What is a domain name

What is a Domain Name?

Summary

Domain names are a key part of the Internet infrastructure. They provide a human-readable address for any web server available on the Internet.

Any Internet-connected computer can be reached through a public IP address, either an IPv4 address (e.g. 173.194.121.32 ) or an IPv6 address (e.g., 2027:0da8:8b73:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:1337 ).

Computers can handle such addresses easily, but people have a hard time finding out who’s running the server or what service the website offers. IP addresses are hard to remember and might change over time.

To solve all those problems we use human-readable addresses called domain names.

Deeper dive

Structure of domain names

A domain name has a simple structure made of several parts (it might be one part only, two, three…), separated by dots and read from right to left:

Each of those parts provides specific information about the whole domain name.

TLDs can contain special as well as latin characters. A TLD’s maximum length is 63 characters, although most are around 2–3.

The full list of TLDs is maintained by ICANN.

Label (or component)

The label located right before the TLD is also called a Secondary Level Domain (SLD).

A domain name can have many labels (or components). It is not mandatory nor necessary to have 3 labels to form a domain name. For instance, www.inf.ed.ac.uk is a valid domain name. For any domain you control (e.g. mozilla.org), you can create «subdomains» with different content located at each, like developer.mozilla.org, iot.mozilla.org, or bugzilla.mozilla.org.

Buying a domain name

Who owns a domain name?

You cannot «buy a domain name». This is so that unused domain names eventually become available to use again by someone else. If every domain name was bought, the web would quickly fill up with unused domain names that were locked and couldn’t be used by anyone.

Instead, you pay for the right to use a domain name for one or more years. You can renew your right, and your renewal has priority over other people’s applications. But you never own the domain name.

Companies called registrars use domain name registries to keep track of technical and administrative information connecting you to your domain name.

Finding an available domain name

To find out whether a given domain name is available,

As you can see, I can’t register mozilla.org because the Mozilla Foundation has already registered it.

On the other hand, let’s see if I could register afunkydomainname.org :

As you can see, the domain does not exist in the whois database (at the time of writing), so we could ask to register it. Good to know!

Getting a domain name

The process is quite straightforward:

Note: In this process the registrar asks you for your real-world address. Make sure you fill it properly, since in some countries registrars may be forced to close the domain if they cannot provide a valid address.

DNS refreshing

DNS databases are stored on every DNS server worldwide, and all these servers refer to a few special servers called «authoritative name servers» or «top-level DNS servers.» — these are like the boss servers that manage the system.

Whenever your registrar creates or updates any information for a given domain, the information must be refreshed in every DNS database. Each DNS server that knows about a given domain stores the information for some time before it is automatically invalidated and then refreshed (the DNS server queries an authoritative server and fetches the updated information from it). Thus, it takes some time for DNS servers that know about this domain name to get the up-to-date information.

How does a DNS request work?

As we already saw, when you want to display a webpage in your browser it’s easier to type a domain name than an IP address. Let’s take a look at the process:

Next steps

Okay, we talked a lot about processes and architecture. Time to move on.

What Is a Domain Name?

How domains help us navigate the internet

A domain name is a unique set of characters that identifies a specific website. In a lot of ways, a domain name has the same relationship to a website as a street address has to a house.

When you enter a domain name into a web browser, the browser accesses something called a domain name server (DNS) to find the location of the corresponding website on the internet, so that it can retrieve the website and display it to you. This is a little like looking someone up in a phone book to find out how to call them or get to their house.

How Do You Read a Domain Name?

Taken together, as a whole, Lifewire.com forms a fully qualified domain name that you can use to visit this website.

Domain names can also include additional subdomains. For example, en.wikipedia.org is a subdomain of wikipedia.org, and you can use it to visit the English language version of Wikipedia.

Explaining the Different Types of Top Level Domains

In addition to the generic TLDs, most countries also have their own TLD. These are referred to as country code top level domains (ccTLD) and are often restricted to use by people and organizations within the country in question.

How Do Domain Names Work?

Domains work by allowing people to access websites by remembering an easy set of words or other characters instead of a long string of numbers. Every website on the internet has an associated internet protocol (IP) address that consists of a long string of numbers, or a long string of both numbers and letters.

For example, here are some IP addresses associated with Google.com:

Google.com IPv4: 74.125.136.139Google.com IPv6: 2607:f8b0:4002:c03::8a

You can technically type 74.125.136.139 into your web browser to visit Google, but do you really want to try to remember a number like that?

To make things easier, your web browser connects to a domain name server whenever you type a domain name into the address bar. Using the above example, it would discover that Google.com corresponds to the IP address 74.125.136.139 and then load the appropriate website.

How to Get a Domain

Domain names are the responsibility of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which grants domain registrars the authority to register domain names. If you want to get your own domain, you need to go through one of these registrars.

Most big web hosts also provide domain registration services, but you don’t have to go through your web host. It’s a little easier to go through one provider for everything, if you’ve never built a website before, but you don’t have to.

Registering a domain name is a fairly easy process that involves selecting a subdomain and pairing it with a TLD. If the combination you want is taken, you can try a different subdomain, or try different TLDs until you find one that works.

Can You Actually Own a Domain Name?

The process of registering a domain is often referred to as buying a domain, but there’s an important distinction to be made. Registering a domain is more like renting it than buying it.

When you register a domain, you get the rights to use it for the duration of your rental period. In most cases, the minimum registration is one year. If you don’t renew your domain, you lose access to it.

