresh new domain extension like .cyou can do wonders for building your brand on the Internet.</p>
<h2>What Is .cyou?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.nic.cyou/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">.cyou</a>, short for ‘See You’, is an uber-cool new domain extension from the house of<a href="https://www.ym.icu/"> ShortDot</a> crafted for savvy individuals, Generation Z, and innovative brands. The .cyou domain extension is perfect for today’s digital natives who embrace modern social media and for those who are changing the rules with their innovative work-ethics.</p>
<h2>When Will .cyou Launch?</h2>
<p>While .cyou’s Sunrise Period for <a href="https://ym.icu/cyou/cyou-is-launching-for-trademark-holders/">trademark holders</a> is going strong since May 14th, the .cyou domain will be launched for the general public from June 16th, 2020 preceded by a seven-day <a href="https://ym.icu/cyou/cyou-domain-eap-launch/">Early Access Program</a>.</p>
<p>The .cyou domain extension will be available with most leading <a href="https://ym.icu/registrars/">registrars</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Key points</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>.cyou is an open extension without any registration requirements.</li>
<li>Sunrise Period begins on May 14th and ends on June 15th, 2020 (UTC 1400).</li>
<li>Early Access Program starts on June 16th and will last until June 23rd (UTC 1400)</li>
<li>General Availability beings on June 16th, 2020 (UTC 1400)</li>
</ul>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/banner-cyou-domain-name.jpg" alt="banner - cyou domain name" width="1200" height="240" class="aligncenter wp-image-1083 size-full" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/banner-cyou-domain-name.jpg 1200w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/banner-cyou-domain-name-300x60.jpg 300w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/banner-cyou-domain-name-1024x205.jpg 1024w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/banner-cyou-domain-name-768x154.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<h2>Who Is .cyou For?</h2>
<p>The .cyou domain is cleverly positioned as a unique new domain extension for today’s generation of creative individuals and innovative brands looking to build a strong online presence. The .cyou domain extension is also well-suited for businesses looking to reinvent themselves and appeal to younger audience groups.</p>
<p>With .cyou, creative individuals of Gen Z have the chance to sport highly brandable identities that will help them build a strong personal brand and to monetize their talents. The agnostic nature of .cyou means any brand or individual from any industry in any part of the world can use it to denote their online presence.</p>
<h2>5 Best Practices To Find The Perfect Domain Name</h2>
<p>Before you begin brainstorming and hunting for the perfect .cyou name, it is essential to first understand the prerequisites of a perfect domain name. Simply put, your domain name needs to represent what you do and what your website or brand is about.</p>
<p>Added to that, your domain name should also be one that stands out and gets etched in the minds of anyone who comes across it.</p>
<p>Here are 5 best practices to find a great domain name. Find a name that is:</p>
<p>1. Short, easy to type, easy to spell, and easy to remember so that it gets imprinted in the minds of people</p>
<p>2. Meaningful, contextual, and definitive to meet SEO requirements and to pass the radio test</p>
<p>3. Relevant and descriptive of what you do, which industry you belong to, and the nature of your brand</p>
<p>4. Unique, creative, and innovative in nature to ensure it makes a great first impression</p>
<p>5. Clean, crisp, and free of hyphens, misspellings, numbers, special characters, copyright issues</p>
<h1>3 Reasons To Choose A Domain Name With .cyou</h1>
<p>There are several benefits of choosing an identity with a fresh new .cyou domain extension. Here are three reasons why you should consider picking a name with the .cyou domain extension.</p>
<h4>1. Wide Availability Of Names</h4>
<p>Being a brand new domain extension .cyou offers a fresh pool of available words and names that are not easily available with any other domain extension. The probability of finding the name of your choice or an exact match brand name with .cyou is very high.</p>
<h4>2. Meaningful And Memorable Names</h4>
<p>The easy availability of names with .cyou means you have the option to register truly meaningful, contextually-rich keywords and names that make for memorable identities.</p>
<h4>3. Easy To Build A Strong Brand With</h4>
<p>The easy availability of meaningful and memorable identities, that are keyword-rich and contextually relevant, makes the .cyou domain extension a brilliant choice to build a strong brand with.</p>
<p>With .cyou, you don’t have to compromise on your domain name by settling for something that isn’t your first choice.</p>
<h2>How To Name Your Website With .cyou</h2>
<p>Here are a few effective ways to pick a smart name with the .cyou domain extension:</p>
<ul>
<li><span> </span>BusinessName.cyou (e.g. www.watchfinder.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>BrandName.cyou (e.g. www.jumper.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>IndustryNiche.cyou (e.g. www.winterwear.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>ProductName.cyou (e.g. www.crewneck.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>ServiceName.cyou (e.g. www.homedelivery.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>Product+Geo.cyou (e.g. www.londonshirts.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>MarketingMessage.cyou (e.g. www.buysmart.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>Catchphrase.cyou (e.g. www.seeyouwhenwe.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>FirstName.cyou (e.g. www.brad.cyou)</li>
<li><span> </span>FullName.cyou (e.g. www.charliebrown.cyou)</li>
</ul>
<h2>In Conclusion</h2>
<p>If you’ve been waiting to register a meaningful and memorable name with a relevant new domain extension, then the .cyou domain is definitely one to consider. Whether you want to reach new audiences or build your brand from scratch, the .cyou domain will help you unlock a world of marketing opportunities.</p>
