In this XYZ Quarterly we’ll cover seven examples of how to choose your domain name and develop a foundation for a strong online presence. We’ll also provide a recap of XYZ’s Q1 2022 activity.
A standout online presence is complemented by a strong domain name. A domain name is an address that you can give out so that people can go directly to your website online. In today’s heavily populated digital world, a standout online presence is extremely important to help differentiate yourself. A carefully crafted website with a strategic domain and a focus on the details can help you to reach audiences all over the world.
An effective website fulfills its intended function of engaging the visitor and retaining their attention. It provides them exactly what they are looking for and more, to engage their visitor and provide them value. There are important fundamentals in the development of a successful and effective website that contribute to how it is perceived. Sometimes new website owners don’t know where to begin, so we’re offering helpful guidance to stay on course for a website that grabs attention, and keeps it.
That’s the reason this year’s XYZ Quarterly theme is Back to Basics with .XYZ. Each quarter we’ll put the “FUN” in fundamentals and provide you with tips to help you break down the essentials of a powerful online presence. We’ll closely examine the techniques that can help you build a strong foundation for your knockout website.
To begin, this quarter we’ll be taking you back to basics by helping you select a memorable domain, a branded email address, and strategic social media handles. We’ll offer you seven helpful tips that you can use to establish a powerful domain from the ground up, as well as seven .xyz websites that serve as prime examples of these tips.
Read on for Part 1: “Seven tips for choosing a domain name for a standout online presence”
Or jump down to Part 2: “XYZ’s Q1 2022 Recap.”
If you’re starting a new business and planning to establish an online presence, you may wish to give strategic thought to your business name as well as your domain name. Essential factors to consider are whether the name is unique, memorable, easy to pronounce, easy to understand, and if it communicates your brand’s identity. Choosing matching names for your business and domain can help you keep your brand and your website aligned. Matching names can be easier to promote and can help your website stand out.
Sipher.xyz is an original example of how a unique matching brand name and domain name can help align your website and your brand. Blockchain-focused gaming studio Sipher developed their namesake game built on the Ethereum blockchain. Because the gaming studio shares a name with their debut game as well as their domain name, every tweet or promotion of any of those assets provides equal promotion for the rest.
The game encourages players and investors to acquire NFTs as they navigate their way through Sipheria, a vast online universe where players can go on missions, join factions, compete in races, make new friends, earn money, and more. Sipher.xyz’s characters are called Siphers, and they are user-designed, limited edition sets of NFT game characters owned by the player who acquires and customizes them. If you search for “Sipher.xyz” you can see that one of the highly coveted “People Always Ask” Google results show a common question “What is sipher XYZ” – which shows that the strategic use of matching domain name to brand helped people find what they were looking for.
Gamers and NFT collectors found interest in Sipher.xyz very quickly. Before completing their seed round, Sipher.xyz released their first NFT collection, known as Sipher Inu, which consisted of 10,000 playable characters for the game. This collection sold out in less than fifteen minutes at an average cost of 0.4 ETH per NFT. Hopeful players of the game and other NFT enthusiasts who could not purchase a Sipher Inu raced to NFT marketplace OpenSea to try to buy them in the aftermarket.
The decision to acquire a domain name that matches their brand name and debut product was effective. As of April 2022, Sipher.xyz is the first website listed in Google search results for just the term “sipher.“
Building your brand by securing a matching domain name and business or brand name can make it easier to attract attention to your website.
It is beneficial if your domain name is easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember. Make sure it passes the radio test; if someone heard it aloud on the radio or a podcast or in conversation, is it memorable and easy to spell so they can look it up later? Additionally, if someone reads about your website, it is a bonus if they can talk about it without worrying if they’re pronouncing it correctly. If you opt for a domain name that might have alternative spellings, you can register multiple versions of the domain name, and forward them to your main domain.
Sound.xyz is an example of how an easy to pronounce and spell domain name can make it effortless to remember, share, and discuss. This new crypto music publishing platform aims to disrupt the music industry by helping recording artists gain more of their music’s value. Sound.xyz accomplishes this by harnessing the power of blockchain technology to turn songs into collectible NFTs. The innovative platform was developed by former Pandora Product Manager David Greenstein, Web3 programmer and DJ Matt Masurka, and former Apple Software engineer Vignesh Hirudayakanth. Having worked for major tech companies, they would understand the need for accessible technology, and a domain name that passes the radio test is easier to access for audience members using voice-assistive technology.
Sound.xyz’s first tool, Listening Party, was released in early December 2021 to great praise from the platform’s inaugural artists. After launch, Sound.xyz featured a Listening Party for each of seven songs from independent artists on the platform. Each song sold out in less than a minute and generated revenue for the artists equivalent to 21 million streams on leading platforms. With a platform based on listening, it makes sense that Sound.xyz would choose a domain that is easy to understand and verbally repeat.