It’s also extremely important to make sure that your name, or your business, is actually on the domain registration. If you register your domain through a web designer, a web host, or any other third party, they may put their name on the registration instead of yours.

When that happens, the person whose name is actually on the registration owns the rights to the domain instead of you. They could theoretically point the domain at a different website, shut it down altogether, or even sell it.

When you register a domain, and your name is on the registration, you retain full rights to the domain for as long as you pay the recurring registration fee. Since your customers or readers rely on your domain to find your website, it’s easy to see why this is so important.

What is a domain name? Everything you need to know about domain names.

This post was originally published on April 11, 2019, and was updated on April 26, 2021.

Your domain name has become as important as your brand name in recent years. And, with buying behavior shifting online in response to COVID-19, that trend isn’t going to slow down. But, what is a domain name?

Knowing what a domain is can go a long way in setting your online presence up for success — particularly if you are a business looking to use a website to increase sales. Your domain name is the backbone of your digital presence. It’s one of the most important things for your visitors to know and remember, and it’s a critical component of your omnichannel marketing strategy.

To help you understand domain names and the components that affect your ability to register a domain name and operate a website, we’ve created this detailed guide.

This ultimate guide to domain names will cover:

Domain names can seem like a complicated topic, but after you finish this guide you’ll have the foundation necessary to make intelligent decisions related to domain names and domain registration. Ready? Let’s go!

What is a domain name and why is it important?

A domain name is the physical name of a website, and it’s arguably the most important part of your website. Much like your physical address or a phone number, there cannot be two identical domain names.

The backend of domain names can only be accessed and used by the domain name owner — known as the domain name registrant (we’ll discuss this more below). Domain names can also be bought and sold like assets in domain name auctions.

A domain name is the combination of letters, number and symbols someone types in their browser to access a specific web address directly.

For example, if you wanted to visit GoDaddy’s website, you couldn’t access it by typing “GoDaddy” in your browser — that would simply provide you search results for “GoDaddy” and would not render the actual website. Instead, you need to type the domain name “GoDaddy.com” in the browser to navigate to GoDaddy’s website.

A domain name is an easier way to browse the internet and access a specific website — instead of using an IP address, which is the convoluted strings of numbers and letters computers use to recognize a website.

Because a domain name is meant to make it easier for people to visit your website, it’s important to keep it simple and memorable.

Picking the perfect domain name can have a critical role in how well your website performs.

Every domain name has a monetary value and can be bought, sold and exchanged through various online marketplaces like GoDaddy. The importance of a good domain name and their scarcity create higher demand for quality domain names. Some domain names can sell for millions of dollars.

What are the parts of a domain name?

A domain name is comprised of two different levels. A domain name will have the top-level domain (TLD) and a second-level domain (SLD). Let’s look at each more closely using the GoDaddy.com example.

What does top-level domain (TLD) mean?

The last section of a domain name is known as the Top-Level Domain (TLD). In our example (www.GoDaddy.com), the TLD would be the .com segment.

Top-Level Domains are sometimes called domain suffixes or extensions and are meant to communicate the purpose or location of a website.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) controls registries that make TLDs available. There are several types of TLDs that ICANN recognizes, including:

Generic top-level domain (gTLD)

Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) are the most common type of TLD used, and examples of gTLDs include .com, .net, .org and .edu. They are meant to signify the objective of a website — like commercial use (.com) or educational purposes (.edu).

Country-code top-level domain (ccTLD)

Domain names can choose to use a ccTLD to indicate the country within which that website is registered. For example, .us is the ccTLD for the United States, and .ie is the ccTLD for Ireland.

A ccTLD is meant to signify the country of a domain name, but some ccTLDs like Libya’s .ly and Tuvalu’s .tv are chosen because of their branding value (although, there is a risk to registering a ccTLD outside your country, and many ccTLDs have nexus requirements).

Sponsored top-level domain (sTLD)

Sponsored top-level domains (sTLDs) are actually a subcategory within gTLDs. A domain name using an sTLD is controlled by an agency. For example, .jobs is an sTLD reserved for human resource managers and is controlled by Employ Media LLC.

Unsponsored top-level domain (uTLD)

Unsponsored top-level Domains (uTLDs) are another subcategory within gTLDs. These are any non-restricted gTLDs like .com or .info that are available via most domain registrars.

When domain names first became available in the 1980s, there were seven total gTLDs and only three uTLDs that could be registered without restrictions (.com, .net and .org). The lack of options for TLDs led many people to choose “.com” as the TLD for their domain name — which has cemented .com as the preferred choice for many registrants and users.

Because .com has been around for so long, it’s not always possible to get a short and memorable domain name ending with this ever-popular extension. New TLDs are becoming available every year for different industries, interests and locations.

What does second-level domain (SLD) mean?

The second-level domain (SLD), sometimes referred to as 2LD, is the section preceding the TLD. In our example (www.GoDaddy.com), it would be the GoDaddy segment.

The SLD is often the most valuable portion of the domain name because it makes up the main identity for users.

While the TLD is important, most of the value of a domain name is found before the TLD. For instance, with Google.com, there is more value in Google than in the .com section. The role of the SLD portion of the domain name is usually to reinforce the brand or website identity.

The maximum length of an SLD is 63 characters, but generally, you want to pick an SLD that is short, branded and memorable. As more and more consumers are moving online, choosing a great SLD can be the difference between succeeding or not.

