DOMAINS EXPLAINED

• Domain names are the name of your website

• URLs (Uniform Resource Allocator) are files (typically pages) on the site

• Domain names are an important marketing tool

• It’s important to have Top Level Domains

• Constructing a good domain name is vital

What is a Domain Name?

.org, .com, .net, what is in a (domain) name? Well actually quite a lot. The domain name that you use for your organisations website is one of the first things that many of your potential customers are going to view. And we all know that first impressions count!

A domain name is basically a unique address that you register to make it easy for your customers to find your website.

As you can see from the infographic below it is important to select the best domain name possible:

Source Web Hosting Geeks As you have probably guessed the .com domain names of the world are much more difficult to obtain as many .com domains have already been registered. This is a significant issue for new companies trying to compete against established online businesses.

There are also several different types of domains, such as:

• Top Level Domains

• Second Level domains

• Third Level domains

• Country Code Top Level Domains

A Domain Name is not the same as URL

A domain name is usually part of a larger internet address called a ‘URL’, Uniform Resource Indicator. A URL provides much more detail than a domain name such as the specific page address, folder name, machine name, and protocol language.

For example in the below URL:

http://www.theguardian.com/books

In this case theguardian.com is the domain name, and the rest of the address is what is called the ‘URL’.

How to Select the Best Domain Name

Selecting the best possible domain name is important. There are some important points to considered, these include:

• Make it easy to spell

• Keep it short

• Use domain name generators to search for available domains

• Avoid numbers and hyphens

• Consider registering your domain for the maximum number of years possible

This is an excellent guide from the Moz Blog on this topic.

How You Can Get Involved

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and numbers (ICANN) has produced the following guide on how you can get involved in the global domain name process.

ICANN has already been responsible for many important changes to the way in which domain names have been allocated for distribution. To date they have saved consumers and businesses over $1 Billion in domain registration fees.

We can help you get a great domain name.

Contact one of our team  members by phone on (071) 931 1510, or email us at sales@websuccess365.com