Domain Names 101
Somehow you’ve found your way to the internet, and if you’re
reading this article, then you are one step closer to
registering your first domain name. Whether you’re looking to
register a name for a personal blog, or for your online
business, the right domain name can mean the difference between
success and failure.
Once you are familiar with the basics, you will feel confident
enough to make a sensible decision, and find the best domain
name solution for your specific needs.
What is a domain name? The best way to understand the
concept of a domain name is to think of it as a mask, or the
alphanumeric equivalent of an ip address. This mask allows you
to access web pages on the internet in an easy to remember way.
For example the domain name for this site is www.DomainBash.com. That
is a lot easier to remember than something that looks like
24.195.85.161, which is what the ip address that the domain name
is masking. Your domain name will essentially become your online
identity, and how your visitors will be able to find your
website in the endless sea of sites that is the web.
Understanding the parts Now that you have a basic
understanding of what a domain name is, you are ready to
understand the individual parts of the domain name. Again we
will use www.domainbash.com for our
example. The www stands for “world wide web” which encompasses
all things accessible on the internet. The second part, which is
the part where some minor creativity will help, is the domain
name – in our example, this would be domainbash. This, more
often times than not, is also the name of your website, or
business. Last, we have the TLD – Top Level Domain, or the
extension. There are various extensions available for your
consideration.
TLDs In Depth TLDs can be further broken down into gTLDs
(generic top level domains) and ccTLDs (country code top level
domains).
Generic Top Level Domains gTLDs .aero – airport
industry
.biz – business
.com -
commercial, unrestricted
.coop -cooperatives
.edu – US education
.gov - US government
.info – informational, unrestricted
.mil – US
military
.museum – museums
.name -
individuals
.net – networks,unrestricted
.org – organizations, unrestricted
Country Code Top Level Domains ccTLDs
There are over 240 ccTLDs which correspond to country codes.
Some ccTLDs offer open registration, while others restrict their
usage. Some that offer open registration are .cc – Cocos
(Keeling) Islands, .bz – Belize, and .ws – Western Samoa, to
name just a few. See the full list here.
Using ccTLDs that are available to you in your area is a good
way to get a quality domain name that suits your website or
business.
Using a ccTLD is no different than using the more popular
gTLDs, and you will have a better chance of obtaining the domain
name you really want, rather than settling for a .com domain
name that is just so-so.
Where should I register my domain?
I have been dealing with domain names for quite some time now,
so I’ve dealt with many domain name registrars. An important
factor that you may not consider right away is how much control
you have over your domain name(s). The key is going with a
company that has a well known reputation. Reputations speak for
themselves. The company you choose should have outstanding
customer support and a simple control panel so that you can
easily control your domain name settings.
For domain name registration, I recommend two companies. 1)www.GoDaddy.com ,
and 2) www.eNom.com. Both of
these companies have outstanding reputations, plus offer the
best control panels I’ve seen. The last thing you want is to be
overwhelmed by your domain name. If it so happens that you don’t
like the registrars I’ve recommended, feel free to do your own
research, and find a company that works for you and your
business.
The Aftermarket
Unless the domain name you want to register is very unique, I
wouldn’t count on it being available for registration using the
..com extension. That’s not to say that it’s not for sale,
however. After you try to register your name, and you find that
has already been registered, go directly to the web address on
the net, and see what’s there. Sometimes there will be a
developed website, sometimes there will be nothing but an error
page, and sometimes you will find that the domain name is for
sale by owner. You can then attempt to contact the current owner
to purchase the domain on the aftermarket.
Domain names are generally more expensive on the aftermarket,
so expect to pay more than you would if you were registering the
domain name through a company like GoDaddy.com. Keep in mind the
domain name market is competitive. The cost can be tremendous
depending on the demand for the name. If you are just starting
out, using an alternative extension would be a better option for
you. Those will a larger budget should seriously consider
investing in their first choice domain name if the option is
available.
