Everything You Need To Know About Domain Names

Are you thinking of launching a website? The very first natural thing you would do is to choose a name for your website. Every great website starts with an apt and unique domain name. So, here is everything you need to know about domain names starting from the phraseology, selecting the right domain names to how you can register and use them for your website.

What Is A Domain Name?

A WordPress domain name is an address used to locate your website. It forms the website name part of the URL that leads to your site. Once you register the domain name, you can start hosting your website under it and make it go live online.

For instance, in a sample URL noaccountcasinosonline.nl, the domain name is the phrase ‘no account casinos online’.

Top-Level Domain

As you can see, the actual domain name consists of two parts, the TLD and the unique domain name phrase for your site.

TLD is the top-level domain name that comes after the unique domain name starting from the dot and is also called the domain extension. While .com is the most popular domain extension in use, there are many different domain extensions like .org, .net, .live, and so on, depending on the purpose or nature of your website.

Here are some popular domain extensions and their associated use.

.com – commercial use
.org – Organization
.net – network
.int – limited to use by organizations that meet certain criteria
.edu – limited to use by higher educational institutions
.gov – US government sites
.mil – US military sites

Country Code Top Level Domain

CcTLD are specific TLDs that denote the country-specific website intended for a particular target audience. For instance, Google has several domain names with different ccTLDs to cater to the local populace. E.g. Google.in for Google India and Google.uk for the UK.

Sub Domain

Subdomains are derivative domain names that help serve a particular app or page within the original website. For instance, the domain name ‘cats.animals.com’ would be a sub-domain of ‘animals.com.’

Subdomains are used to create child websites under a parent site to serve a particular purpose.

Why Use Domain Names?

As we all know, the internet is nothing but a big network of connected machines. Each computer in the network is assigned a unique IP address that helps access and communicate with it. This IP address is a series of numbers used to identify the machine. But humans don’t really do well with numbers as computers can.

It can be difficult to remember the thousands of IP addresses used by the thousands of websites you access every day. Hence, domain names are used as an easy way to access any website. Instead of having to type in a long series of numbers, you just have to enter the domain name URL of the site to get there.

If your website is your home on the internet, then your domain name is its address. It is near impossible to host a successful website without a domain name.

How Domain Names Work?

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the overall domain name system of the internet to make sure websites use unique domain names and follow a standard protocol. The ICANN allows domain name registrar companies to sell domain names. Through these registrars, you can buy, sell, renew, and edit your domain names.

When you register a domain name, you should inform the details of your hosted website so that the domain name provider knows where to direct the requests coming for your domain name.

Every time your browser sends a request with a specific domain name, the Domain Name System (DNS) of the internet will lookup for the name servers associated with that particular domain name and forward your request to those servers.

The blog site name will be translated to the corresponding IP addresses by these name servers and then forwards the request to the respective web server application that hosts the website. The request will be handled by the webserver, and a response will be sent back to the client.

These name servers that play an integral part in website hosting are managed by hosting providers who take care of the domain name registration and management.

How To Register And Use Domain Names?

You need both website hosting and a domain name to operate a successful site.

Most web hosting companies provide the option to register domain names as well. But you have to remember, it is totally possible to use two different service providers for a domain name and web hosting.

You can buy domain names from any available domain registrars. Domain names, on average, cost $14.99 per year. Check out popular domain name companies like:

GoDaddy
Domain.com
Name cheap
Hostgator
Shopify

Once you decide on your domain name, look for the best possible options in terms of expiration policies, pricing, registration period, customer support, and domain transfers and add on services and make your final choice. Be wary of hidden fees and add on pricing as well.

As mentioned earlier, your web hosting partner will also be able to provide you with a domain name service. So do check it out first as it can be an easy to manage option.

How To Choose The Best Domain Name

You may take all the time you need and come up with a winning name for your site. But make sure you got the following things right:

Make your domain name relevant to your website content and purpose
Pick the relevant domain extension. Prices can vary depending upon the extension as well.
Generic domain names can be super expensive. Try to come up with unique and catchy names that are still relevant so you can make it to top positions on search results.
Make your domain names short and to the point.

Conclusion

We hope this article would have explained to you the meaning of domain names. So, once you have picked one, go ahead and pick the right theme. You should then invest your time and efforts in SEO and boosting the reputation of your website.

Have you stuck anywhere? Let us know in the comments below.