Founded in 2019, Public emerged as an innovative fractional investing platform, enabling its members to diversify their investments across a range of assets, including stocks, Treasuries, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and alternative assets.
Initially, the company operated under the domain HelloPublic.com, a decision driven primarily by budgetary constraints. In the early stages of any startup, budget limitations often dictate choices, including domain names. As the platform grew and its vision expanded, the need for a domain that resonated more closely with its brand identity became apparent.
In December 2023, Jannick Malling, Co-founder and co-CEO of Public.com, shed light on this decision in a Twitter post.
We actually started with âhellopublic.comâ – was just the cheapest among all the options we plugged into a spreadsheet during a brainstorm. But they donât call it âinternet real estateâ for nothing. Just like it matters for your brand whether your store is on 5th avenue or in a random alleyway – it matters what your domain is. If physical world is âlocation location locationâ, digital is âtrust trust trustâ.
Jannick Malling, Co-founder and co-CEO of Public.com
Premium domains, like Public.com, are simple and memorable, thereby enhancing the brand’s visibility and credibility online. They serve as a digital equivalent of prime real estate, offering businesses a distinct competitive edge. In the case of Public.com, acquiring an exact brand match domain name significantly bolstered its online presence.
Public.com – while obvs much more expensive – clean, simple, more serious, but still modern. And easy to remember. Whatâs easy to remember, becomes easier to trust. And finally, yes, works 2x-3x better for digital ads/cvr⌠but for non-digital (OOH etc), more like 50x-100x better.
Jannick Malling, Co-founder and co-CEO of Public.com
Many entrepreneurs are nervous about investing in premium domains. Co-founder Leif Abraham shares Public’s reasoning on social media:
Our thinking was simple: We have three years. If we make it, the money won’t matter. If we didn’t make it, the domain wouldn’t matter. We paid it off 18 months later.
Leif Abraham, Co-founder and co-CEO of Public.com
The move to Public.com simplifies the process for potential customers to find and engage with the platform and improves brand perception as trusted and authoritative. This strategic decision underscores a broader trend in the digital economy, where the right domain name can be a game-changer, elevating a brand’s online identity and trustworthiness, much like a prime physical location boosts a store’s prestige and foot traffic.
Premium domain names are an important consideration when it comes to building and protecting your brand. If you’re ready to take the next step and invest in a premium domain name for your business, contact us to learn more about our available options and how we can help you get started.
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