Domain vs. URL — What’s the difference?

A domain name is a specific string of text that can direct someone to a website. This definition also loosely describes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). In fact, people often use URL and domain interchangeably — even though there are specific differences.

What is the URL?

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a string of characters in a web browser that tells the server to display a specific resource to an end user. While a URL and domain name have similarities, the URL is much more descriptive. In fact, a URL actually encompasses the domain name.

For example, https://www.godaddy.com/help/what-is-a-url-8809.html is a URL that includes the domain name GoDaddy.com within it. In fact, let’s look at the other elements of that URL. It also includes several other components which we’ll dive into below.

The protocol

URLs include schemes or protocols that communicate how to access that specific resource. In the example above, https:// is the protocol. Most web addresses will use either HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or HTTPS (HTTP with SSL).

The difference between HTTP and HTTPS is the “S” which refers to security. HTTPS websites have SSL security which is an encryption that protects the sensitive data of its users. If your site doesn’t have an SSL certificate, you should strongly consider adding it because visitors are hyper-aware of their personal data online, and 85 percent of online shoppers will actively avoid an unsecure website.

The subdomain

A subdomain is an optional part of a URL that creates a completely separate section of your website. If a URL has a subdomain, it will precede the domain name with a period.

Websites might use subdomains to test or stage web development, to create new directories to separate and store web files, or to communicate unique segments of a website to the end user.

For example, Tumblr uses subdomains for each of its users.

In the two addresses above, Example. and Example2. are both subdomains that Tumblr uses to store and display unique pages to its visitors. As you can see, both websites use the same domain name, with a unique subdomain.

In our previous example, www. — which stands for the World Wide Web — serves as a subdomain. Many domains have started dropping the www. subdomain, while others still use it.

You must set up proper redirects to your canonical domain if you want to resolve any issues between www and non-www subdomains for your URL.

The domain name

Following the protocol and subdomain is the domain name, which we discussed previously. In our example, that would be the GoDaddy.com section. Domain names include the top-level domain (TLD) and second-level domain (SLD).

The path

The path section of the URL defines the exact resource for the web server to display. In the example, the path would be /help/what-is-a-url-8809.html and includes the critical elements of the URL following the TLD. It’s important to note that the path will begin with a forward slash and is case sensitive.

The directory or subfolder

A URL might include a directory or subdirectory within the path section of the web address. This section of the URL is essentially a folder within the main website that houses the specific resource. In our example, /help/ is the directory. Some URLs have directories and subfolders within those directories.

The file name

The last major section of a URL is the file name or file extension. This tells the web server the exact file to display to the end user. Common file names include .pdf, .png and .html — although, most websites remove the HTML extension automatically from URLs.

In our example, the file name is what-is-a-url-8809.html which is a specific webpage found in the /help/ directory on GoDaddy.com.

The difference between a URL and domain

A website’s URL will always include the site’s domain name. However, as you can see, there are several other sections of the URL that are required to access any resource or page of a website.

The domain name directs users to the homepage of the website, and it won’t include the protocol, file name, directory or subdomain — if one exists.

While there is only one domain name for a website, there can be an endless number of URLs.

Every page, image and other media on your website has a unique URL. As the name suggests, Universal Resource Locators are used to pinpoint and render your website’s unique assets.

Domain vs. website — What’s the difference?

Many people inadvertently confuse domain and website — but, the two terms are quite different within the context of the internet. While a domain name and website are closely related, they are not the same; and it’s important to know the distinction.

What is a website?

A website lives on a domain, and it’s the collection of files and coding language in the backend that produces a front-end experience for internet users.

In other words, your website is what a user sees when they visit your domain name or specific URLs on your domain.

The difference between a website and domain

Brands often use their website and domain in the same call-to-action — “Visit our website at XYZ.com!” This kind of marketing communication might explain why so many people confuse the terms website and domain.

The domain is the series of characters someone puts into their web browser to access your website, which is the visual result once they visit the domain. The website provides the user experience once someone visits your domain.

Conceptually, you can think of a domain like your home address and the website as the physical home. The address is how someone finds your home, but the style, size and layout of your home might vary drastically from one house to the next.

What is the domain name system (DNS)?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a technical process by which domain names (example.com) are translated into their corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (208.109.80.196).

As we mentioned previously, every website has a unique, complex string of numbers and letters known as an IP address that computers use to render a web address to an end user.

While humans use words, letters and numbers to navigate to a specific website, the internet uses IP addresses to identify the web page’s location.

When you type in the domain name or URL that you want to visit, the DNS works behind the scenes to find the site’s correct IP address, and then it connects you to the website.

How does the domain name system (DNS) work?

Think of DNS like Siri on your iPhone. When you say “call David”, something amazing happens — your phone calls David. This isn’t magic; it’s a complex process that receives and translates inputs into the desired output for an end user. It’s mapping the user’s input of “David” with a corresponding output from its internal network.

DNS operates the same way, but with web addresses.

Just like every person has a unique phone number, every website has a unique domain name and subsequent IP address.

The translation from domain name to IP address is known as DNS resolution. The DNS resolution process includes several steps that happen almost instantaneously to resolve the DNS query.

Step 1: A user types a domain name or URL into their browser. The user’s internet browser issues a query request (DNS query) to the network to render the appropriate web page.

