Still wondering what a domain name is and how it works? Building a website can be confusing, especially for beginners.
Beginners often have trouble understanding the difference between a domain name, website hosting, and their own website.
With so many different parts, it can be difficult to understand which part does what and what it all means.
But don't worry, we are here to explain it to you. In this post, we will explain what a domain name is and how it works so that it is easy to understand.
Let's start.
What is a domain name?
So what is a domain name? The simplest way to say it is: If your website is a home, a domain name is your address. A domain name is the address that people type in the browser's address bar to reach your website.
Some examples of domain names include:
- Google com
- Facebook.com
- Wikipedia.org
- Yahoo.com
For a more technical explanation of what a domain name is: The Internet is a giant network of computers that are connected through a network of cables.
Each computer is assigned a unique IP address that enables the computers to communicate with each other.
The IP address is a series of numbers that are used to identify each individual computer. A typical IP address looks like this:
192.168.1.1
An IP address is difficult to remember, so domain names were invented to solve that problem.
Instead of having to type a string of random numbers that is difficult to remember, users only have to type a domain name, such as Amazon.com, in order to visit a website.
Now that you know what a domain name is, let's talk about how domain names work.
When a user types a domain name in the URL bar of an Internet browser, they send a request to the Domain Name System (DNS), which is a global network of servers.
When these servers receive your request, they look for the name servers that are associated with the domain name and forward the request to those name servers.
Your web hosting company manages its name servers. This way, if your website is hosted on Bluehost, Bluehost will send the request to the computer where your website files are stored.
This computer is called the web server. The web server picks up the requested website and returns it to the browser so that the user can view it.
The different parts of a domain name
There are 3 different parts to a domain name, they are as follows:
1. Subdomain
The first part of a domain name (from left to right) is the www part that precedes the period.
Example: www.Amazon.es
This is a standard part for every domain name, called a subdomain or hostname.
However, this is optional, since it is not necessary to enter www before a domain name in a browser in order to visit that domain. Your domain name can be simply Amazon.com
2. Second level domain
The second part is the second-level domain, which is the part that you are most familiar with, between the points.
Example: www. Amazon.it is
This is your domain name itself that you register for and it is the most customizable part.
3. Top-level domain
At the end of the domain name, after the period, is the top-level domain, at the same time known as the domain extension.
Example: www.Amazon.es
The domain extension can be.com, .biz, .net, .org, .gov, as well as many other variations. Pero.com is the most popular and well known.
Why is a domain name needed?
Still wondering why you need a domain name? Well, if you need to make your own website, you will need a domain name so that other people can visit your website from their computers.
People want to create websites for a number of different reasons, which is why there are millions of domain names for registration.
It is becoming more and more common right now for people to have personal websites, for personal or promotional reasons, which is why many people register their name as a domain name.
As an example, if your name is Juan Fernandez, you may want to register the domain name juanfernandez.com.
That way, when someone searches for your name on the Internet, you will be found easily.
The popularity of blogging at the same time has led to more people registering domain names for a hobby or to earn money.
At the same time, if you want to start a business, you need a website with your own unique domain name.
Having a website for your business today is as necessary as having a phone number or FAX number in the past. You need a website so your customers can contact you online and browse your products and services from the comfort of their own homes.
Your website needs a memorable domain name, usually to match your company name, so that people can easily find you online.
At the same time, you will want to register a domain name for your business to protect your name from being taken over by your competitors.
What is the difference between a domain name and a URL?
Although they seem almost the same, a domain name and a URL are two different things.
The domain name is the actual name of the website such as mywebsite.com, while a URL is the full path of a website that takes you to a particular page such as https://www.mywebsite.com/blog/.
Basically, the URL is the complete Internet address used to locate a specific page and includes the domain name.
The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) tells your browser exactly where to go using a specific protocol which is most commonly the http or https part of a URL.
So the last part of the URL directs your browser to which page of a website to go to, like the blog page.
What's the difference between a domain name and website hosting?
Just because you register a domain name does not mean that you automatically get a website.
The domain name is your website address and your website host is the home where your website lives.
If you don't have a home for your website, your address is going nowhere.
Thus, you need a domain name and web hosting to create a working website.
The home where your website lives is the computer where your website files are stored.
These servers are offered as a service by website hosting companies.
When you buy website hosting, you will have access to these servers to save your website. Once you have built a website on a web host and registered a domain name, your site can be seen by people on the web.
Many web hosting companies allow you to register and purchase a domain name at the same time, such as Bluehost, so you can easily manage your domain name and your entire website from the same account.
Take a look at our other post on the difference between a domain name and web hosting for a more detailed explanation.
How to choose a good domain name
Choosing the correct domain name for your website is important. It is not a decision that you should make hastily, you need to really think about it and come up with a domain name that is unique, memorable, and works for your website.
There are a number of tips to remember when choosing a domain name, including:
- Keep it short - Don't make your domain too long, it will be harder for people to remember and harder to spell. Spelling mistakes can cause a loss of traffic on your website.
- Follow with.com - The domain.com extension is the most popular and reliable, so stick with it.