The subject of NFT music startups, including Sound.xyz, and the disruption of the streaming industry has been reported on by entertainment news platform Morning Brew.1 When Sound.xyz has an opportunity to be discussed on a platform like Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, it is easy for the hosts to pronounce their website and effective for the audience to type it into their browsers.
Selecting a domain name that is easy to spell, pronounce, remember, and repeat can make it much easier to spread awareness of your website.
In many industries, much of a company’s business will come from online leads. Paired with relevant content, employing specific keywords in your domain can help you rank higher in searches for that product or service, and can attract potential visitors. You can consider using keywords in your domain name if it sounds natural and if you determine that people are actually searching for those keywords and if they will help make your domain name memorable.
Fingerspelling.xyz is an example of how employing specific keywords in your domain can help you rank higher in searches and attract potential visitors. “Fingerspelling” is a form of sign language in which individual letters are formed by the fingers to spell out words. Fingerspelling.xyz is a creative and engaging resource created by non-profit organization American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) to help families of deaf and hard of hearing children learn American Sign Language (ASL). They are employing the use of a keyword in their domain name that is commonly used to research sign language online. As of April 2022, SEMRush reports that website advertisers are paying an average of $2.13 per click to be visible for the keyword “fingerspelling.” Fingerspelling.xyz organically is getting 1,900 monthly visits organically purely from the keyword “fingerspelling,” which is worth $4,047 per month that they don’t need to pay for to get traffic.
ASDC worked with creative studio Hello Monday to build the innovative and educational website that teaches fingerspelling, and it is gaining increased attention. Organizations praise the website for its design and innovation. England’s FWA, whose mission is to “showcase cutting edge creativity, regardless of the medium or technology used” named Fingerspelling.xyz their “FWA of the month” in May 2021. That same month, global web design organization Awwwards named Fingerspelling.xyz their site of the day. Since keyword domains are common terms, they usually pass the radio test, which is also necessary for accessibility.
By creating their domain with a keyword tied to the intent of their website, Fingerspelling.xyz ranks on the first page of a Google search for the keywords “fingerspelling,” “fingerspell,” “finger spelling,” “asl finger spelling,” “finger spelling practice,” and more. As of April 2022, Fingerspelling.xyz is the first website listed in Google search results for “fingerspelling,“ outranking many other popular websites for this term.
Establishing your niche by using a domain name that includes related and commonly used keywords can help you rank higher in searches, instill confidence, and increase visibility of your website.
Short domain names are easier to remember and faster to type, especially on a mobile device. In a study done on the top 1 million websites as ranked by Alexa, leading entrepreneur resource platform Gaebler found that sites became less popular as their character length increased, and the top 10,000 domains in the list had 8 characters or less.2 This means that a short and easy-to-remember one-word domain name can leave a lasting impression. You can make good use of tools such as our CNOX Search or Premium Search to help find your ideal domain name.
Block.xyz is a perfect example of how the selection of a short and easy-to-remember one word domain name can leave a lasting impression and create a strong foundation for prosperity. The visually captivating online home of newly named financial services-focused Block, Inc. (formerly Square, Inc.) was introduced with the announcement of their exciting rebrand. The company, which has a net worth of $89.72 billion3, officially rebranded on December 10, 2021 to acknowledge their growth beyond their Square product, and to signal their intention to continue expanding their roster of products and services, including Spiral.xyz, aimed at making Bitcoin the planet’s preferred currency.
“Block” is a five letter memorable word that is closely associated with the word “square.” Block launched a press campaign to inform the world of their new change, and this news was reported in video and audio broadcast by major networks like CNBC and ABC News. Short domains can appear more exclusive, and historically have been incredibly expensive to obtain. Paired with a major company, Block.xyz is immediately trusted by an audience.
After their announcement, Square released a thread of Tweets sharing the news about the parent company’s name change, and included their inspiration behind the name Block: “Block references the neighborhood blocks where we find our sellers, a blockchain, block parties full of music, obstacles to overcome, a section of code, building blocks, and of course, tungsten cubes.” It is easy to get to their website, because the short nature of their domain makes it easy to type without accidentally introducing typos or misspellings.
Making your domain easy to recall with a solid, one-word domain name can increase your website’s popularity.
Registering YourName.xyz affords the opportunity to create a website for any topic you want associated with your own name. A personalized domain name is great for your own personal marketing. You can brand yourself as a creator, showcasing your works of art or writing on your website. You can connect your name to an online resume or portfolio website. You can market your accomplishments and projects. People may be able to find your accomplishments more easily if they are searching for your name. Consider registering YourName.xyz while available, even if you don’t decide to use it immediately. It is an asset that may not always be available that you might wish to take advantage of later.