Step 2: A request is sent to the DNS recursor (recursive resolver) that was assigned to your computer from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). If the DNS recursor has the IP address cached, it will return the A record (host record).

Step 3: If the user’s recursive resolver doesn’t have the IP address cached, it will send a query for the IP address to the DNS root nameservers.

Step 4: The root nameservers examine the top-level domain (TLD) of the query and refer your DNS recursor to the appropriate nameservers based on the TLD.

Step 5: Every TLD has a unique set of nameservers, and every domain name has DNS information stored on these nameservers via a zone file. When a query request reaches TLD nameservers, it reviews the second-level domain from the query request and defers the request to the authoritative DNS servers which hold the zone file.

Step 6: Your DNS recursor will then send a query request directly to the referred DNS nameservers. Because every domain has designated nameservers, these authoritative databases store important domain information in the zone file — including IP addresses.

Step 7: Your DNS recursor retrieves the A record, or the DNS record used to map the IP address, and stores this information on its local cache for future reference.

Step 8: Your DNS recursor returns the A record and renders the web address associated with the IP address to your browser.

Why is the domain name system (DNS) important?

Machines and humans communicate differently. While we might prefer letters and words, computers use numbers to communicate back and forth. Fortunately, the internet was designed to accommodate these different preferences through DNS resolution.

If we were asked to remember the IP addresses to any website we wanted to visit, it would be overwhelming and cumbersome. It would be like trying to memorize all your contacts phone numbers and needing to input the entire number in your phone whenever you wanted to call or text that person. It just wouldn’t be efficient.

However, thanks to DNS, users only need to remember the domain name.

DNS resolution occurs in milliseconds — so the user never recognizes that the process is occurring.

How do you know which nameserver to use?

The hosting company you use for your domain name will determine the nameserver names or IP addresses for your domain’s zone file.

You will need to update the domain name’s DNS settings via your domain registrar who will then communicate those changes to the domain registry.

After you make changes to your DNS server settings, it can take up to 48 hours to update worldwide domain name servers. This window is known as propagation.

Understanding the domain registrar vs. registrant vs. registry

Domain registration and ownership can be an overwhelming concept to wrap your head around. To help simplify the process, we’ll take a look at the three most important roles for domains: registry, registrar and registrant.

These three pieces work together in a hierarchical manner.

Domain registry

The domain registry is the top of the domain hierarchy.

Domains are managed by the registry from start to finish. They have the ability to create top-level domains, set the guidelines for using those gTLDs, and distribute the rights to sell those domains to registrars.

Some popular domain registries include:

Domain registrar

The domain registrar is the next role in the equation — the middleman so-to-speak.

These organizations must be accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The best example of a domain registrar is GoDaddy.

On GoDaddy’s platform, users can browse domain names across various TLDs to find their perfect domain name. They can then facilitate the purchasing and management of that domain name through GoDaddy’s interface. They can even build and manage the website and design of their domain on their platform. While you can do much more with a domain registrar, the main role of the domain registrar is to register and manage domain names.

Domain registrars are organizations that have established the power to sell domains using specific TLDs. Domain registries coordinate with various registrars to distribute ownership rights for domain names to the general public.

You won’t be able to register every domain extension on all registrars, so it’s important to know which TLDs are available on your domain registrar.

Domain registrant

The final piece of the domain registration puzzle is the domain registrant — aka the domain owner.

There are many ways for someone to acquire the registration rights to a domain, including:

Purchase an expired or new domain name

The easiest way to acquire a domain for registration is to find a completely new domain or one that is no longer controlled. There are many benefits to registering a new or expired domain. These domains are readily available —meaning you can register them in minutes on any domain registrar that can sell that extension. New or expired domains are also the most affordable acquisition option. You can use GoDaddy WHOIS to find out when the domain expires.

Buy an already-owned or registered domain name

Another way to acquire a domain for registration is to purchase the rights from the current registrant. There are several domain marketplaces online that facilitate the purchasing and selling of domain names from one registrant to the other.

In fact, many people purchase domain names simply to resell them for profit.

If you want to purchase a domain that is already owned by someone else, many registrars have services that can help you facilitate the acquisition of an already-owned domain.

Win a domain name in an auction

Similar to buying a domain name that is already owned or registered, you can also acquire your perfect domain name through auction. Domains may find their way on a domain auction platform if they expire or if the owner wants to create a bidding war for the domain rights.

While there are several ways to acquire a domain, if you want to maintain ownership over that domain, you need to register it and maintain good standing with your domain name registrar.

From domain registry to registrant

Now that you understand the different roles in the domain registration process, let’s quickly demonstrate how those pieces interact.

1. Domain registry creates a new TLD

The first step in the process is for the domain registry to create a new TLD. For instance, the .world extension was created and distributed by the Donuts Registry.

2. Domain registrars acquire rights to sell the new TLD

After the domain registry creates the extension and sets the guidelines for using the TLD, they negotiate with registrars to sell that domain to the public. Donuts Registry worked with GoDaddy to make .world domain names available on GoDaddy’s platform.

3. Domain registrants find and register the domain name

Once domain names for the new TLDs become available via the domain registrars, people or organizations can find and register their domain name using that extension.

Each domain name using an extension can only be registered once, so it’s important to register your domain as soon as possible to avoid losing your domain name.

For instance, if you are a travel organization or travel blogger, you might want to register a domain like see.world.