<p>Search for and register your .cyou domain name today!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>10 Actionable Steps To Building A Great Small Business Website</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/small-business-website/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/small-business-website/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2020 07:35:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[.cyou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Website]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=963</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[There was a time when a small business didn’t need a website or even an online presence. But those days are long gone, especially since small businesses started thriving on the Internet. This is further supplemented by COVID-19 that has reinforced the need for better online infrastructure to meet people’s [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There was a time when a small business didn’t need a website or even an online presence. But those days are long gone, especially since small businesses started thriving on the Internet. This is further supplemented by COVID-19 that has reinforced the need for better online infrastructure to meet people’s needs and requirements efficiently. This is why it&#8217;s a great time to build a small business website and breathe life into your business idea.</p>
<p>Building a great small business website is an easy activity, one that you can even do by yourself! However, you can elect to hire either freelance website developers or a full-time team of developers as per your requirements. Usually, a small business website does not require constant updates or maintenance and so relying on freelancers or building the website yourself is the best way to go.</p>
<p>Are you ready to build a great small business website? Here are 10 key steps to getting started with building your small business website and making it an all-out success.</p>
<h2>10 Actionable Steps To Building A Great Small Business Website</h2>
<h3>1. Choose A Great Domain Name</h3>
<p>Your domain name, or your website address, is the first touchpoint to your website. It is important to make a strong and memorable first impression in the minds of everyone who comes across it. Remember, your website address will be published on all your marketing messages across platforms.</p>
<p>While a good domain name will get you website visits, a great domain name will establish you as a brand. For instance, a name with the <a href="https://ym.icu/cyou/perfect-domain-name-with-cyou/">.cyou domain</a> is an effective way to get your small business to stand out from the crowd before anyone even visits your website.</p>
<p>Having said that, here are 7 handy tips for choosing a great domain name:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong> </strong><strong>Make it easy to spell, remember, and understand.</strong> Your domain name needs to be meaningful, catchy, and have some contextual relevance.</li>
<li><strong> </strong><strong>Keep it short and memorable.</strong> The shorter your domain name, the easier it will be to remember and type it into a website browser.</li>
<li><strong> </strong><strong>Avoid using hyphens, numbers, misspellings, and special characters.</strong> Your domain name should be easy to understand when someone hears it for the first time. Avoid including any complications that will hamper the memorability of your website address.</li>
<li><strong> </strong><strong>Use a cool new domain extension.</strong> Apart from the fact that the name of your choice will be hard to acquire on a conventional domain extension, using a new domain extension like .cyou will help you stand out from the crowd and build a strong online brand.</li>
<li><strong> </strong><strong>Choose a broad domain name that accommodates future growth of your business.</strong> A name like www.apparel.cyou is much broader in its meaning as compared to www.buyshirts.cyou since it allows you to sell all kinds of clothing and retail objects.</li>
<li><strong> </strong><strong>Verify for trademarks and copyrights.</strong> Research the name of your choice to check if it doesn’t infringe on any brand or business’s trademarks. You can search on <a href="https://www.uspto.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USPTO.gov</a> to check for existing patents, trademarks, and copyrights.</li>
<li><strong> </strong><strong>Craft a domain name that has SEO value.</strong> Try to pick a domain name that is keyword-rich and one that can attract backlinks on valuable anchor texts. Location and description-based domains offer good SEO value. For instance, www.LondonApparel.cyou or www.SyndeySurferCoach.cyou.</li>
</ol>
<h3>2. Purchase Secure and Scalable Website Hosting</h3>
<p>The next step is to purchase the services of a secure, supportive, and scalable website hosting provider. A hosting provider is a company that offers the technology and services needed for your website to function properly and for it to be viewed by people on the Internet. Website hosting can cost anywhere between $2 and over $1000.</p>
<p>The cost depends on which hosting plan you select and the duration for which you make your purchase. Usually, yearly hosting plans cost a tad lesser than monthly plans.</p>
<p>Here are three broad hosting plans that you can use for your small business website:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Shared Server:</strong> As the name suggests, this is a shared hosting plan that costs relatively lesser but has its share of downsides. Shared hosting means your small business website will share a server with the hosting provider’s other clients. This will surely hamper your website’s performance. Also, if one of the other websites is hacked on your server, there’s a good chance your website will be exposed to the threat as well.</li>
<li><strong>Dedicated Server:</strong> This is the most expensive hosting option since it ensures the safety and performance of your website. Having a dedicated server plan means that an entire physical server machine is dedicated to your site. This <em>exclusivity</em> comes at a price; one that most small businesses are usually not looking to pay. Also, you might find it a bit too much for your small business website; unless you are experiencing vast volumes of traffic.</li>
<li><strong>Virtual Private Server (VPS):</strong> This hosting plan is well-suited for your small business website since it offers the best of both worlds. The costs for a VPS server are nominal and it offers the combined benefits of both the plans mentioned above. A VPS machine is designed in a way to offer the affordability of shared hosting and the security and performance potential of a dedicated server hosting plan.</li>
