Users new to this topic know what a domain is or what function it has. Well, a domain is very important to be able to create a website. Many users new to this often confuse a website hosting service with a website’s domain name. It is very important to know how domain names work, it is also easy to understand for both beginners and expert WordPress users.
In this beginner’s guide, we will talk about what a domain name is and how domains work. The goal of the o3 Magazine team is to help you understand what a domain is and how to choose the right domain name for your website.
What is a Domain Name?
Table of Contents
- 1 What is a Domain Name?
- 2 How do domain names really work?
- 3 How is a web host different from a website’s domain name?
- 4 What types of domain names are there?
- 5 Who is Responsible for Domain Name System?
- 6 For my website, which domain name do I choose?
- 7 How to Buy a Domain Name?
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Names
Still don’t know what a domain name is? Well, from o3 Magazine we are going to explain it to you well. The domain name is the address of a website where people usually type it in the URL browser in order to visit the website.
At an advanced and technical level, each computer that is connected to the Internet has an identifier by a unique IP address with four digits separated by periods. The domain system that refers to the aforementioned IP addresses was established so that we do not have to memorize these IP addresses.
The name servers or DNS servers are the servers that are responsible for translating domain names to IP addresses.
How do domain names really work?
Below we will see what happens when you enter them in your browser to fully understand how domain names really work.
When you enter a domain name in your web browser, the first thing it does is send a request to a global network of servers that make up the Domain Name System (DNS). When you enter the domain name, the servers are dedicated to finding all the names associated with your search. The name servers are managed by a hosting company. For example, if your website is hosted with Bluehost, your server information would be: bluehost.com
Your hosting company will send your request to the web server where your website is stored. The role of the web server is to retrieve the web page and all the content associated with it. Finally, this data is sent to the browser.
How is a web host different from a website’s domain name?
The website is made up of images, files like HTML pages, website software, and much more. Web hosting is the home where your website resides and the domain name is the web address of your website. Where the website files are stored are called servers and the companies that offer this service are called hosting companies.
The main thing you need to create a website is a domain name and web hosting, they are two totally different things that you can buy in different companies. What if you buy these two elements in different companies? How would it work? All you will have to do is configure the domain name and enter the name information offered by the hosting service you have hired.
From the o3 Magazine team we recommend for greater ease to obtain both the domain and the web hosting from the same company. So we can manage them with the same account.
What types of domain names are there?
Domain names come with many different extensions, but the most popular is by far the .com. We have many options available that are also fine like .net, .org, .info and many more.
Top Level Domain – TLD
The TLD or Top Level Domain is the highest level in the generic domain extensions domain name system. The most popular are .net, .org, .com and other but less known top-level domains are .info, .biz, .agency and others.
Country Code Top Level Domain – ccTLD
The ccTLD or country code top-level domain are domains that end with the country extension, so they are specific domains. These domains are used by those who want to create a website to only target audiences in their own country. A country code extension can be .uk for the UK or .es for Spain.
Sponsored Top Level Domain – sTLD
The sTLD or sponsored top-level domain belongs to a category of TLD that represents a specific community carried out by the domain extension. For example, gov for the United States government, .edu for education-based organizations, and more.
Who is Responsible for Domain Name System?
Do you know who manages the domain name system? Well, who administers the domain name system is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). For example, if you want to sell a domain, ICANN grants permission to companies called domain name registrars to sell the domain names. Domain name registrars can manage their registrations, sell domain names, transfers to other registrars, and renewals
For my website, which domain name do I choose?
Today, millions of domain names are registered per day, this means that high quality domains may already be registered. There are tools that make it easier for us to generate business names powered by AI. These tools allow us to verify that the domain we want is available and also generate creative ideas for our future company.
Next, the we will give you some tips to help you choose the right domain name for your website.
- Try to select the domain with a .com extension.
- Keep in mind that it is easy to remember and short.
- Ease of spelling and pronouncing.
- Use domain name generators to generate domain name ideas for your future website.
- Do not use hyphens or numbers.
How to Buy a Domain Name?
There are a variety of sites where you can buy your domain name, below we will name the most popular domain name companies:
- GoDaddy
- Domain.com
- Network Solutions
A wide variety of WordPress hosting companies also offer domain registration services. This benefits us since we will control the domain and the web hosting from a single account, thus facilitating our work. We recommend Bluehost for the beginning, since they offer very good functionalities and quite affordable prices to start our new project. In fact, you can start for $2.75 / month.
Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Names
We often get a lot of questions from beginners related to this important topic of domain names. Next, the we will answer the most frequent questions that we invade every day about domain names.
What is a subdomain?
A subdomain is a child domain of the parent domain. When you have your main domain registered you can create subdomains.
Can I cancel my registration of a domain name?
It depends on the registrar, some registrars if they allow us to cancel the domain registration. If you decide to cancel, you should know that in most cases it is not refunded. Your domain name will expire after the registration period you paid for if you do not have the automatic renewal feature activated.
Can I move my website to a different domain name?
Yes you can move your website to a different domain name. You will need to carefully move the new domain name and set up redirects so that it does harm to our SEO.
Can I sell a domain name?
Sure you can sell your domain name. If you are interested in selling your domain, you can do it through Sedo or GoDaddy among others.
What is domain privacy? Do I need it?
Domain privacy is an extra service that domain registrars sell. ICANN asks people who register domain names for a physical address, email, phone number, and personal information.
Can I buy more than one domain name?
Of course, you can buy all the domain names you need and want.
What Is Domain Parking?
Domain parking is a method by which domain owners try to make money from their unused domain.
Free vs. Paid Domain Names
They are not really “free” but are included as part of a website hosting package. For example, BlueHost offers one year “free” domain name registration with each hosting package.
