Domain names are much like VIN number of a vehicle, there are no two that are exactly the same.
Domain names are the identity cards of the Internet, representing the face of each website. In basic terms, a domain name is simply the name of your web site. However, behind each domain name is a process that turns a local web address into a word or phrase that anyone can use to access your site from around the world. Domain name is a phrase or even just a word that people input in their browsers to be pointed directly to a specific web site.
Domain names actually originate as the IP address of your website, which is a number that appears in the following syntax – xx.xx.xxx.xx or 77.77.777.77. A domain name is perhaps one of the most important part of any website, because it is ultimately what the visitor will remember when they try to return to the site.
The ideal domain name is short, memorable and contains no dashes and/or numbers.
Domain names end with extensions called TLDs. The TLD is the letters that appear after the last dot in the domain name. For example, .com is a TLD. Fortunately there are a wide variety of TLDs available, and there are even geographically specific TLDs that specify the location of a web site. The cost of a domain name will usually depend upon the TLD.
Dot com domains are the most common, with .org, .net and .info following closely behind in terms of popularity.
Subdomains are actually extensions of a website that are primarily used to separate and categorize web site content. The address of the subdomain appears before the main domain name. For example – subdomain.example.com. It does not cost money to add a subdomain to your web site, and many web hosting providers allow the use of unlimited subdomains.
By creating a subdomain you are actually creating a separate web site within your site, which can be used as its own independent directory. When content is uploaded to the subdomain via FTP, a new FTP account should be created for the subdomain to facilitate quicker access to the site's directories and files.
Parked domains are web sites that are not currently being utilized by the site owner. Parked domains often have advertisements on them that are related to the subject of the domain. For example, if you have a domain by the name of “carinsurance.com” then you could park it with advertisements on the page related to that niche or industry.
There are two ways a domain name is parked – either by a domain owner through a domain name registrar or by default. When you first purchase a domain name it is parked by the domain name registrar automatically. For example, if you were to purchase a domain name from GoDaddy, the domain would be parked by GoDaddy automatically, until you place content on the site.
IP addresses are used to uniquely identify a website or computer. Any device that is connected to the internet is automatically assigned an IP address. IP stands for Internet Protocol, which is simply the practice through which data is transmitted over the internet. When a computer or web server is connected to a network it is given an IP address that separates it from all other devices on the network. An IP address is a string of numbers separated by dots that appear in the following format – 161.28.31.91. If you are connected to the internet right now then you have an IP address assigned to you.
IP address are crucial to internet communication because they dictate where a request for information is sent to. For example, if a web site visitors your site and clicks on a button, information is sent from their IP address to your web server. In order to return the proper information the web server will need to know the IP address of your computer.
Domain Name System is responsible for the allocation of domain names and traffic direction based on URLs in the address bar of the web browser. The Domain Name System is the largest database in the world, containing information about every web site in existence. There are currently more than 350 million unique active domains on the Internet.
Web sites are identified by the IP address of their server and/or server partition. However, an IP address is a number, which is far more difficult to remember than a simple phrase. In order to convert the IP address of a web site into a memorable phrase that is the domain name, a DNS server is needed.
A name server is a web server assigned with the sole task of sending and receiving request pertaining to domain names and IP addresses. The job of the domain name server is to take a number like an IP address and turn it into a readable term that can be typed into a browser's address bar, or vice versa.
Computers read Internet addresses much differently than humans. All computer language is in numbers and not letters. Therefore, in order for information to be transmitted from the nameserver to a user's computer, the DNS has to transmit information pertaining to the address and meaning of the domain name. The domain name system is a basically the largest database in the world, receiving more requests than any other database.
The first thing you should do when you are ready is to select a domain registrar and then open an account with them. Once you have registered you will need to choose your domain name and make sure it is available. The registrar will be able to provide you with your login information so that you may use their interface to edit the name servers and other domain properties.
Your name servers will dictate what web site or server your domain name represents. Your hosting account contains the names of the name servers that you need to point your domain to. Simply log into the control panel of your web hosting account, and you can find your name server information, or just call your hosting company and ask them for it.
Domain name registrars are companies that have direct access to the registry of domain names. When you buy a domain name, you are actually purchasing it from a domain name registrar. A very well known domain registrar is GoDaddy, which has registered more domain names than any other company.
Domain name registrars host your domains by default, until the domain is are pointed towards another Name Server. Most domain name registrars sell domains for relatively the same price, with .com, .net and .org domains being sold for about ten dollars, and cheaper domains such as .info domains being sold for about one dollar. Most domain name registrars will offer a considerable discount for domain bundles.