4. Domain changes travel back up the chain

When the domain registrant makes changes to the domain settings such as updating the DNS records, it must be reported back to the domain registry which stores all the information about the domains using its extensions.

Domain registrars have a domain settings section that makes it easy for domain registrants to update any information, and then the registrar reports those changes to the registry automatically.

Intellectual property and domain names

Intellectual property (IP) is a term that encompasses several legal issues like trademark dilution, copyright claims and patent infringement, among other things. With regards to your domain and website, there are intellectual property considerations to understand before moving forward with your site.

The last thing you want to do is invest time, money and other resources into registering a domain and building a website that infringes on another’s legal rights.

Moreover, when building out your business, you must be diligent about protecting your own assets — including your domain and website.

Editor’s note: This content should not be construed as legal advice. Always consult an attorney regarding your specific legal situation.

Understanding domains and trademarks

As you might imagine, many brands target their organization name as their domain name. For instance, GoDaddy uses GoDaddy.com, Pepsi uses Pepsi.com and McDonald’s uses McDonalds.com.

The value of a branded domain cannot be overstated, but are brands awarded these domains under trademark laws? Are domain owners awarded any protection over their domain names?

The relationship between domain names and trademarks is important to understand before you purchase a domain and start building a website and business. There are risks to purchasing a domain name without researching trademarks first.

Domain availability doesn’t protect from trademarks

Just because a domain name is available, doesn’t mean there isn’t a trademark protecting that brand name.

For instance, if you found a variation of GoDaddy (ex. GoDaddy.biz) that was available for registration, you could not purchase and operate a business on that domain because it would still be protected under trademark law.

Choosing a domain name requires more research than just availability — you need to make sure that you are not walking into any legal conflict by picking a domain name that is protected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

When it comes to domains and trademarks, remember these basic considerations.

Protecting domain names with trademarks

When you do find a domain name for your business that isn’t protected by any trademarks, it may be wise to begin the U.S. trademark application process for your brand name.

There are three available trademark applications based on where your business is — already operational, intending to launch, or applicants outside the U.S. By earning trademark protection for your brand name, your domain will also be protected for 10 years.

While unique domain names that align with your brand can be protected, some domain names are not eligible for trademark protection. If your domain name uses broad and common terms that are associated with general topics or keywords in your industry, they are not distinctive enough to earn trademark protection.

For example, the domain name book.com or face.com are too broad and couldn’t receive trademark protection — even though the branded facebook.com does.

Domain name and trademark case study: Nissan.com

There’s an interesting case study about trademark infringement and domain ownership – Uzi Nissan vs. the automobile manufacturer, Nissan.

In 1994, Uzi Nissan purchased the domain name www.nissan.com for his small computer repair business in North Carolina. Fast-forward to 2021, and Uzi Nissa has been battling for years with the car-goliath, Nissan Motors, over whether his domain infringes on Nissan’s trademark.

Cyber-squatting is the illegal act of registering a domain name with the intent of selling the domain for profit to the owner of a trademark. Cyber-squatting is a form of extortion that is now heavily protected against under the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA).

Uzi Nissan later lost a trademark infringement case because of automotive content he had on the website, and it took him a year of fighting to overturn that ruling with the stipulation that he couldn’t post any negative content on Nissan.com about the Nissan Motors or share any links to other websites that speak about Nissan North America negatively.

This is a cautionary tale that illustrates the importance of being able to defend your domain name against trademark infringement challenges.

While Uzi Nissan won his domain, he also lost a lot. While this is a rare situation, it still shows the importance of researching domain names and trademarks before registering a domain name.

Protecting yourself from trademark infringement

As you can see, choosing a domain name that infringes on a trademark can be an expensive and time-consuming claim to fight.

Consider picking several potential names that you like. Take that list and conduct a search for trademarks on the USPTO’s website and foreign databases to see similar companies using those names.

If you’re still unsure, you can hire a trademark attorney to consult before you make a purchase. Investing time and resources on the front-end can prevent future headaches and expenses.

Understanding websites and copyright

It’s not enough to register a domain name with trademark protection — you then need to build a website. As the owner of your website, a communication channel, you are legally liable for the content you publish on the website.

This includes both the claims you make and the literal content you use such as photos, videos, and other assets.

Republishing copyrighted content

One of the most common legal issues with websites is the unintentional or intentional use of copyrighted images and content.

For instance, if you want to add a nice image to your website to engage your visitors, you cannot simply copy an image you found via Google Image Search. Many of these images are protected, and the copyright holders can demand compensation for the material used without permission or proper attribution.

From images and videos to text-based content, you need to do your due diligence before you repost any content on your website.

Many artists have their licenses on their website — which can detail how other websites can legally republish their work. CreativeCommons.org provides detailed information about licensing agreements with digital creatives to help you avoid facing legal fines from publishing someone else’s work.

Protecting your own content

As an entrepreneur, your website is one of the most valuable assets you have. It’s a way for you to attract new clients, engage your current leads, retain business, and provide customer service.

Following the global lockdowns from COVID-19, consumers are becoming even more reliant on digital solutions — which makes your website even more important.

If you put time into your web content, you wouldn’t like it if a competitor took it and used it as its own, would you? Protect your website by copyrighting it.

A website that is protected by copyright can defend itself against pirated content. To receive copyright protection, your website must publish original content, own the rights to that content, and be clearly described.

