A domain name is the address that users enter into a browser to find your website. For example, this website’s domain name is www.theebestlist.com. Domain names are useful for product promotion, creating brand awareness, and sales growth. This post covers domain names, the five various kinds of domains, and advice on selecting the ideal domain name for your online brand.
Domain name overview
A domain name, also known simply as a domain, is generally made up of 3 parts, each of which is separated by a dot:
- A third-level domain or subdomain, such as www.
- A second-level domain, which is the middle part of the address (in our case, it’s theebestlist).
- A Top Level Domain (TLD), such as .com.
You don’t always have to include the www prefix when typing a website address.
A domain name is part of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). In our case, the URL would be something like https://www.theebestlist.com/blog:
- HTTPS (or HTTP in some cases) is a scheme that identifies the relevant protocol for accessing the required page of the internet.
- :// separates the scheme and the second level domain.
- /blog is a subdirectory that sends you to a specific page on the website. In this case, it’s the blog.
The Domain Name System (DNS)
The DNS is a large database that enables effective translations between binary codes and words that humans can easily understand. It turns domain names into unique binary codes, known as IP addresses, which allow connections between other computer devices and networks. Since these IP addresses are long, complex, and complicated to humans, they appear as domain names to you.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is responsible for issuing unique domain names through various registrars. If you’re looking to buy a domain name, it’s advisable to pick one that is unique yet simple. It also makes sense to choose a name that’s similar to your brand or close enough. For example, if you sell shoes and the domain name shoes.com is already taken, you can try variations such as luvlyshoes.com until you find the best fit.
Types of domains
There are three major types of domain names: Top Level Domains (TLDs), Second Level Domains (SLDs), and third level domains. When picking a domain, make sure it reflects your business, suits your industry and boosts your brand. Here’s a more detailed explanation of popular domain types:
- Top-Level Domain (TLD)
A TLD is also known as a domain extension or ending. It refers to the suffix or ending of a web address, which is found on the right of the last dot of the primary domain name. For instance, if our domain name is www.theebestlist.com, the TLD is .com. TLDs that don’t represent countries or territories are known as generic TLDS, or gTLD in short. By 1988, there were 7 major gTLDs:
- .com (for commercial businesses). It remains the most popular gTLD.
- .org (for organizations)
- .gov (for government agencies)
- .edu (for educational institutions)
- .net (for firms focusing on networking technology)
- .mil (for military institutions)
- .int (for intergovernmental institutions)
To qualify for some gTLDs, you may have to prove you meet the specific requirements. For instance, only accredited educational institutions can use the .edu domain. Additionally, only government and military institutions can use the .gov and .mil domains respectively.
Other than these 7 main domain names, there are two other types of TLDs:
- Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs)
As the name suggests, country code TLD is a two-letter domain extension that defines a particular nation, autonomous territory, sovereign state, or geographic area. Although some nations now permit foreign parties to register domain names using their country code, ccTLDs were originally designed in 1985 with the intention of being registered and used by citizens of those nations.
Here are examples of popular ccTLDs along with the countries or territories they represent: .us (United States), .fr (France), .cn (China), .ke (Kenya), .eu (European Union), .ca (Canada), .ru (Russia).
- New gTLDs
New gTLDs were first issued in 2013 due to popular demand by businesses and individuals. According to ICANN, there are as many as 1300 such TLDs. They mostly take advantage of new trends and specific industries. Examples of new gTLDs are: .app (applications), .cool, .bank, .cloud, .club, and .health.
- Second-Level Domain (SLD)
Second-Level Domains are the main component of a domain name, often known as the domain title. Typically, the SLD is a collection of keywords used to describe a company or website. The SLD for the website www.theebestlist.com in our case would be “theebestlist.” You are free to use any combination of letters, hyphens, and numbers when selecting a Second-Level Domain.
- Third-Level Domains (Subdomains)
Third-level domains, which come before second-level domains in a URL, are also known as subdomains. They provide information about the kind of server the domain connects to when retrieving website data. The most popular third-level domain is www, an abbreviation of the world wide web. Although they used to be compulsory for domain names in the past, third-level domains are now optional.
Some domain owners usually create subdomains that correspond to different parts of their website. Examples include:
- shop.theebestlist.com (for an ecommerce store)
- blog.theebestlist.com (for the blog section of our website)
- support.theebestlist.com (for customer support inquiries)
- app.theebestlist.com (for mobile and web applications)
How to choose the best domain name
The ideal domain name for your business should be easy to remember. Here are some helpful tips:
- Keep the name as short and simple as possible.
- Pick a name that’s easy to spell, pronounce, and write.
- Try to avoid symbols and numbers.
- The domain name should match your business name.
- Make it as unique as possible from competitor brands to avoid confusion.
- The domain name should match your company’s goals and objectives.
- Unless you’re operating in a specific sector such as education or the non-profit sector, try your best to buy a .com domain because it’s the most recognizable.
- Before purchasing, use an online domain checker to find out if it’s available. A good example is bustaname.com.
- Try and incorporate popular keywords in your field of expertise into your domain name.
Conclusion
There you have it. Having read this article, you now have an in-depth understanding of what domain names are and how they work.Read this article if you want to buy your domain name from a reputable seller. This other article shows you how to connect your domain name to your web host.