- Use keywords - Keywords will help search engines determine what your website is about and make it easier for users to find you online. So if you are a photography website, use the keyword "photography" in your domain name.
- Avoid numbers and hyphens - Numbers can lead to spelling mistakes in your domain name, such as "five" instead of "5". And scripts are often used by spam sites, which you don't intend to be associated with.
If you want to learn more about choosing a domain name for your website, check out our post on Choosing the best domain name.
What are the endings or extensions of a domain?
Your domain extension is the part of your domain that comes after the full stop. As an example, ours is.com. And although the domain.com It is the best known option, in fact you have a lot of options when it comes to domain extensions, which is why it is possible that you are looking for help to make your choice.
In 1985, there were only nine domain extensions. Until the 1990s, about nine or ten domain extensions were added each year. After that, he went to the races.
At the time of writing this article, you can choose between more than 1,000 domain extensions (can see the full list in the website of IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority)).
The strange thing is that you probably only know a handful of them: .com, .gov, .net, .org, .edu, then maybe some country domain extensions like .us.
But that begs the question, What's the point of all these domain extensions and there are advantages for the average business, blogger, or developer… That
is what we are going to answer in this post!
Here's why there are so many domain extensions
Some domain extensions have an obvious purpose - like .blog, while others may seem a bit strange at first - like .gs. In general, all the domain extensions that you see are designed to complete one or more of these functions:
- Help with branding for an individual company or an entire industry - Like .aarp or .realtor.
- Indicate that a website is located in a certain country. This is useful for companies serving only those countries and for dividing the Internet into languages and currencies - Think.cz for the Czech Republic or.de for Germany.
- Serve a specific community, based on geographic, ethnic, technical, or other categories. The .asia domain extension is a good example, as it focuses more on a regional community than on a country.
- Restrict the use of the top-level domain to people or organizations of a certain group. Take .edu, as an example. You can only use that domain extension if you run an accredited educational institution. The same can be said of many national or regional domains, in which you must be a citizen or have a company in the country.
So what domain extensions can you use for your website?
That depends on the type of organization you are running and the domain name extension you are looking for.
Domain extensions are considered:
- Restricted - you need to meet certain criteria to purchase one of these domain name extensions, many of which have been paid for (sponsored) by an organization or reserved for certain groups.
- No restrictions - Anyone can buy a domain name with one of these extensions.
If you look at a domain name registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap, you can assure that most of the results are unrestricted extensions:
One of the few types of restricted domains that are sold through sites like GoDaddy is a country domain extension. Thus, the .us domain can be purchased directly online, but you must prove that you are a permanent resident of the United States.
As for most restricted top-level domains, you regularly need to be part of an organization, industry, region, or other type of group to get the domain extension. At the same time, you must contact the owner of the top-level domain and follow their unique research and purchase process.
A great example is the .ero domain extension. This top-level domain was paid for and is now sponsored by an organization called the International Aeronautical Telecommunications Society (SITA). This sponsor has rules in your top-level domain, saying that to use it your company must be in the air transport industry.
Other examples of this are the .app domain created by Google or the .blog created by Automattic, the company founded by the creator of WordPress.
Price of a .com domain vs other domain extensions
There is a large variation in the price of different domain name extensions.
For unrestricted domains, the price is usually very cheap. Standard domains with extensions like.com usually cost around $ 10 a year.
Some less recognized unrestricted extensions cost even less:
If you are planning to buy a restricted domain, you may have to pay a premium. Regardless, this all depends on the owner of that top-level domain and each top-level domain extension is priced differently.
Which of these domain extensions should I go with?
To begin the process, consider what type of business or organization you are trying to represent online.
If it is a certain sector, it is feasible that you can request a restricted domain extension, such as a real estate agency requesting the extension .realtor.
If you only do business in a certain country, you may want to stand out with a country-based extension like .us. Along with branding, you can simultaneously use a country-specific domain name to indicate to Google that your site targets that region (explanation here).
If you're targeting people from all over the world, your best bet is the unrestricted domain extension.
To do this, you have a few options:
1. Try to get an unrestricted standard domain extension like.com or.net
There is nothing wrong with these as long as you are not choosing .net because another company has the same domain as you. That's a branding nightmare if there are two websites with nothing different than a domain extension.
Other than that, you can go with a domain extension .com or.net if available. Las.com's of the world are easy to remember as long as what you put in front of las.com is short and direct.
2. Consider a single, unrestricted domain that relates to your business
This is where you can really specify what is done. An online store might enjoy the .store option, while a country club might go with .club to show some exclusivity in the domain name.
3. Get really creative
Delicious, the bulletin board blog, has one of the most unique domain names out there. He used the .us domain extension and made his domain name del.icio.us.
Some other examples are great for branding, like Last.fm (streaming music) and thegreen.diet (a domain that literally indicates what the site sells).
In this way, I encourage you to think creatively when creating your domain and do not forget some of those domain extensions that make the brand dream!
And if you need help, you can always use a blog name generator or check out other tips for choosing a domain name.
That closes our post! If you have any questions available to you about how or why you can choose a top-level domain, let us know in the comments below.