</ol>
<p>A few tips to keep in mind when choosing your hosting plan provider:</p>
<ol>
<li>Make sure your provider offers 24/7 phone or chat support.</li>
<li>Pick a provider who offers an easy-to-use server interface panel.</li>
<li>Check the server security standards and levels of maintenance and if you can install SSL certificates with ease.</li>
</ol>
<p>Some popular website hosting companies include:</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.godaddy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoDaddy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dreamhost.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DreamHost</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bluehost.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bluehost</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.inmotionhosting.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">InMotion</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.siteground.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SiteGround</a></li>
</ol>
<h3>3. Clearly Communicate What Your Business Is About</h3>
<p>When people land on your homepage it is important to let them know who you are and what you do. This is critical because you don’t want your potential customers to be confused when they first visit your small business website.</p>
<p>Include an attractive hero image or homepage banner with a blurb of text that serves as a clear messaging to describe the nature of your business.</p>
<p>Also, do mention your ‘About Us’ page, ‘Contact Us’ page, and social media handles in the footer and the header (if possible) of your website. Make it easy for people to learn about you, reach you, and engage with you.</p>
<h3>4. Get A Professional Email Address</h3>
<p>To make your small business look like the professional outfit that it is, you should get a professional email address and feature it on your ‘Contact Us’ page and the footer of your website.</p>
<p>For instance, john@apparel.cyou sounds far more professional than john.apparel@gmail.com. A personalized email address that has your business’s domain name instantly establishes your small business as a professional entity.</p>
<p>Getting a professional email address is easy. Once you get your small business website name with .cyou, you can simply use <a href="https://gsuite.google.com/intl/en/products/gmail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">G Suite</a> from Google to create your professional email address.</p>
<h3>5. Use A Strong Content Management System (CMS)</h3>
<p>Depending on your budget, business type, and overall business goals, it is advisable to use a strong and reliable content management system. CMS is a software tool or application that is used to create and manage digital content. <a href="https://altar.io/what-the-non-technical-entrepreneur-needs-to-know-about-tech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You don’t need a programming or software background</a> to use CMS.</p>
<p>Here is a list of five top CMS tools that you can use for your small business website:</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WordPress</a> is the most popular CMS platform since it offers numerous useful plugins, a large support community, and an easy to use interface.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drupal</a> is also a very popular CMS platform that offers the same benefits of WordPress, although it is slated to have better security.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.joomla.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joomla</a> offers better SEO parameters and multilingual capabilities as compared to WordPress, however, the latter trumps Joomla given its vast array of plugins.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.squarespace.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Squarespace</a> is a complete website builder that offers a ‘drag and drop’ user experience, domain names, hosting support, SSL security, CMS, and more in one complete package.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wix</a> is similar to Squarespace but it offers a better and more user-friendly experience.</li>
</ol>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/memes-23.jpg" alt="Small Business Website" width="1080" height="1080" class="aligncenter wp-image-965 size-full" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/memes-23.jpg 1080w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/memes-23-300x300.jpg 300w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/memes-23-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/memes-23-150x150.jpg 150w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/memes-23-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /></p>
<h3>6. Choose The Right eCommerce Builder</h3>
<p>If your small business website is intended to sell products, then you should consider building your online store with the right eCommerce platform. If you want your website to showcase products, display reviews, suggest similar products, support payment, track orders, and do more, then you need a dynamic eCommerce platform to help build your small business website into a full-fledged online store.</p>
<p>Here is a list of four proven eCommerce builders:</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://woocommerce.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WooCommerce</a>: This is a leading eCommerce website builder that converts WordPress websites into an eCommerce store. WooCommerce also offers numerous free and premium website themes and a host of nifty plugins like WordPress.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.shopify.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shopify</a>: This is a standalone platform that allows you to build a full-fledged eCommerce website and allows you to manage inventory, products, payments, shipping, discount codes, and more.  With Shopify, you do not need a software developer since all the technical details are already set up in the backend when you subscribe.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.shopify.com/plus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shopify Plus</a>: This offers higher levels of customization along with international eCommerce options along with a higher level of support.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.prestashop.com/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PrestaShop</a>: This is a freemium, open-source eCommerce solution that allows you to create your own online store. It is currently being used by over 300,000 businesses.</li>