The U.S. Copyright Office protects website content like blog posts, articles, music, podcasts, illustrations, videos and other digital content formats.

Websites are inherently protected under copyright laws the moment something is published — but, it’s still wise to put an updated copyright notice on all your pages.

The importance of domain names for businesses

Digital marketing is no longer an option — it’s a necessity for any business to survive in 2021 and beyond. Unfortunately, research suggests that roughly 46 percent of small businesses still do not have their own website.

The rapid adoption of mobile technology and social media has increased the need for businesses not just to have a website, but to have a mobile-friendly website and engaged online presence.

Consumers are turning to the internet before purchasing anything — from what to eat for lunch to which dress to wear for their wedding. If you operate a business, you need a website.

Well, as we’ve discussed already, you cannot have a website without a domain name.

Your domain name is more than just a random web address people can use to access your website; it’s a powerful opportunity for businesses to build a brand identity and improve the consumer experience.

Use your domain name to build your brand

Your domain name almost subconsciously plays a role in growing your brand. Think about it — how powerful would the GoDaddy brand be if it had a domain name like BuyWebsites.com?

Businesses should look at the domain name as an opportunity to cement their brand identity into visitors’ minds.

Not only is GoDaddy.com the perfect domain name to grow GoDaddy’s brand, but it’s easy for consumers to remember and type in their browser when they want to visit the website directly. Look for branded domain names whenever possible — especially if you can find an exact match brand name.

Domain names can communicate expectations

Sometimes you can’t find a great branded domain name — or your market is too competitive to earn business through brand recognition. In these cases, you can strategically use your domain name to set consumer expectations and increase click-through rates.

For instance, if you operate a lawn care service in a large city like Tampa, you might find it difficult to grow a brand identity due to the amount of competition. Rather than choosing a branded domain name that few people would recognize, you might get more value by picking a domain name like TampaLawnCare.com.

While you can’t trademark the name because it is a general term, it does help you clearly set expectations to your website visitors. Moreover, choosing targeted keywords in your market or industry can help you improve your local SEO.

Increase professionalism with a domain-based email address

An often-overlooked benefit to registering a business domain is the ability to create and use domain-specific email addresses. Many small business owners still use free email services like Gmail or Yahoo to communicate with their customers.

Consumers are becoming more tech-savvy, and they expect the businesses they use to have a certain level of professionalism. In a highly competitive market, small differences like having a business email can be the factor that tips the scale in your favor.

You can’t build a website without a domain name

The most important reason for you to register a domain name for your business is that you cannot create a website without one.

As we discussed earlier, your website is the user-facing experience someone receives when they visit your domain name. Therefore, you need a domain name if you intend on creating a website — which you most certainly should!

There is an endless amount of reasons to create a website for your business. Here are a few of the top reasons to build a business website.

Consumers are researching you online

Your consumers are searching for information about your business online — even if you’re a brick-and-mortar business. It’s reported that 82 percent of consumers consult their smartphones before making an in-store purchase.

While you might not be able to control consumer reviews on Google My Business, Yelp or other review sites, you can dictate the message on your website.

Following the pandemic, business has pivoted mostly online which increases the need for a website. People are looking for you online, so what do you want them to see?

If you don’t have a website, you’re at the mercy of your consumer reviews— assuming they are leaving reviews.

Your website is open 24/7

There are many limitations to physical stores — most notably, the hours of operation. Websites don’t have the same problem.

Your website is available all the time and can continue to generate leads and business long after you’ve locked up for the night.

It’s another marketing channel

Marketing is an area that all businesses need. Without a clear marketing strategy, your business will have to rely on word-of-mouth advertising and repeat business.

Your website should be one of your marketing pillars.

It’s an asset that you own — which affords you the freedom to control the message and user experience, unlike other online platforms like social media.

What comes after picking the right domain name

Understanding domain names and the ancillary components are important steps when deciding on the perfect domain name.

It’s not enough to know what a domain name is — you need to understand why the domain name can help you grow your business and how to register that domain name.

The detailed guide above should provide the clarity you need to differentiate between the domain name and your website or URL.

In addition, you should now know the unique levels of a domain name and the meaning of various domain extensions.

Finally, you should have a better understanding of the domain name system (DNS), the differences between the registry, registrar and registrant, as well as the legal components associated with domains and websites, and the importance of domain names for businesses.

If you’re ready to take the next steps with choosing and registering your domain name, see below:

Also, try our free Domain Name Generator tool and find your next domain name.

This article includes content originally published on the GoDaddy blog by the following authors: Genevieve Tuenge, Kelsey Pfeffer, Maxym Martineau and Mary Juetten.

What Is a Domain for a Website?

Author: Howard Steele

Updated on May 6, 2022

The very word “domain” generally has several meanings. It is applied in many niches, but it has gained immense popularity in website development.

A domain (domain name) is a symbolic human-friendly URL or, in other words, a website name. Such domains make it possible to easily memorize the required website as well as provide fast web address typing, search etc.

To ensure correct linking of a symbolic link to a certain web node (server, cluster etc.), there is a special system known as DNS. Let’s, however, discuss that in detail below.

How Does Domain Work?

To understand how a domain name works, you won’t need to find out the URL itself – the process is quite standard for all the domain names. Have a look at the main stages it involves:

1. Domain name indication

The very first thing you need to do to access your website is to type in its domain name in the browser. The system will start the search, sending the corresponding request to the DNS in the automated mode.