Serwah.xyz is an example of how a unique FirstName.xyz domain name is making Serwah Attafuah’s website ideal for marketing and branding herself as a creator. The Serwah.xyz domain is branded with Australia-based digital artist Serwah Attafuah’s unique, short, and memorable first name. She uses Serwah.xyz as her online portfolio to showcase her work as an oil painter and self taught digital artist. Her surreal cyber dreamscapes and other beautiful visuals are captivating the digital art world.
In March 2021, Serwah was commissioned by Nike and JD Sports Australia to create assets for the Air Max Day 2021, but she also first found herself at the center of the global NFT conversation due to a few high profile sales of her work. One of her pieces of work sold for 10 ETH (approximately $27k at the time). This led to her being selected to be part of Sotheby’s curated NFT collection. One month later, in time for Pride Month, she collaborated on an animated audio NFT with Charli XCX.4 Proceeds from the collection were donated to benefit Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). As of March 2022, Serwah.xyz is the first website listed (after her social media platforms) in Google search results for “Serwah“ and “Serwah Attafuah.”
Another example of a strong YourName.xyz website is MarquesColston.xyz. Marques is a former National Football League (NFL) player and Super Bowl Champion who pivoted to a career in business development. He uses MarquesColston.xyz as the official website to book him for management training, performance coaching, and corporate development consulting. When running a Google search on his name, MarquesColston.xyz appears on the first page of results along with other major sites including Wikipedia and the official website of the NFL, helping to enhance trust and visibility in his new personal brand in business development.
Using your name in your domain will make it easier to be found online, and can help to market your personal goals or accomplishments connected to your name.
A lot of work-related communication will likely be conducted over email, and using a custom email address can generate trust. An email address that ends in the same strong domain as your website can appear more professional by verifying that the owner of the website and the owner of the email are the same person. Using your domain name to create custom, branded email addresses connects all of your company representatives and public contact emails with your website. Be certain to follow best practices while utilizing that email address to avoid diminishing your brand.
ArtsandLetters.xyz is an example of the benefits of establishing a trust-inducing branded email address. This independent creative agency is based in Richmond, Virginia and was founded by former creative director Charles Hodges, who previously worked for Google Creative Lab. Charles continued fostering this relationship across a range of projects, and ArtsandLetters.xyz launched in 2017 with Google as its first client. They work primarily with other tech-focused national brands such as ESPN and MSNBC, and have also welcomed online wedding registry Zola as a new client. ArtsandLetters.xyz uses the branded email address [email protected] to correspond with new and potential clients like Zola, which adds to their professional image and generates trust.
The creative agency has produced some incredibly popular and widely viewed media campaigns. Most notably, ArtsandLetters.xyz is responsible for Google Assistant’s Home Alone Again campaign of 2018, featuring a grown up Macaulay Culkin reprising his iconic role from the Home Alone film franchise. The agency reports that within its first 24 hours, the 60-second commercial received over 36 million views and became the number one trending video on YouTube. With a branded email, you can set up common generic emails like [email protected] or [email protected]. You can create shared inboxes that a support team can manage, so that you don’t have to distribute everyone’s individual email to the public.
When you have an email address directly associated with your domain name, customers can use that email address to find your website and have trust that they’re reaching out to the appropriate individual.
Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook can be very useful for promotion of your website. Using your domain extension in your social media profiles ensures you’ll get the handle that most closely matches your brand, and also doubles as a promotion of your website.
Proof.xyz is a great example of how using your domain extension in your social media handle can double as a promotion of your website. The website is the online home of Proof, a podcast hosted by Silicon Valley-based venture capitalist Kevin Rose. Episodes of the podcast feature interviews with NFT artists, developers of new tools for NFT creators and collectors, and discussions about NFT marketplaces, blockchain gaming, and the metaverse. Kevin is a partner at Silicon Valley-based True Ventures, a venture capital firm that has invested $2 billion in early-stage technology startups, including Peloton, FitBit, and Ring.
In July 2021, Kevin created a Twitter profile for Proof.xyz using the handle @Proof_xyz. The podcast’s Twitter profile has reached over 21,000 followers in under a year, and helps attract NFT enthusiasts and fans of Kevin Rose to his entertaining and informative podcast website.
Using your domain extension in your social media profiles will make it easier to secure a social handle that matches your brand and can enhance the promotion of your website.
A standout online presence is extremely important, and it begins with a strategic domain name. A carefully crafted website with a strategic domain and a focus on the details can help you to reach a global audience. Giving deserved attention to short, memorable, unique domain names, a branded email address, and matching social media handles can set you on a course for success. Following the examples of the seven .xyz websites above can help you select the best domain name and lay the groundwork for a flourishing online presence. For more helpful info, check out our previous feature, How to Choose a Domain Name.