</ol>
<h3>7. Create A Beautiful Website Design</h3>
<p>Your small business website must leave a strong first impression on people. The design should be seamless and responsive across device types and it should get people to come back to your website.</p>
<p>Follow the suggestions mentioned below to create a stellar website design:</p>
<ol>
<li>Use high-quality images and maintain a standard easy to read typography across all pages</li>
<li>Ensure the speed of your website is optimized and reduce the size of any code or multimedia content that is hampering the performance of your website.</li>
<li>Study what other small business websites like yours are doing. What design components, themes, fonts, etc. are they using to improve the design and performance of their website.</li>
<li>Understand your audience and include elements and pick a design theme that will appeal to them.</li>
<li>Establish a brand theme and stick to that throughout the website. Your brand theme will include, brand colors, tone of voice, font styles, image styles, among other parameters.</li>
<li>Design your user’s journey and a logical navigation sequence to ensure that you offer the best user experience.</li>
<li>Mention your contact information on the footer of all your pages so people can easily reach you.</li>
<li>Include call-to-action buttons (like ‘buy now’ or ‘sign up now’) in an eye-catching design that people can easily click on.</li>
</ol>
<p>Create pages that are standard for a small business website:</p>
<ol>
<li>Home</li>
<li>Contact Us</li>
<li>About Us</li>
<li>Product or Services</li>
<li>Sitemap</li>
<li>Privacy Policy</li>
<li>Terms and Conditions</li>
</ol>
<h3>8. Make Your Small Business Website SEO-Friendly</h3>
<p>To make your small business website a success, you need to optimize it for search engines. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a set of guidelines or best practices that will enable search engines like Google crawl and index your website so that it appears on their search result pages when someone searches for a particular set of keywords.</p>
<p>The better your website design and content, the higher your website will rank on search queries for those keywords. Broadly speaking, here’s what SEO includes:</p>
<ol>
<li>Keyword research</li>
<li>Optimal website code</li>
<li>Fast website loading speed</li>
<li>Having an SSL Certification</li>
<li>Responsive website design</li>
<li>High-quality backlinks</li>
<li>Relevant internal links</li>
<li>Linking to your social media handles</li>
</ol>
<p>SEO makes a world of a difference for businesses that want to do well, out-perform their competition, and drive tons of traffic for a fraction of the cost of any paid marketing campaigns.</p>
<h3>9. Consistently Publish High-Quality Content</h3>
<p>A great way to enhance your SEO score is by <a href="https://ym.icu/icu/starting-a-blog-in-lockdown/">starting a blog</a> and publishing meaningful content packed with relevant long-tail keywords that you want your website to rank for.</p>
<p>However, content can also include publishing videos, infographics, images, podcasts, and more. The idea is to publish good quality content on a regular basis with the right keywords and then promote that content so as to get more people to visit your website.</p>
<p>Write value drive blog posts, feature customer testimonials, do guest posts, interview industry experts. There are numerous ways to publish fresh content that will get people to visit your website and engage with it.</p>
<p>Doing this will help you get quality backlinks and in turn, give search engines a positive sign about the authenticity of your website. Make sure your content uses an appropriate brand tone that people enjoy reading.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>10. Install Website Analytics</h3>
<p>Install <a href="https://analytics.google.com/analytics/web/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google Analytics</a>, <a href="https://search.google.com/search-console/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google Search Console</a>, and <a href="https://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bing Webmaster Tools</a> to help you analyze traffic and ensure that all parameters of your website are working perfectly. These tools will help you track the following information:</p>
<ol>
<li>Daily, weekly, monthly, annual visitors to your website</li>
<li>Total number of views for each website page</li>
<li>Bounce rate, or the percentage of users who left your website abruptly</li>
<li>Average time spent on the website and on each page by users</li>
<li>Crawl errors on the pages of your website</li>
<li>Broken links</li>
<li>High performing keywords that got users to your website</li>
<li>Backlinks to your website</li>
<li>More such information to optimize your website for SEO and plan the next steps with ease</li>
</ol>
<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>While creating a small business website can seem like a herculean task, it isn’t actually the case. By following the steps mentioned above, you can prioritize tasks, create a plan of action, and simply start!</p>
<p>Be sure to choose the right domain name for your small business website and do explore name options on a brand-new .cyou extension. The .cyou domain launches on June 16<sup>th</sup> with a special<a href="https://ym.icu/cyou/cyou-domain-eap-launch/"> Early Access Program</a> which means you can buy the name of your choice by paying a small access fee.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>A Tourism Expert Shares Insights On Starting A Travel Business</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/tourism/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/tourism/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2020 07:33:59 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[.cyou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Testimonials]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=956</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The global tourism industry has most definitely taken a massive hit due to the sudden and rather violent outbreak of COVID-19. But as things gradually start going back to normal and countries open up their borders, the tourism industry is slated to make a strong comeback. We spoke with Pia [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The global tourism industry has most definitely taken a massive hit due to the sudden and rather violent outbreak of COVID-19. But as things gradually start going back to normal and countries open up their borders, the tourism industry is slated to make a strong comeback.</p>
