What is a Website Domain Name Name: A Beginner's Guide

A website domain is the address of a website on the internet. It’s what you type into the address bar of your web browser to visit a specific site. Think of it as your home’s street address – it helps people find you in the online neighborhood.

Breaking Down the Parts

A domain is made up of two main parts: the name and the extension. Let’s use an example to illustrate:

• Name: This is the unique and human-readable part of the domain. For instance, in www.example.com, “example” is the name.

• Extension: Also known as the domain suffix or top-level domain (TLD), it comes after the name. In our example, “.com” is the extension.

How Domains Work

When you type a domain into your browser and hit enter, a series of behind-the-scenes actions occur. The domain is translated into an IP address, a numerical label assigned to each device connected to the internet. This IP address directs your browser to the server where the website is hosted, and the web page is then displayed on your screen.

Choosing a Domain

Selecting the right domain for your website is crucial. It should be easy to remember, relevant to your content, and ideally, reflect your brand or purpose. Common extensions include “.com,” “.org,” and “.net,” but there are many others to choose from.

Registering Your Domain

You can buy a domain name from a registered domain registrars When you buy a domain name you are renting it for a at least one year. You can continue owning the domain name as long as you pay the renewal fee before the expiration date. Popular domain registrars include: Namecheap, NameSilo and Hostinger.