The science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) industries have a big problem with storytelling. While STEM innovations propel us forward, they often come wrapped in jargon and complexity, leaving many feeling disconnected from the companies doing the cutting-edge innovating. We also live in an age where technology has become so overwhelming that its impact and potential use cases for us are often left unclear and misunderstood. To ensure STEM-focused entrepreneurs effectively communicate exactly what innovations they are offering, marketing and establishing a distinct and explicit online brand has become incredibly important. Part of this marketing effort includes a domain name. Using a new web address is a great way to make your digital first impression and to showcase what your STEM offering is about – clearly and concisely. (These types of web addresses allow for meaningful words to the left and right of the dot. For example, hydraulic.engineer) It’s also an excellent tool for others to share your product and create an instantaneous understanding of what the company offers. Being descriptive with your domain name is one of the best ways to distill and honor the incredible work your STEM-related team, product, and company has accomplished.

The challenges with marketing in STEM 

STEM-related industries are historically technical and have led to great strides in fields such as astronomy, chemistry, physics, artificial intelligence, and so much more. When organizations and consumers are looking for a particular service or product, ensuring it’s marketed effectively to convey and convince potential customers of what the product will do for them is pivotal. While it may be difficult to disclose what your STEM-related offering can do with photos or visuals, your website must still tell a story. For example, if a local city official is interested in connecting with an engineering firm to discuss how they might build a new digital database for their public records, that public official is likely not steeped in technical engineering-related lingo. This is where communicating what that individual engineering firm can do and offer in simple terms is vital.

In addition, as female entrepreneurs, we often struggle with highlighting our accomplishments. For women working in STEM who make up only 34% of that particular workforce, using a unique domain can be a way to clearly and succinctly showcase to the world who you are and what you do in an industry historically dominated by male counterparts.

The value of digital marketing: using a TLD for technical industries 

In 2024, STEM entrepreneurs have a wide range of TLDs to choose from. For example, TLDs such as .engineer, .codes, .mobi and .systems all concisely convey a company’s product or service. By attaching an equally relevant word to the left side of the dot, the full domain can state and/or support values and company mission.

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TLDs for STEM and beyond

Today’s internet looks extremely different from the first years of its adoption. Nearly every business, big and small, public organization or private company has an online presence and markets are crowded with noise about their industries. Have you ever opened a website and thought, “I see a lot of words, but what does it really mean?” I know I have – we often have a very short window of time when folks are browsing a website to catch them and convey who we are and what we do, and the STEM market is no stranger to this. Your domain name is one of your chances to truly connect with your audience. For example, if you’re cruising down the highway in San Francisco today, you’re highly likely to see 5-10 roadside advertisements on coding, AI for the enterprise, and data storage along your ride. For those companies, if you look at their sign for less than five seconds, one of those seconds could be spent looking at the  unique website address which is memorable enough to search later. The power of a domain name cannot be understated for capturing that moment of connection – for the STEM industry, and beyond.

Every company at every stage of its growth – from selling its first coding lesson, to its first million, to going public – can benefit from the power of a unique web address for its website. For the STEM industries that are often highly technical and complex, integrating a website that uses meaningful words on both sides of the dot can be the difference between an IT buyer ultimately deciding to hire your team or walking away from your website with an unclear understanding of what you do. To embrace the former is to communicate to the world what your STEM solutions and team are truly about, and that is a really powerful tool.

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