<p>We spoke with Pia Jensen, the founder of <a href="https://italiantours.tours/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Italian Tours</a>, a specialist tourism company that offers personalized travel plans and promises its clients a great time, to share her experience of starting a tourism brand.</p>
<p>Pia also shared valuable insights for newbie tourism entrepreneurs along with some of her most memorable experiences as well as her thoughts on why she chose the .cyou domain for her new tourism brand. Read on!</p>
<h3>1. What inspired you to start Italian Tours? Tell us your story.</h3>
<div id="attachment_959" style="width: 256px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-959" class="wp-image-959 size-medium" height="300" width="246" alt="" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pia-Jensen-the-Founder-of-Italian-Tours-246x300.jpg" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pia-Jensen-the-Founder-of-Italian-Tours-246x300.jpg 246w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pia-Jensen-the-Founder-of-Italian-Tours-839x1024.jpg 839w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pia-Jensen-the-Founder-of-Italian-Tours-768x938.jpg 768w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pia-Jensen-the-Founder-of-Italian-Tours.jpg 1072w" sizes="(max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px" /><p id="caption-attachment-959" class="wp-caption-text">Pia Jensen, the Founder of Italian Tours</p></div>
<p>I have been in the tourism business for many years, having worked for several different tour operators. From 2006 until 2015, I was a partner at another company, but finally, in 2015 I decided to start Italian Tours on my own.</p>
<p>I must admit, I love my job and I love Italy. Italy is such an amazing place! There are so many fantastic experiences to be had here – good food and wine, history, geography, art, and sport.</p>
<p>My clients inspired me to start my own tourism business because when I would tell them about Italy, they would always say to me “you have so much enthusiasm and passion for Italy and for what you do, it’s amazing!”.</p>
<p>As a Danish person I always tell the Italian people to love Italy as much as I do. Italy is such a beautiful and fantastic place and not everyone is lucky enough to live in such a wonderful and scenic country.</p>
<p>As we have worked with so many sports groups from all over the world, we decided to start a new brand called Italian Sports Tours (<a href="https://ist.cyou/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.ist.cyou</a>).</p>
<p>The idea behind this is to focus completely on sport-related tours and activities because there are so many groups of people coming from America, South Africa, and other countries to Italy for indulging in sports.</p>
<h3>2. Could you highlight any three facets that make Italian Tours unique from other tourism businesses?</h3>
<p>We are an international team of veterans who’ve all been in the tourism business for many years. As numerous tourists come from America, Canada, or South Africa, there is a need for tourism experts who speak perfect English.</p>
<p>We also make sure that once international tourists arrive in Italy, they are in good hands and have people with them that can not only speak English but also those who will go that extra mile to ensure every client has a great time.</p>
<p>We ensure that every tourist or every group can reach us at any time of the day or night and we personally make sure that the client enjoys every minute of their visit to Italy.</p>
<h3>3. If you could give three key pieces of advice to younger tourism and travel entrepreneurs, what would they be?</h3>
<p>To work in the travel businesses is lovely and we are very lucky we get to know people from all over the world.</p>
<p>My first tip would be to be passionate. You need to love what you do (I think that is relevant for most of the jobs) because then you do it a lot better and the clients can feel that.</p>
<p>Secondly, it’s essential to directly get in contact with your clients and to visit the tourist hotspots personally. I started as a tour manager which was good because that meant I was in direct contact with clients. Also, I got to visit all the tourist places and that helped me understand those places a lot better.</p>
<p>Thirdly, always remember to maintain a healthy relationship with your suppliers because they also contribute towards making your clients happy.</p>
<h3>4. You’ve just redesigned your website (and it looks great!). What prompted you to take that decision?</h3>
<p>Thank you! The future is on the Internet and since we are expanding our business, having a strong online presence will help us reach more people and onboard more clients from the US and other countries. Having a great website is a good way to be seen.</p>
<h3>5. What has been the most memorable experience of running your own business?</h3>
<p>Oh, I have so many! The most memorable ones are when our clients come back to us with “We had such a great trip!” or “This was the most amazing tour we’ve been on!” or “We are definitely coming back next year!”.</p>
<p>Last year we did a sporting event with nearly 1000 people and that was a very memorable experience. I have also been working with Tottenham Hotspur where we organized a summer camp last year. Tottenham sent their professional coaches and the fact that they were in the finals of Champions League made the event even more exciting.</p>
<h3>6. What are your future plans for Italian Tours?</h3>
<p>Just like our expansion to sport-related tours, our plan is to grow and spread our presence into other facets of Italian Tourism. In fact, we are already in the planning stage of introducing another brand, Italian Music Tours.</p>
<h3>7. Why did you choose a .cyou domain for your new website? What are your thoughts on the .cyou domain?</h3>
