Domain Names
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What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is like the name or address of your website. For example, the domain name of this website is davelongwebstudio.com. You can type a domain name into your web browser, and the browser will bring you to the web site that you want to go to. Also, if you click on a link to get to a site (in a list of search results for example), your web browser will show the domain name of the web site in the browser’s address bar. Sometimes a domain name is just called a domain for short.
Is a Domain Name the same thing as an IP Address?
An IP address is a series of numbers that can serve a similar function as a domain name. They look like this:
172.67.221.17. Your web browser needs an IP address to find web sites, but people don’t usually use them because
it’s much eaiser to remember and use domain names. When you type a domain name into a browser, or click on a link that
takes you to a website, your browser will use something called the domain name system (DNS) to find the IP address
that it needs.
How Important is Choosing the Right Domain Name?
Choosing the right domain name is important. It’s sort of like choosing a name for your product, service, or business. Here are some things to conisder when choosing a domain name:
- How long is it?
- Does if give people a sense of what to expect from your site?
- Is it easy to remember?
- Would it look good on a business card or letter?
- Is it easy to type in?
- Is it similar to or the same as your business name?
- Are the words in it easy to spell?
- Which top-level domian should you pick?
What is a Top Level Domain (TLD)?
A top-level domain, or TLD, is the last part of the domain name that you would usually see. Common examples of TLDs are .com, .net, and .org. Which top-level domain to pick is an important consideration when making a web site. Probably the most common TLD these days is .com, which is a good choice for many businesses. On the other hand, .com is also the least likely to be available, as many people are looking for .com domain names these days. There are many other top level domains to choose from, though.
What is Subdomain?
A subdomain is an optinal part of a domain name that comes before the main domain. For example, I could create the following subdomains for my website:
- support.davelongwebstudio.com
- blog.davelongwebstudio.com
- store.davelongwebstudio.com
Can I Choose any Domain Name I Want?
Many domain names are unavailable, as they have already been reserved by other people or businesses. Aside from this issue, though, you have a lot a freedom in choosing your domain name.
How can I Get a Domain Name?
The first step in obtaining a domain name is to check and see if it’s available. You can do a quick search on many different web sites to find this out. I usually recommend that people go to a domain name registrar to do domain name searches. A domain name registrar is just an orgainizatin that sells the service of registering domain names for people. If you use a website builder, you can often register and search for domain names and with them.
Should my Domain Name be the Same as my Business Name?
In many cases, it makes sense to have your domain name and business name be the same or at least very similar. In other cases, though, you may want to use something different. It really depends on your specific situation.