What Is A Domain Name
To simplify things, a domain name is an address to a website. It works by identifying the IP address of the computer where your website files are stored.
Therefore, a domain name (aka domain) is just an address; not the website itself. In a simple analogy, a domain name is like a name of a person, whereas the website is the person himself.
The screenshot below, shows the internet browser with LogishEmpire’s website. The address bar shows the domain name, logishempire.com. The actual website is stored on a computer in the internet; this storage facility on the internet would be called webhosting.
Key point: The domain name simply points to those files that make up the website.
Purpose of a Domain Name
Since a domain name is a mere web address, it has to point towards the website files located on your webhost’s computer(server). This computer where your files are hosted have IP addresses that looks something like this: 216.239.51.99.
Can you imagine typing 216.239.51.99 just to visit Google (and every other website)? Of course not! It would be damn difficult to remember a series of numbers each to visit Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Logish Empire and so on. Hence the purpose of domain names.
Key point: The domain names are used to identify websites, without the hassle of remembering IP addresses.
What Are The Different Domain Names
There are many domain name suffixes (a.k.a. Top Level Domains). They include: .com, .net, .org, .info, .mobi and more. Some Country Top Level Domains include: .us, .sg, .co.uk, .in and .be.
The most common domains are .com’s followed by .net and .org. This is mainly due to the fact that these top level domains have existed the longest. People are also accustomed to typing domainname.com rather than domainname.be.
However, fairly recently, interesting domains like .info, .me and .tv have become popular.
In the next few articles, I’ll guide you on how to choose a domain name.
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