<p>I think the <a href="https://ym.icu/cyou/cyou-domain-eap-launch/">.cyou domain</a> is great since it’s easy to remember and very appealing. But moreover, it’s a fresh new domain and I think it’s very chic. I really do like it. This is why I think it will be a big success and in fact, I will actually ask ShortDot to register www.imt.cyou for our Italian Music Tours brand.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>How To Choose The Perfect Domain Name For Your Website With .cyou</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/perfect-domain-name-with-cyou/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/perfect-domain-name-with-cyou/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2020 13:29:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[.cyou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domain Names]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=952</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Choosing the perfect domain name for your website is a very critical decision since it serves as a valuable marketing asset. Not only will your domain name be associated with your website for a long time, but it will play an essential role in your brand’s growth story. With hundreds [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Choosing the perfect domain name for your website is a very critical decision since it serves as a valuable marketing asset.</p>
<p>Not only will your domain name be associated with your website for a long time, but it will play an essential role in your brand’s growth story.</p>
<p>With hundreds of new domain extensions now available, you don’t have to compromise on your name choices and settle for something that is hard to spell or awkward to share with others.</p>
<p>However, finding the perfect domain name for your website involves searching for an identity that not only captures the essence of your brand but also helps you stand out from the crowd.</p>
<p>It’s safe to say then, that what you actually need is a domain name with the .cyou extension.</p>
<h2><strong>What Is .cyou?</strong></h2>
<p>.cyou, short for “See You”, is an uber-cool new domain extension crafted for today’s savvy digital natives who embrace modern social media.</p>
<p>If you are a creative individual looking to monetize your passions or if you are starting a new innovative brand, then the .cyou domain extension will make for a perfect fit.</p>
<h2><strong>When Does .cyou Launch?</strong></h2>
<p>If you are a <a href="https://ym.icu/cyou/cyou-is-launching-for-trademark-holders/">trademark holder</a> then you’ll be happy to know that .cyou is already available with select <a href="https://ym.icu/registrars/">registrars</a>. The .cyou Sunrise started on May 14<sup>th</sup> and is slated to last till June 15<sup>th</sup>, 2020.</p>
<p>That said, the .cyou domain will be released to the general public from 16<sup>th</sup> June 2020 along with an Early Access Program for the first seven days.</p>
<p><strong>Key points</strong></p>
<ul>
<li> <span> </span><span></span>.cyou is an open extension without any registration requirements.</li>
<li> <span> </span><span></span>Sunrise Period begins on May 14th and ends on June 15<sup>th</sup>, 2020 (UTC 1400).</li>
<li> <span> </span><span></span>General Availability beings on June 16<sup>th</sup>, 2020 (UTC 1400)</li>
<li> <span> </span><span></span>EAP starts on June 16<sup>th<span> </span></sup>and will last until June 23<sup>rd</sup><span> </span>(UTC 1400)</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>What Is The Early Access Program?</strong></h2>
<p>During the first seven days of General Availability, the .cyou domain will be available for registration with an added Access Fee.</p>
<p>This Access Fee will be added to the registration price of every .cyou domain during the seven-day period. The access fee will be reduced each day until June 23<sup>rd</sup>. After that .cyou domains will be available at their standard, or premium, registration fees.</p>
<p>EAP will make more desirable names available to those willing to pay to jump the line and register their preferred domain name ending with .cyou.</p>
<h2><strong>How To Choose The Perfect Domain Name With .cyou</strong><strong> </strong></h2>
<p>Names with .cyou make for tasteful choices. And the fact that .cyou is agnostic of geography, language, and industry makes it a supremely brandable choice. Having said that, here’s how you can choose the perfect domain name for your website with .cyou.</p>
<h3><strong>1. Keep It Simple, Short, And Smart</strong></h3>
<p>The key to winning at branding is to choose a simple name that is short and smart. What you need is a name that is easy to spell, easy to read, and easy to remember. Ideally, avoid picking names that are misspellings or have special characters and numbers.</p>
<p>Being a fresh new domain extension, you can easily find a short domain name with .cyou. For instance, if your retail brand is called The Shirt Treatment, simply get www.shirt.cyou. Its short, simple, smart, and far more memorable as compared to something like www.the-shirt-treatmentstore.com.</p>
<p>Anyone who comes across www.shirt.cyou will recall it for a long time.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Use The Same Name As Your Brand</strong></h3>
<p>If you’ve already taken the time to carefully curate and craft an intuitive brand name, then it&#8217;s wise to stick to the same domain name! With .cyou, you will be able to find your trademarks and name ideas without much difficulty.</p>
<p>You won’t need to tweak your brand name or trademarks and settle for something that wasn’t your first choice.</p>
<p>For instance, if your travel blog is called One Mile At A Time (OMAAT), you can opt for www.onemile.cyou or it’s abbreviation www.omaat.cyou! No need to include special character or numbers and clutter your domain name.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Pass The Radio Test</strong></h3>
<p>The most definitive sign of a great domain name is if it passes the radio test with flying colors. The radio test is one of the most effective ways to check if people can spell and understand your domain name when they hear it for the first time.</p>
<p>For instance, if you are mentioning your website address on a podcast or if you are networking with someone at a noisy event and they ask you about where they can see your work or connect with your brand, the domain name that you tell them should be easily understood by them. A domain name like www.100-t-shirtdesigns.com will not do well.</p>
<p>Whereas, www.shirtdesigns.cyou will not only pass the radio test, but it will imprint your domain name in the minds of whoever comes across it.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Explore Name Ideas With Online Tools</strong></h3>
