Promoting .fr: a commitment to VSEs/SMEs and young people

It is not only our responsibility to manage .fr domain names, but also to safeguard the future of the TLD through efforts guided by conviction and support for potential holders, in particular: 

– entrepreneurs, VSEs and SMEs which account for over half of new .fr domain names;

– young people, future generations of domain name holders.

In order to succeed in this endeavour, we have opted for a comprehensive system combining an online platform with events on the ground, based on a dual-action method: first of all conveying the importance and challenges of an online presence, before highlighting the advantages of .fr (simplicity, confidence, personal data protection, solidarity, etc.) compared to .com as well as social networks, market places and webmail.

‘Réussir en .fr’: supporting entrepreneurs with their online presence

Various studies have shown that French businesses are lagging behind when it comes to the digital transition. By comparing .fr data with that of the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), the number of French VSEs and SMEs still without an online presence can be estimated at around 1 million.

Launched in 2014, the website réussir-en.fr (‘Succeed with .fr’) helps entrepreneurs, tradespersons and SMEs develop and control their presence on the internet and improve their visibility to expand their business. It is filled with practical content (tips and tutorials, testimonials from entrepreneurs who have succeeded thanks to the Web) covering:

– best practices for an online presence

– ways to increase online visibility

– managing their digital identity

– the commercial aspect of their online business. 

In addition, of course, to legal and security issues. A full range of topics addressed by Afnic and its partners and presented to subscribers in the form of a monthly newsletter.

A self-diagnostic tool (Réussir avec le web) [‘Succeed on the Web’]) also provides an assessment of users’ online presence with the added bonus of a personalised action plan. Visitors can also check the availability of their .fr name directly via the website before being redirected to registrars to purchase their domain name.

Meet VSEs and SMEs

The ‘Réussir en .fr’ programme also goes out into the field. Afnic experts regularly meet with VSEs/SMEs at professional events (trade shows for entrepreneurs, SMEs, etc.). Since 2016, we have been running the Foliweb workshops in partnership with Neocamino, led by Web experts in person across France or remotely, in the form of webinars, to provide VSEs with practical assistance in developing their online business.

Every year, over 250 workshops and webinars are attended by more than 20,000 entrepreneurs in some thirty cities, covering around 80 topics surrounding online presence. .fr is much more than just words!

More and more partners for .fr

Every year, ‘Réussir en .fr’ mobilises numerous partners to reach VSEs/SMEs and raise their awareness of the digital transition and/or their online presence. Various professional bodies have partnered with the programme, as well as institutional partners (France Num, chambers of commerce and trade, etc.) and innovative SMEs.

Raising young people’s awareness of digital uses

The ‘Réussir en .fr’ programme has been extended to young people (aged 16-25), since 2019 thanks to the ‘Commence par Réussir en.fr’ (‘Let’s start succeeding with .fr’) scheme.

On the agenda on the website: practical tips to learn to better manage their online presence, enhance their knowledge and control their e-reputation, a knowledge test to understand their digital behaviour, videos – and of course the option to check the availability of a domain name before registering it with a registrar. 

Workshops are also run at schools and universities by young ambassadors, student volunteers trained by Afnic. 

The goal: reach 50,000 young people per year, with a particular focus on young people working on their own professional project. 

Registrars: promoters of .fr

Promoting .fr also involves our clients and partners: registrars. Commercial operations are organised every year to encourage domain name creation and renewal among target VSEs/SMEs. 

In 2021, 26 of these operations were realized mostly thanks to the initiative Je passe au numérique (‘I’m going digital’) . These actions directly contributed to increasing the market share of .fr: in France with 38.75% in 2021. The growth of .fr (+5.8%) also remained higher than that of the growth of all ccTLDs of the European Union ( 2.9% in December 2021).