DNS (Domain Name System) is a hierarchical system of the addresses of online resources (email servers, websites etc.), which was created with the only purpose in mind – to simplify user navigation on the web. When you indicate the domain name, the system uses a special TCP/IP protocol, where unique website IP addresses are used. In other words, to get access to the data hosted on the website server, you need to know its IP address. As opposed to the domain with a clear resource name, the structure of the IP address is represented by multiple numbers divided by the dots. The main implication of the DNS is to transform a domain name to the IP address a machine/server/device can read and understand to help a user access the required website in the shortest time possible.

2. Online request redirection

As soon as the DNS receives the request, it redirects it to the particular server. It is required to register the domain name – IP address connection on the Domain Name Server. It’s up to a website owner to register a website in the DNS to make it easily available for each and every user. It is generally recommended to use two DNS servers – primary and secondary. If the primary DNS will be unavailable, the secondary one will process the request to ensure access to the website or any other web resource via the domain name.

3. Domain name data access

Right after the DNS processes the request, it will be forwarded to the place your website is hosted. Name servers use special software to fetch the site content as well as all of its web pages.

Types of Domain Levels

Domain names have a clear hierarchical structure. Each level is responsible for its own function and, accordingly, it is processed by its own DNS servers. This resembles the way we indicate the postal address.

The domains, however, are read backwards – from right to left.

Have a look at a simple example below:

This is what it indicates:

The hierarchy does not end at subdomains. It may have any number of levels: third-, fifth-, sixth-level domains etc. Only a dot always separates domain zone levels.

Each domain, subdomain, 4-, 5-, 6- level domains etc. is actually a separate website. The files of such websites can be located on different servers, while diverse CMS/engines can be used for their management etc.

Website Address: What Is It?

Many newbies are concerned about the need to specify www in the website address, as well as about the notion of HTTP/HTTPS, question marks and other special characters that are displayed in the browser address bar.

Here is a simple example of a web page address:

Let’s face it: it is difficult to understand something here. This is not to mention the number of dots, which is also misleading. What is exactly a domain here?

Domain Zones and Types

Logically, the root zone (a dot at the end) should centrally process requests by a single server. However, to avoid the “bottleneck” effect, information on the root servers is instantly duplicated in 13 data centers distributed around the world.

What can we tell about domain zones (top-level domains)? Almost all domain zones are administered by a special international organization – ICANN.

The following types of domain zones are generally distinguished:

The division of domain zones from the point of view of website owners is quite conditional, although each zone is administered by certain organizations. For example, if a domain is national, a corresponding national organization will be responsible for its operation. If it is international, then an international organization will bear the responsibility etc.

How to Connect a Domain Name to the Website

Connecting/registering a domain name is not enough. To make a website accessible at a new address, a domain name must be pointed to the hosting server.

There are several ways to do this like using resource records and/or special services (DNS hosting). The simplest and the most popular solution is to register the NS servers of your hosting provider.

If you buy a domain name directly through hosting, then the required NS records are likely to be added automatically.

Here are the NS record samples:

This is how you can point your domain name to Bluehost servers.

Instead of symbolic NS records, specific IP addresses can be used. There can be more than two records, which depends on the number of backup NS servers a provider has. NS1 is the first and the main server. NS2 is used only in case of problems with the first one. Eding resource records is an alternative solution.

Other Types of Domain Resource Records

A domain name is used for more than just redirecting to servers hosting your website. It can also be used for email exchange or for the construction of complex clusters. Over 40 different types of resource records are used to properly configure the interaction of all services and system components. NS records is one of the samples.

The most widespread types of domain resource records include:

If the registrar provides management of NS servers for free, then editing other types of resource records may be paid. A special service – DNS hosting is required for advanced management.

Mind that A- and AAAA-records can be used simultaneously. This means that your website can be available in both IPv4 and IPv6 address environments. The main thing is that hosting should work with the right technologies.

Why Is Domain Unavailable Right After the Registration?

Primary referrals to the DNS system access the equipment of local hosting providers due to the hierarchical structure. In order for the DNS server data to be updated, it must be synchronized in the descending order, from the root servers down the structure.

This process may take up to 2-3 days. In practice, a new domain or changes in the resource records of existing websites are updated within 1 day in many cases.

How to Choose a Domain Name

“As you call a boat, so it will float”… This phrase reflects the entire essence of the approach. There is no right or wrong decision. As the owner, you know better how the domain should look like. The main thing is that it should not violate registrar rules.

The major criteria include:

Domain Restrictions

To start with, you cannot register reserved addresses or domains that are already in the DNS.

Secondly, you must comply with the requirements of the owner of the selected domain zone. For example, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has the following domain registration restrictions:

CIRA domain technical restrictions are as follows:

Mind that requirements of other registrars/domain name zone owners may vary.

Can You Transfer a Domain to Another Registrar?

The domain owner has the right to change the registrar to any other alternative granted that all the obligatory rules of the selected variant are completed. When it comes to CIRA domains, for example, these include:

Users frequently register domains via resellers and not via official registrars just because they can offer more cost-effective solutions. This is due to the availability of bulk sales and special terms of cooperation with a registrar.

In this case, you may initially need to transfer the domain from the reseller’s account to your registrar’s account. Mind that you will require to sign up first. Right after that, you can proceed to the transfer process.

Bottom Line

On the one hand, a website name is just a symbolic link that makes it easier to type a website address. On the other hand, though, this is a copyright object and a technically complex system that requires niche knowledge for quality set up.

