TrueName Domains: A Must-Have for Startups to Stand Out Online

TrueName descriptive domains leverage keywords on both sides of the dot and are key to upping SEO rankings.

According to QuickBooks, 17 million new small businesses could be set up in 2022. This may well create a climate of fierce competition as the number speaks for itself. A startup’s initial set-up choices might derail its growth plans or plunge it entirely, especially when it comes to establishing an online presence. One of the first decisions an entrepreneur needs to make before launch is choosing both a business name and a domain name that fit with each other. Selecting the most relevant and authentic name is one of the best ways your business can rise above the competitive fray and capture attention.

Again, there is a staggering number of new businesses coming out this year, up 386% from last year. Therefore an entrepreneur needs to make wise decisions to outshine the competition, such as choosing the right domain name as it helps to create a brand identity.

This is important because today’s digital space is all about online identity. Fortunately, thanks to TrueName, entrepreneurs have virtually unlimited domain name options. TrueName offers over 270 descriptive domain extensions. With meaningful keywords on both sides of the dot, startups can adopt a unique online identity that reflects their brand and acts as a more memorable domain name at the same time. TrueName customers have done exactly that with names like brewing.studio (design and branding), vacation.rentals (vacation rental provider), and elicit.wine (wines that provoke response and emotion).

The Silicon Review reached out to Akram J. Atallah, CEO of Donuts Inc., the company behind TrueName, about how the company is making a difference in the now and plans to stay at the forefront in the future. Below is an excerpt.

“TrueName has hundreds of different extensions available. This way, businesses can find the most relevant domain names possible, and there is no need to compromise with a name that doesn’t completely match your business identity.”

“We approach every challenge with an open mind and fresh thinking. That’s why we continually      expand the TrueName portfolio with new extensions giving our growing number of customers the best options. On top of that, we make sure our products are more secure, resilient, and protected than traditional domains can promise. Each TrueName domain name purchase includes cutting-edge security protection from posers, hackers, phishers, and glitches. Our customers are cybersafe with our domain names.”

Phishing attacks are responsible for more than 80% of reported security incidents. According to CISCO’s 2021 Cybersecurity Threat Trends report, about 90% of data breaches occur due to phishing.

“We also support brands and their domain booking processes. Our ‘Domains Protected Marks List’ protects brands and trademarks and prevents cybersquatting so customers can be confident their domains are available for future use. They can also easily block registrations of validated trademarks, and there is no need to require defensive domain purchases. This also avoids expensive brand protection actions.”

Descriptive Domains: The Future of Digital Identity
Established companies can rely on well-known brands to get their message across. Who doesn’t know what Google or Apple does? But a startup with little brand recognition needs a different strategy. And it all starts with a name.

TrueName gives customers a wide variety of descriptive domain name options to help express their authentic business. A domain that accurately reveals your business is critical; this is how customers notice you in the first place.

“Take for example our customers betterme.world, driftaway.coffee, and fivestar.limo. Their domain names are unique, memorable, and SEO-friendly using meaningful keywords on both sides of the dot.”

“Entrepreneurs can also brand with an industry-specific domain name. Take .finance for instance. This popular TLD can signify being part of a community and help elevate your business.”

“Another popular trend we see is businesses using their domains as brands, such as pretti.cool, dxc.technology and zee.dog. When your brand and digital identity are on the same page, your domain is working as hard as possible for your business.”

Effective SEO
Janover Ventures, a TrueName customer, is a perfect example that shows how a descriptive domain can help boost SEO. In 2020, one million users visited Janover’s websites, primarily from organic traffic driven by SEO, and Janover Ventures saw business growth of 184%. Another TrueName customer, Dealcasters, confirms that its show link dealcasters.live ranks top in Google’s SERPs list when people search for Dealcasters.

“Many customers use our descriptive domains to set themselves apart online and to help boost SEO strategies. Their websites appear on the first page of search results for their primary keywords, and people browsing the internet are more likely to click because they immediately know who they are and what they do.”

“We never stop seeking what’s on the horizon. As the digital landscape evolves, customers’ needs will change. We’re always innovating, researching, and investing in building demand and developing the solutions they’ll want next.”

TrueName is part of Donuts Inc. — a domain name registry that provides paid domain names with over 270 new generic top-level domains (TLDs), as made possible by ICANN’s gTLD (generic top-level domains) expansion program, as well as 173 other TLDs, including .au and .org, through its own registry status and contracts between its subsidiaries and other registries.

About | Akram J. Atallah

Akram J. Atallah is the Chief Executive Officer of Donuts Inc. His diversified technology experience ranges from engineering to operations, product development to marketing. Akram joined Donuts from ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, where he was the president of ICANN’s Global Domains and Strategy, responsible for the management of generic domain operations, domain name industry engagement, and web services. Before ICANN, he was COO at CoreObjects Software, an engineering services start-up. Before this, he held several high-level management positions at Conexant and was credited for increasing business unit revenue to more than $800 million, improving profit margins, and strengthening its position as a global market leader.

“TrueName has hundreds of different extensions available. This way, businesses can find the most relevant domain names possible, and there is no need to compromise with a name that doesn’t completely match your business identity.”