Your domain is the backbone of your digital presence. It is a fundamental factor for your visitors to know and remember your brand, and it is a critical component of your omnichannel marketing strategy. For this reason, knowing what a domain is can make all the difference in establishing the success of your online presence – especially if you’re a business looking to increase sales through your website.
What is a domain name and why is it important?
A domain name is the unique name that each website has.
If you think of your website as a building, then the domain name is its address. Your domain is the place where people must go to visit your site, and each domain is completely unique.
From a technical standpoint, a web domain makes it easier to navigate the Internet and access a specific web page. Instead of having to use an IP address (which is a complicated combination of numbers and letters that computers use to recognize a website), a domain name is a simpler combination of letters, numbers and symbols that someone types into their browser to directly access a specific web address.
For example, if you wanted to visit GoDaddy’s website, it is not enough to type “GoDaddy” into your browser, as that would simply give you search results for “GoDaddy” and would not show the actual website. Instead, if you type the domain name “GoDaddy.com” in the browser, you can access the GoDaddy site.
Its purpose, therefore, is to make it easier for people to visit your site. And that is why it is important to register a name that is simple and easy to remember. But before choosing the perfect domain name for your business, let’s take a look at some of the main things you should know about them.
Structure of a web domain
A domain name is made up of two main parts: the second-level domain (DSL) and the top-level domain (TLD).
The arrow points to the DSL and TLD in the GoDaddy web address.
The second-level domain (DSL) is the part that appears after “www.” in the example above. The maximum length of a DSL is 63 characters, but it is generally recommended to choose a short, branded, memorable DSL.
The top-level domain (TLD) is the last section, which in this case is the “.com” section. TLDs are also known as domain extensions, and there are now many options besides “.com”.
What types of domains are there?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the body that controls the registries that make domain extensions (or TLDs) available for purchase.
ICANN assigns IP addresses, administers accreditation systems, and maintains a centralized database of all domain names and their corresponding IP addresses.
ICANN recognizes two main types of domains or TLDs:
Generic Top-Level Domain ( gTLD or generic Top-Level Domains).
Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) are the most common type of domain extension used. Examples include .com, .net, .org, .gov and .edu.
These TLDs are intended to indicate the purpose of a website, such as commercial use (.com) or educational purposes (.edu).
Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs)
These indicate the country where a website is registered or where a company or organization does business. For example, .us is the ccTLD for the United States and .es is the ccTLD for Spain.
Similarly, some of them, such as .ly for Libya and .tv for Tuvalu, are chosen for their brand value (although some of them have certain limitations on who can register them).
In addition, these two types of domains, gTLDs and ccTLDs, can be combined, giving us common extensions such as .co.uk or .com.au.
Domain vs. URL: What is the difference?
We have already mentioned that a domain is a specific string of text that can direct someone to a website. This definition also roughly describes a URL -Uniform Resource Locator-. In fact, people often use the terms URL and domain interchangeably, although there are specific differences.
What is a URL?
A URL is a string of characters in a web browser that identifies every item on the Internet so that the server can display a specific resource to an end user. Every item on the Internet, such as every image and video we use in this blog, has a unique URL address so that it can be located.
It is therefore more descriptive than a domain. In fact, it encompasses it and allows servers to identify and display unique assets on a website.