<p>A great way to brainstorm for name ideas is to take help from various available online tools There are numerous name generator tools that will help you to search for the perfect domain name ideas.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.visualthesaurus.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visual Thesaurus</a><span>,</span> <a href="https://namelix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Namelix</a><span>, and </span><a href="http://www.naminum.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Naminum</a><span>, among others, are effective tools </span>that will help you find the perfect domain name and online identity by adding a creative twist. With the help of these online tools, you can shortlist name ideas to pick from.</p>
<h3><strong>5. Verify All Trademarks And Copyrights</strong></h3>
<p>Trademark holders aside, it’s imperative for everyone to check if their perfect domain name idea does not infringe on any trademarks or copyrights. Doing this will protect you from getting entangled in legal tussles.</p>
<p>An interesting example of trademark infringement was when Canadian Student, Mike Rowe decided to opt for www.MikeRoweSoft.com to denote his part-time business website. Tech giant Microsoft argued that this was trademark infringement because of the phonetic resemblance between &#8220;Microsoft&#8221; and &#8220;MikeRoweSoft&#8221;.</p>
<p>Microsoft further demanded that the website be taken down immediately. Eventually, an amicable settlement was made between Microsoft and Mike Rowe.</p>
<p>While this case ended in a rather harmonious manner, everyone might not be so lucky. It is advisable to double-check all trademarks and copyrights to ensure that your name idea is not conflicting in any way with another party’s trademarks.</p>
<h2><strong>Final Thoughts</strong></h2>
<p>Finding the perfect domain name for your website is not as hard as it is often made out to be. In fact, it is quite simple and hassle-free, especially with all the insights and information you have now. With .cyou&#8217;s EAP, you can get the perfect domain name for your website. This is your chance to pick a short and brandable name on a striking new domain extension.</p>
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		<title>Your Complete Guide On Starting A Blog In Lockdown!</title>
		<link>https://ym.icu/starting-a-blog-in-lockdown/</link>
					<comments>https://ym.icu/starting-a-blog-in-lockdown/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eshan Pancholi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2020 09:04:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[.icu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Content Marketing]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ym.icu/?p=938</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The adage, &#8220;There&#8217;s no time like the present,&#8221; is perfectly applicable in current times where everyone has some extra time on their hands for starting a blog. As the world braces itself for a fight with the pandemic, this is an excellent time to stay indoors and finally start that [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The adage, <em>&#8220;There&#8217;s no time like the present,&#8221;</em> is perfectly applicable in current times where everyone has some extra time on their hands for starting a blog. As the world braces itself for a fight with the pandemic, this is an excellent time to stay indoors and finally start that blog you&#8217;ve always had in mind.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Here are five benefits of starting a blog.</p>
<h2>5 Benefits Of Starting A Blog</h2>
<h4>1. Boost SEO</h4>
<p>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&#8217;s SEO and to drive organic traffic.</p>
<h4>2. Build Authority</h4>
<p>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&#8217;s no stopping your blog from being the &#8216;go-to&#8217; resource center for topics of interest in your industry.</p>
<h4>3. Drive Conversions</h4>
<p>Higher traffic to your website means more people will read your informative content and browse through your website&#8217;s pages. This results in higher conversion rates, meaning more people will be buying your products or completing actions on your site.</p>
<h4>4. Better Engagement</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<h4>5. Build Loyalty and Credibility</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<h2>Tips For Starting A Blog In Lockdown</h2>
<p>Given the fantastic benefits of starting a blog, here are six tips to help you get started.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/starting-a-blog.png" alt="Tips For Starting a blog" width="1920" height="1280" class="aligncenter wp-image-950 size-full" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/starting-a-blog.png 1920w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/starting-a-blog-300x200.png 300w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/starting-a-blog-1024x683.png 1024w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/starting-a-blog-768x512.png 768w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/starting-a-blog-1536x1024.png 1536w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/starting-a-blog-360x240.png 360w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
<h4>1. Pick Your Niche</h4>
<p>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&#8217;s best to stick to the same industry and delve into obvious topics of interest. If you are starting a new blog, then it&#8217;s advisable to first identify your expertise and blog about that.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s essential to be specific, even in a niche. For instance, technology may be a niche, but it&#8217;s a vast industry that has numerous subtopics like software development, programming languages, smartphones, laptops, and more. It&#8217;s best to be specific in a niche and blog about only that.</p>
<p>There are two things to keep in mind when picking your niche:</p>
<ul>
<li>It shouldn&#8217;t already be saturated with valuable pre-existing content that makes it hard for you to grow your blog</li>
<li>The niche you pick should be something you are genuinely inclined to blog about.</li>
</ul>
<p>Furthermore, stay updated about what&#8217;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&#8217;s worked for them and what&#8217;s not. Identify gaps where you can create valuable content to address people&#8217;s specific queries.</p>
<h4>2. Choose The Right Domain Name</h4>
<p>Whether you&#8217;re starting a blog website or using a blogging platform or merely adding a blog page to your current website, it&#8217;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.</p>
<p>In either case, you should hunt for a domain name that is:</p>
<ul>
<li>Short, easy to type, easy to spell, and easy to remember</li>