The XYZ family now consists of 33 domain options, and 33 incredible ways of helping the new generation of internet users get online. We continue to see innovation from the .xyz blockchain community with many emerging platforms like Mojito.xyz and also big names like Steve Aoiki (a0k1verse.xyz). XYZ continued to support an increasing number of hackathons, with 72 inspiring organizations participating this quarter. We’re extremely proud of our start to the year. Here’s what we’ve accomplished this past quarter.
In this quarter, XYZ proudly announced our most dramatic expansion of the XYZ Family. We introduced ten new domain names to bring you an even wider variety of naming options for a powerful online presence. .Game, .Guitars, .Audio, .Christmas, .Diet, .Flowers, .Hosting, .Pics, .Mom, and .LOL are descriptive, memorable, and keyword-rich domains that can help you establish your brand online and stand out to your audience in a terrific range of industries.
In fact, brands, individuals, and organizations all over the world are already using .Game, .Guitars, .Audio, .Christmas, .Diet, .Flowers, .Hosting, .Pics, .Mom, and .LOL to build their websites and establish their brands online:
Don’t delay – register your .Game, .Guitars, .Audio, .Christmas, .Diet, .Flowers, .Hosting, .Pics, .Mom, or .LOL domain name ideas today!
Every Wednesday we proudly feature a #WebsiteWednesday spotlight on an exciting and creative member of the .xyz community.
Web3 developers continue building on .xyz domains, and we featured even more awesome blockchain-focused websites this quarter:
Many businesses and organizations are building their online homes on .xyz domains:
We also featured some memorable and creative portfolio websites:
Notable tools and digital solutions have been making their online home on .xyz domains. We had the pleasure to share a distinguished one:
The XYZ family of domains has grown to 33 amazing domain endings! As that number continues to soar, we enjoy using social media to share some of the many exciting individuals, businesses, and brands from across the globe establishing their online presence on our assorted domains. Some of the unique websites we shared this quarter include:
Businesses, brands, professionals, and creatives of all kinds now have 33 versatile domain extensions to choose from within the XYZ family. Don’t delay – register your own domain today!
XYZ helped support attendees at 72 hackathons in the first quarter of 2022! Participants received .xyz domains to encourage them to launch their ideas and projects online. The hackathons each celebrated technology with workshops and mentors that helped participants learn and develop their skills. Some hackathons were held virtually, while others were located throughout the world:
Devcation, Lean In Hacks, Nexture Summit, IEEE Computer Society, VIT Chennai, Google Developers Student Club JIIT128, HackHoodie, ACM-JUIT, Week Of Geek, Alphasians, HackMoL3.0, AzTech, JGEC Winter of Code, Documatic, Google Developer Student Clubs of Amity University Mumbai, Code Chef SRM Chapter, MacHacks, JUSC Technophilia, Coding Your Future, Exun Clan, Full Stack Squared, Reverse Coding’22, Make4thon, Hack-O, Eventlore, Hack the Education, HackShetra, Eclipse, HackTU 3.0, HackBMU, YPStem Hackathon 2022, Psych Hack – Google Developer Student Clubs RAIT, Kurinji Hacks, SnowHacks (GDSC – SITS), MEGAHacks2022, Pixelhacks VI, TuffyHacks Youth Helping Youth BC, UofTHacks, XdHacks Mini Clueminati, Sanganak Vimarsh 2022, Bug Byte League, HACKTRIX, Ingenious Hackathon 2022, CyberHack, National Innovators Hackathon, Enkryptia 2022, ROBOWEEK 2.0, Synergyietevit, Hack Club NMIT, Lines Of Code, Vihaan, Artificial Intelligence Student Association, CEG Tech Forum, Dotslash 5.0, New Horizon Rocketry Club, W-Accinge, Codechanakya 2.0, nCrypt, GirlScript Summer of Code 2022, Indian Society for Technical Education, OWASP Student Chapter, Code2Develop, Randomize, What The Hack, ACMHacks 6.0, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology, UPES-CSI
We remain enthusiastic about helping participants share their ideas and solutions with a global audience on their own .xyz domains. If you are interested in signing up your own hackathon with XYZ to help the next generation of internet users build the future of tech, contact us today!
XYZ is excited for the possibilities still ahead in this new year. We have every intention to continue helping the next generation of internet users create a strong online presence. Stay in the know by subscribing to our newsletter, and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
1https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/spotify-web3-nft
2http://www.gaebler.com/Domain-Length-Research.htm
3http://https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/sq/statistics/
4https://twitter.com/serwah_attafuah/status/1410033306373038088
XYZ is proud to share about the many incredible members that make up the XYZ community! We encourage you to do your own research before using the products and services of the websites we feature. The information about products and services contained in this blog post does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by XYZ.
