What is a Domain Name?
The domain name is the actual name of a website located after www in the URL. Domain name is the address using which users can access a website. For example, Google.com, YouTube.com, Facebook.com are examples of domain names. Lets understand it together in detail.
Now, most of us use these websites in daily life. But, if someone asks you to access Google or Facebook or YouTube using its IP address, will it be easy to remember? No, remembering multiple IP addresses for different websites would be too much of a task. So, what would you like to remember? Obviously, you remember google.com, not Google’s IP address.
Examples of Domain Name with associated IP Address
| Company | IP address | Domain name |
| 216.58.216.164 | google.com | |
| 207.18.169.017 | facebook.com | |
| YouTube | 194.02.241.132 | youtube.com |
In actual, websites are accessed using its IP address. But remembering a bunch of IP addresses would be a very difficult task for anyone. So to easily access websites there is a service called domain names. Domain names are used in place of IP addresses to help users identify a website without having to remember a bunch of numbers (IP address). For example, google.com, facebook.com, youtube.com are examples of domain names.
In Short, IP address is a unique string of numbers and other characters that are used across the Internet to access websites from any device or location. and A domain name is an online address that offers a user-friendly way to access a website’s true online locator: its Internet Protocol (IP address).
Why do We Use Domain Name instead of IP Address?
(1) Easy to Remember
If your domain name is easy to remember, visitors can simply type it into the search bar. This can increase direct traffic to your website. For example, Microsoft.com, Amazon.com, Apple.com etc.
(2) Stand Out from Your Competitors
A simple but easy to remember domain name can help you stand out from competing websites with clunky or complex domains. For example, the name of tech giant Google is far easier to remember than Backrub. You may be interested to know the History of Google.
(3) You Are the Owner
Perhaps most importantly, a domain gives you ownership of your website address. Once you purchase a domain name in your own name, no one else can claim it. This gives you complete control over which website is pointed to, which domain name registrar manages it, what information is associated with your domain name account, who manages it etc.
(4) To Establish a Brand Identity
A domain name that matches or is similar to your business name can help you build a consistent online brand identity.
(5) To Build Domain Authority
The domain authority of a website describes its relevance for a specific subject area or industry. In simple words, domain name strengthens your brand, and shows Prestige of a website and its authors, Quality of the information served on that website. And it also represents that where does your website stand in competition with other websites on that particular topic? As a rule of thumb, the older a domain is, the more authoritative it is. This is because you have had time to accumulate quality content, internal links, and backlinks.
(6) To Build Credibility
A domain name that matches your business name builds credibility and makes your website seem more reputable and professional to your users. This increases the visitor’s trust and makes them feel comfortable taking actions like submitting a survey or form on your website with the same domain name.
Basic Rules to Buy a Domain Name
- Each domain must be unique and no two domains can be alike.
- Avoid numbers, hyphens and symbols to make it more brandable, not generic.
- Keep it short and sweet.
- You must register a domain name before you can use it.
- If someone has already purchased the abcd.com domain then you cannot purchase the same domain.
What is Domain Name Status?
Domains also have a status such as active, inactive. Like any medicine, domain has an expiry date. And this expiry date of domain known as Domain Name Status. Here are some examples of domain status: Active, Inactive, Redemption Period, Pending Delete, Pending Transfer, Server Hold etc.
When a domain expires it immediately becomes inactive and all services associated with it stops working. You cannot make any updates to a domain once it expires. So, never forget to renew your domain before expiry. After some time e.g. 30-45 days of domain expiration.
Note: Expired domain becomes available to the public and anyone can purchase that expired domain and become the owner of that domain if existing owner doesn’t renews it in redemption period. Renewal period depends on your current domain provider.
What is Website Suffix in Domain Name?
In short, website suffix is like the alias of any website. The website suffix is used to identify the type of website and is placed after the website name in the URL. Domain Suffix is also known as Top Level Domain (TLD).
For example, my name is Raunak Patel. Here, Raunak is my name and Patel is my surname. So you can easily find out my religion and caste by knowing my surname. In terms of website, if the domain is google.com, google is the name of the website and .com is the alias of the website, it means the type of website is business. In the table below, some website suffix examples are available for your reference.
The domain suffix is the last part of the domain name and can be used to identify what type of organization the site is associated with. For example, any government web site will have the domain suffix of .gov, which means it is a government website.
Examples of Suffix in Domain Name
There are several domain suffixes that have been approved by ICANN. Popular domain suffixes are given in the table below.
| Suffix | Type of Website |
| .com | Commercial Website |
| .gov | Government Website |
| .in | Indian Website |
| .org | Non Profit Organization Website |
| .net | Networking Technology Company Website |
| .edu | Educational Institution |
| .biz | Business Website |
| .mil | Military Website |
| .us | United States Website |
The list is very long but these are the most commonly used domain suffixes. Please note that in some cases, it is not mandatory that the domain suffix represents a type of website. Because some organizations may also have a ‘.com’ suffix, it is at their choice.
Each country has its own domain suffix and its purpose is to restrict the website to that particular country. For example, “.in” websites may not be seen in search results outside India. If anyone has the full address of the website or the IP address of the website then he can access the website but not from the search result.
Region restricted The scope of using the site is not completely limited. You can access region restricted site by using IP address, VPN etc. but the best is VPN.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Domain Name in Other Words
A domain name is the address of your website that people type into their web browsers to find your website on the internet. It’s like your online street address. For example, Youtube’s domain name is www.youtube.com.
If someone else has purchased your favorite domain, can we get it back?
You may have other options as well. For Example, If you want to purchase abcd.com and someone else has taken it then you can look for alternative domain like abcd2.com, abcd.in, abcde.com whatever is available on the internet. If you are looking to register a domain and find that it has already been registered, you can try purchasing the domain name from the existing owner.
But, sometimes the domain owner has domain name privacy as an add-on feature, their information will be kept private and you will not be able to find their information. So, we can say that they are not interested in selling the domain or they want to hide their identity.
Can I keep my domain without a website?
Your Domain Name acts as an address for your virtual space that allows visitors to easily access and remember your website, if you have one. But, registering a Domain alone doesn’t necessarily require you to have a website. Many customers only register a Domain for brand protection and future use.
Now, you know very well about Domain Name and Domain Suffix. If this post helped you then please share it with your friends and family to know about it. If you have any questions then feel free to ask in comment section. We will try our best to help you. You can read more such interesting articles here.
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