Whatever you decide to do, remember that your domain name is
your web presence. You want people to remember your domain name,
and never forget it. Try to choose something that represents
your website or business, while being memorable and pleasant to
say aloud. People tend to forget cumbersome domain names with
too many words. Try to keep it as short as possible, if possible
and let it flow.
I chose DomainBash.com because it related to domain names,
without being restrictive. It is also unique which allows me
trademark or brand the name. Combining a more common keyword, in
this case “domain” with another word that is less commonly used
“bash” is always a good idea if you want to include keywords in
your domain.
If you have any questions relating to this article, and you
still don’t feel prepared to register a domain name, please feel
free to contact me,
and I will help you in any way that I can
Domain Names?
I want a domain name for my Email to make my buisness look more profesinal. I have been on a web site that sell domain names for £2.99 per year. Do I have to have a web site for a domain name or can I just add it to my Email. Realy I have'nt got a clue how it works can someone explain please.
Hello and welcome to the world of confusion :p
Anyway to make your buisness more professional I would assume you allready have a domain name nuless you're using a Free webhost..( ie: GeoCities.)
For any serious buisnessman/woman I would suggest purchasing a a domain name and a Webhost provider. Most Companies that sell domain names also offer a package that allows you to host. Me personally I use 1and1.com they have great options that allow flexibility and what you're looking for.
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Need an IRC server so your Buisness can have a 'Live Chat' support? Email me! I can help! ;p Maybe.
£2.99 a year, i don't think so, £2.99 a month yes.
Do read the small print. (often there are "hidden costs"
Get a website and then you can have a website and name the same
i.e website
belsmith.co.uk
email
bsmith@bsmith.co.uk
it looks much better than some you see, where it says
i.e website
belsmith.co.uk
email
bsmith@btinternet.com
No offence to anyone who has belsmith, i just made it up
References :
Hey! for £2.49 a month for a website and email try http://www.mrsite.co.uk (or mrsite.com for places that are outside the UK)
References :
You can choose how you use your domain name.
Most people use it for both website and email, but you can choose if you only want one of these.
References :
Dear friend, if you want to have a domain name for your email and also a business website I suggest you to purchase your domain and hosting together. In this way it is possible to get your domain for free. Some hosting services offer this gift today.
You need a web hosting service which supports online payments like, Master Card, Visa & Pay Pal. It is very important that your service to be uptime. It means that you can access your account whenever you want to update your web pages, and your customers can view your website whenever they insert your website address. If your hosting service is not uptime it is a real hell!
As an experienced webmaster I recommend BlueHost service which I’m sure it would work for you and fulfill all your requirements. They have a really great offer for hosting & I have used them for over 3 yrs now, and have never had a single problem with them. (One of my websites is an online business site)
They offer an installing service called "Fantastico". By using this service, you can easily create your own shopping carts.
You can go there through the address below:
http://bluehost-service.atspace.com
Here I have copied and pasted its features from their website to view:
- Multi-awarded
- Free Domain Forever
- 600 Gigabyte Hosting Space
- 6,000 GIGS of Transfer
- Host UNLIMITED Domains (Support All Domain Names)
- 2,500 POP/Imap Email Accounts
- SSH (Secure Shell), SSL, FTP, Stats
- CGI, Ruby (RoR), Perl, PHP, MySQL
- 2000/2002/2003 Front Page Extensions
- Free Site Builder
- 24/7 Superb/Responsive Sales/Support
- Free Search Engine Submission
With BlueHost you can depend on:
* Highest customer service
* Quality equipment
* Maximum guaranteed uptime
* Highly functional tools for adminstration
* The leading feature set available
* Solid and honest business
******IMPORTANT*******
* This service is awarded as the best Web Host 2008.
* If you sign up for this service you will have $100 credits to advertise your created website with google & yahoo search engines for free!
*************************
Good Luck!
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