Everything To Know About Domain Names

 

Domain names are often confused with websites or website hosting services. And as a matter of fact, each one of them is different though they are all interconnected. Before getting to know about domain names, it is crucial to understand why websites or web hosting services are not similar to domain names. A website is what is displayed to the users when they enter a domain name in a browser. And, a web host or website hosting server is where the websites are kept for the users to access whenever the domain name of the website is entered. Now, let us get to know about domain names, how it works, its types, and what to consider before choosing one.

A domain name is an address like 'google.com' entered by a user in a browser's address bar to access a website. If not for domain names, one might have to enter the Internet Protocol (IP) address, a series of numbers which is hard to remember, to view a website. So, domain names come to the rescue by providing an easy-to-remember name, representing a brand or a business. Moreover, a domain name is to be carefully selected, so that it can create a unique identity for a firm, organization, or individual, as well as establish a strong connection with the users. Further, a number of domain registrars are available, assisting in domain registration, domain renewal, and domain transfer.

When a domain name is entered, a request is sent to the Domain Name System (DNS), a naming system for devices connected on the internet around the world. Further, the DNS converts the domain name into an IP address. To put it simply, the DNS translates a domain name into a machine-friendly language to fetch the webpage the user wants.

Domain names are divided based on its extensions. The extensions mostly represent the kind of business or organization a domain name depicts. Top-level domains (TLDs), as the name indicates, consists of a large number of domain name extensions that ranks top on the internet. TLDs are further classified into generic top-level domains (gTLDs), and country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs). The domain extensions like .com, .org, .edu, etc comes under gTLDs. It specifies the purpose of a domain. Meanwhile, ccTLDs comprises domain extensions assigned to a country or region such as '.uk' for the United Kingdom, '.in' for India, '.au' for Australia, and so on. Furthermore, there are subdomains to add more sections to the main domain.

Finally, there are certain factors to be considered before choosing a domain name. Besides, the choice ultimately depends on one's requirement. A short and simple domain name that is easy to spell and pronounce is generally recommended. Further, a domain with the potential to become a brand is suggested if branding is the ultimate goal. Last but not least, a suitable extension is to be selected. Just because an extension is available does not mean it matches the purpose of a domain. So, picking the one that suits the domain's objective is a basic necessity. Yet, '.com' is regarded as the most recognized extension out there.