What is a Domain Name and How Does it Work?

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Nowadays, most people run their businesses online. 

For a business to be successful, it must have the right branding.

Building a brand from the ground up is not so easy since Rome wasn’t built in a day. When you decide to move your business online, you will certainly have a website and domain name.

In case you already own a brand, you will have no issues. If not, then you can choose a beautiful brand name and domain for your business.

You might also find that someone else owns your brand name, which might prevent you from getting it as a domain name for your website.

As a result, you may have to purchase that domain to protect your business or switch to another name. 

All the above information explains the importance of having a domain name associated with your business and brand. 

Now, let’s discuss all of that in detail.

Understanding DNS and URL

As a start, let’s understand what domains and URLs are and their significance. 

Despite appearing to be two different things, the domain, and the URL are related. Let’s look at how they work.

1. What is DNS (Domain Name System)

Before I describe the domain name, let me explain what the Domain Name System (DNS) is. 

The internet is actually a network of computers. To locate a specific computer in that network, we need its ID, which is its IP (Internet Protocol) address.

IP addresses are indicated by numbers. Imagine that the IP address of a computer is 235.2235.02.109. Does it seem easy to remember? 

People will answer ‘No’ most of the time. 

It is difficult for an ordinary human being to find and recall such numerical addresses. Therefore, a Domain Name System (DNS) is introduced, e.g., www.abcd.com.

Initially invented in 1983, the Domain Name System (DNS) allows computers, networks, and internet-based services to translate complex strings of numbers (IP addresses) into easy-to-remember web addresses (Domain names).

By typing a web address into the search box of your browser and pressing enter, a request is sent to the root server and then the authoritative provider’s name server. 

The name server then translates the domain name into an IP address and connects you to the appropriate web server that delivers you the requested webpage.

Within a few microseconds, you get the requested web page displayed on your screen.

2. What is the URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

URL ( Uniform Resource Locator) is the standardized form of the web address. It has the syntax to identify and locate the web page. It may vary with different addresses.

Basic Parts of a URL, URL Structure
Basic URL Structure

You can easily understand a URL structure by looking at the above image.

HTTP

It’s one type of transfer protocol known as the hypertext transfer protocol. Other protocols include HTTPS, FTP, etc.

(: )

The sign separates the rest of the address from the transfer protocol.

(//)

The sign denotes the connection is attempted.

www

WWW is the subdomain and acronym for the “World Wide Web.”

It may not be necessary to access the web page and may be replaced by another subdomain such as blog, support, or contact.

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That’s the name of the domain you’re trying to access.

It is possible to choose a domain name that matches the name of your brand or a domain name of your choice.

If your desired domain name is already taken, you can switch to another one. A well-chosen domain will help your business grow and you will become more popular.

.com

It is the domain suffix commonly referred to as the domain extension or top-level domain (TLD).

Several TLDs are available, such as .com, .net, .biz, .org, and .edu. However, always opt for the .com extension.

Some of the more popular country-code TLD extensions are .in, .au, and .uk.

wp (not shown in the image)*

In some cases, the URL displays the directory containing the web page itself. In most cases, it is public_html.

It is a directory on computers running Apache web servers that stores all HTML files and other web content to be viewed on the Internet.

In this case, each page on a website loads from its public_html directory.

siteground review

This is the actual web page that you are looking for.

It may have the extension .html, .xml, .cgi, .php, or .asp, etc., depending on the language that the page is written in.

How to Find the Right Domain Name?

You now understand what DNS and URL are.

The next step is to find the appropriate domain name. 

Generally, domain names fall into two categories.

1. Keyword-Focused Domain Names

A keyword-based domain name contains one or more keywords associated with your business or product. While it is very easy to remember, it may be tailored to only the particular niche in which you will be working.

Keyword-focused domain names have the advantage of being easy to remember, as well as having a higher search frequency. 

However, switching from one niche to another might be a little problematic.

E.g., headphonezone.com

2. Generic or Independent Domain Names

Typically, generic or independent domain names have not yet taken off as brands and aren’t aimed at a specific niche.

In this category, marketing and branding efforts are necessary, even if you use your own brand name.

It’s easy to register your favorite domain name. View the latest domain registrar deals by visiting our recommended domain registrar list. Moreover, you should secure all popular TLDs associated with it o protect your brand.

For example, if you own the brand ABCD, you can try to buy abcd.net, abcd.org, and abcd.biz in addition to the most popular domain abcd.com.

In the long run, it may help you to grow your audience and avoid losing traffic to similar sites.

Top Domain Name Generators

You can use the following tools to search for a good domain name.

These tools allow you to get the name you want. However, if you already have a brand name, you can choose it. 

I hope you understand what DNS and URL are. Use our recommended tools to choose the perfect domain name for your website.

Would you like to add anything to this blog? Please write a comment.

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