<li>Definitive, relevant, meaningful, and descriptive of your niche and the industry you belong to</li>
<li>Unique, innovative, creative, and one that has a nice ring to it</li>
<li>Clean, crisp, and free of any lingual or grammatical errors</li>
</ul>
<p>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 <a href="http://www.now.icu" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">.icu domain</a> extension.</p>
<p>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!</p>
<p>Here are some cool blog domain name ideas:</p>
<p>1. www.retailblog.icu<br />
2. www.amandablogs.icu<br />
3. www.blogcomics.icu<br />
4. www.geeky.icu<br />
5. www.makemoremoney.icu<br />
6. www.passiveincome.icu<br />
7. www.marketingspot.icu<br />
8. www.smallbusinessexpert.icu<br />
9. www.autoblog.icu<br />
10. www.carguy.icu</p>
<h4>3. Invest In Keyword and Topic Research</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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&#8217;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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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, &#8216;buy formal shoes in London&#8217; is a specific long-tail keyword that most people would be searching for.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h4>4. Go All Out On Social Media</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h4>5. Produce Great Content</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Avoid making your blogs too sales<em>y</em> 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.</p>
<h4>6. Install The Best Blogging Plugins</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<ul>
<li>Yoast SEO — Optimizes your blog for the best SEO results.</li>
<li>JetPack &#8211; Jetpack helps in spam filtering, malware scanning, and brute force attack protection</li>
<li>BackupBuddy — Enables to store and backup all your blogs on a regular basis.</li>
<li>WPForms — Allows you to create various types of online forms</li>
<li>Google Analytics — Provides valuable statistics and insights into the performance of your blogs</li>
<li>Edit Flow — Offers a smooth workflow management system for multiple authors.</li>
<li>Grammarly — Ensures that your blog is free of grammatical and spelling errors.</li>
</ul>
<h2>10 Content Ideas For Your New Blog</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s every blogger&#8217;s dream to have months&#8217; worth of blog post ideas ready beforehand. But that&#8217;s easier said than done. The problem is not only about finding new and exciting topics but more about immersive and value-oriented issues.</p>
<p>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&#8217;t interesting enough, you will struggle to shine and reach more people.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starting-A-Blog-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Starting A Blog" width="2560" height="1708" class="aligncenter wp-image-940 size-full" srcset="https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starting-A-Blog-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starting-A-Blog-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starting-A-Blog-min-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starting-A-Blog-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starting-A-Blog-min-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starting-A-Blog-min-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://ym.icu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Starting-A-Blog-min-360x240.jpg 360w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
<p>Let&#8217;s look at ten blogging ideas which can help you get great traffic through to blogs:</p>
<h4>1. Personal Stories</h4>
<p>When starting a blog, it&#8217;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&#8217;s story. Doing this will help your audience connect with you and your brand on a personal and emotional note.</p>
<p>Talk about your life, professional hiccups, your achievements, your failures, or even small incidents.</p>
<h4>2. Product Reviews</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>You can use the following points to write great product reviews:</p>
<ul>
<li>Include an attractive picture of the product</li>
<li>Mention its benefits</li>
<li>Highlight its flaws</li>
<li>Give your overall opinion about it</li>
</ul>
<h4>3. Interviews</h4>
<p>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&#8217;t know about you.</p>
<p>Be sure to interview influential folks from your industry that your readers are interested in.</p>
<h4>4. &#8216;How To&#8217; Blogs</h4>
<p>Google is filled with people searching for &#8216;how-to&#8217; posts. If you are writing about a specific niche, do cover articles that with a &#8216;how-to&#8217; guide that makes it easier for your audience to discover your blogs on search engines.</p>
<p>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 &#8216;how-to&#8217; post related to your niche.</p>
<h4>5. What&#8217;s Trending</h4>
<p>Write about what&#8217;s trending in your industry. Your blog should always keep your readers informed about the current trends of your niche. Simply identify what&#8217;s trending, gather facts about it, write a quality article about it, and post it.</p>
<h4>6. FAQ Posts</h4>
<p>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&#8217;s questions, it will instantly build credibility and interest among your readers.</p>
<h4>7. Study Your Competitor Blogs</h4>
<p>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&#8217;t just read, but try to study them and understand the things that they are doing better than you are.</p>
<p>Run through their blog topics to find any topics that you haven&#8217;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.</p>
<h4>8. Write About Common Mistakes to Avoid</h4>
<p>The only thing that works better than telling people&#8217; what to do&#8217; is by telling then &#8216;what no to do.&#8217; Writing about things like &#8217;10 things to avoid&#8217; or &#8216;5 things you are doing wrong&#8217; 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.</p>
<h4>9. Case Studies</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<h4>10. Guest Posts</h4>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>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&#8217;s essential to take the first step and simply start. And don&#8217;t forget to get your domain name with .icu! Search for the registrar of your choice <a href="https://ym.icu/registrars/">here</a>.</p>
<p>Happy Blogging!</p>
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