Domain Name
Over here, we will be learning about domain names. Right from what is domain to picking a domain name yourself. Let the journey begin!
Here is a quick overview of the topics we will cover in this guide.
- What is a domain name?
- Why is domain name required?
- How domain name works?
- Types of domain name
- How to choose a better domain name?
What is a domain name?
The name of any website that users enter into their web browsers is called domain name.
Domain names are human-readable addresses for any web server available on the internet.
The above picture clearly depicts what a domain name is.
Why is domain name required?
Computers that are being used worldwide are been connected with each other. Each computer has its unique IP address which helps it connect to other computers.
Let’s see how an IP address looks like:
for eg: 192.158.1.38
Imagine that you want to visit a website and for that, you need to know its IP address. And we visit many websites to find a suitable one for us. To search every website with this long address is a task, right? And here is where the domain name comes into the picture.
for eg: medium
Now, we can easily visit as many websites as we want more efficiently and easily.
How Domain name works?
By now we understood how domain name has made our life easier, let us now learn about how it actually works.
As soon as you enter any domain name in your web browser, it sends a request to a global network of servers that form the Domain Name System (DNS).
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Then those servers start searching for the name servers(computers managed by your hosting company) associated with that domain and forward your request to those name servers.
The hosting company will then forward your request to the computer where the website is stored.
This computer is called a web server. It has special software installed (Apache, Nginx are two popular web server software). The web server now fetches the web page and pieces of information associated with it.
And boom! you have access to the data which you were looking for.
Types of Domain names:
Knowing different domains is an essential part while you decide the name. As not all domain names work the same.
- Top-Level Domain (TLD):
Also called domain extension. This is a part of the URL which comes exactly after the domain name. Check out the example(make a link to the above image)mentioned above.
The allocation of TLDs is managed by IANA, a division of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), an organization founded in 1998. IANA determines which domain endings exist and sells the rights to assign them to registrars, who in turn negotiate with domain providers.
In earlier days these were the TLDs in use:
a) .com: Used for commercial purposes, it is the first TLD in common use.
b) .net: Used by the Internet Service Provider.
c) .edu: Used by schools and universities for educational purposes.
d) .org: Used by the non-profit organization.
e) .mil: created expressly for U.S. military branches.
f) .gov: This one is restricted and is only used by government websites.
Later, there were many TLDs, now more than 1,000 domain endings are in use. - Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD):
These are restricted to use in specific countries only. It is a two-lettered extension. In case you want to expand your product internationally then this one will limit you.
For eg: .in for India - Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD):
This type of extension is not limited to geographical boundaries but is bound to a theme.
These themes can be
.art if your website is related to art or
.blog if your website is revolving around blogs.
Using this may make your domain name a memorable one as you want your audience to get back to your website. - Second-Level Domain (SLD):
Let’s learn it with an example:
www.medium.com
Here, .com is the TLD and what immediately precedes the TLD is the SLD. In this case, medium is the SLD.
Above this, there are websites that use country code second-level domain(ccSLD).
For eg: example.co.in - Third-Level Domains:
Also referred to as a subdomain, it stands towards the left of the second-level domain.
As discussed earlier, in the example
www.medium.com
medium is SLD, .com is TLD which leaves us with the www part which is the Third-Level Domain.
www is the most common and widely used Third-Level Domain.
How to choose a better domain name?
As we know, there are millions of domain names that have been already registered or are being registered as you read this blog. Hence, one needs to choose a domain name wisely.
Here are few tips to provide you a helping hand while choosing a domain name:
- Make it short, catchy, and memorable: It is better to keep the domain short and memorable as typing long domain names might lead to mistyping or misspelling and the customer might end up being on the error page.
- .com is preferred: .com is the most popular and trusted one. Hence it is easy to promote and remember. There are new domain extensions like .blog or .writes too but somewhere there is a second thought before using those. And that’s the reason .com is a preferred and most usable extension.
- Use keywords: Domain name should be informative and relatable to the work that you provide to the customer. For example, if it is a car service provider website so the domain could be carservice.com or you can still come up with better ideas after reading this blog.
- Avoid numbers or hyphens: Having numbers or hyphens might create confusion for a user while searching for your website. Hence, it is suggested to have letters.
- Use Domain Name Generators for Clever Ideas: In case you are confused or can’t think enough, you don’t need to worry. There are websites available that will help you to get one.
So far, we have learnt about domain name, it’s types and tips to choose a better domain name that one would choose without these tips.
This was my learning about domain name.
Hope you had a good time reading this!