It is easy to register a domain. To do this, you need to contact accredited registrars or their intermediaries. The main problem is redirection to the hosting, because a domain is not a website itself, but its address only.

About the Author

I’m Howard Steele, the founder and editor-in-chief of this website. With over 10 years of web building I know how complicated and tiresome this task can be for a non-IT person. Can’t decide which service to choose? Feel free to ask me for advice. Just describe your website needs, and I’ll gladly help you.

Domains and Domain Names: What They Are and 10+ Examples

Written by Anna Fitzgerald

Securing a domain or domain name is the first step in creating an online presence that will help you get found by prospects on Google and other search engines.

In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about these terms so you can continue the process of setting up a website for your business. You can skip ahead to any of the sections below:

What Is a Domain?

A domain is a part of the web address nomenclature someone would use to find your website or a page of your website online. It is a string of text associated with the numerical IP address of a website that’s much easier for people to remember and search.

Every website has an IP address, which is a unique string of numbers that connect computers to web servers. IP addresses are great for computers, but difficult for people to memorize. That’s where domains come in. A domain name is connected to a website’s IP address so people can more easily remember and search for a website by its domain and their browser can still find the specific web server that hosts the website via the associated IP address.

A domain is often compared to a home address. Your friends don’t memorize your house’s GSP coordinates every time they want to visit you. Instead, they just plug in your street address into their phones. The same goes for visiting a website. Instead of memorizing a website’s IP address, visitors simply type in the domain into their browser.

What does a domain look like?

A domain typically consists of two or three words separated by dots. For example, blog.hubspot.com is a domain.

A domain is one part of a complete web address, or URL. A URL typically consists of a protocol, domain name, and path. For example, the URL of this blog post is: https://blog.hubspot.com/service/what-is-a-domain. It’s made up of the following parts:

We’ll cover the parts of a domain name in more detail below. First, let’s cover why domains are important.

What are domains used for?

Domains are not only used to simplify how visitors find your website. Below we’ll look at several other reasons domains are used.

1. To Gain Ownership

Perhaps most importantly, a domain gives you ownership over your website’s address. No one else can claim it while you have it registered. This grants you total control over what website it points to, which domain name registrar maintains it, what information is associated with your domain name account, who administers it, and whether you want to sell it.

2. To Solidify Your Brand Identity

A domain name that matches or resembles your company name can help you establish a consistent online brand identity. A visitor moving from your website’s homepage to blog to knowledge base, for example, will notice that the core domain name remains consistent, as do other elements like the color scheme and typography.

3. To Establish Credibility

A domain name that aligns with your company name establishes credibility, and makes your website appear more legitimate and professional to users. That builds trust with your visitors so they feel comfortable taking actions, like submitting a survey or form on a web page with that same domain name.

4. To Be Memorable

If your domain is easy to remember, visitors can easily enter it into their search bars. This may result in more direct traffic to your site. For example, T-Bones Great American Eatery has a short and sweet domain name: t-bones.com. This is much easier to remember than an alternative like t-bonesgreatamericaneatery.com.

5. To Stand Out Against Competitors

6. To Build Authority

In addition to strengthening your brand, domain names can also help you predict how likely your website will appear in the SERPs compared to your competitors. As a rule of thumb, the older a domain is, the more authority it has. That’s because it’s had time to accumulate quality content, internal links, and backlinks.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is the unique name of a website. It functions like the site’s home address on the World Wide Web.

The term “domain name” is used interchangeably with the term «domain.» The only difference is that one is the name of the thing and one is the thing itself.

Not including its extension, like “.com”, the maximum length a domain name can be is 63 characters. The minimum length can be one character.

For a quick overview of what a domain name is and what it’s made of, check out this video by Elegant Themes. Then continue on to learn about domain names in more detail.

The Parts of a Domain Name

There are typically two parts of a domain: the second-level domain and the top-level domain. If read left-to-right, these parts decrease in specificity.

Second-Level Domain (SLD)

The second-level domain is the unique identifier for your website. It’s the part of your domain that comes before “.com” or another extension.

If you’re building a website for your business, consider buying a domain that reflects your business’s name. This will make it easier for people to find your website without needing to spend a lot of time scouring Google for it. For instance, hubspot.com’s second-level domain is “hubspot”.

Top-Level Domain (TLD)

The top-level domain is the extension, or the part of your domain that comes after your second-level domain.

It specifies what type of entity your organization registers as on the internet. For example, HubSpot’s top-level domain is “.com” since we’re a commercial entity in the United States.

What is a domain name example?

An example of a domain name is usps.com. This is made up of a second-level domain («usps») and top-level domain («.com). It is one of the most visited government domain names, according to Statista.

Other examples of popular domain names are «youtube.com», «irs.gov», and «tiktok.com». Check out more in the list below:

To get a better idea of possible domain names, let’s look at different types of domains below.

Types of Domain

Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD)

gTLD refers to the best known and most broadly used TLDS:

Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD)

These two-letter TLDs refer to specific geographical locations. Here are the most common ones:

Internationalized Country Code Top-Level Domains (IDN ccTLD)

These are domains that can be displayed in non-Latin character sets (e.g. Chinese).

Subdomain

A subdomain is a domain that is part of a larger domain, appearing before the root domain name (e.g. blog.hubspot.com). Since a subdomain appears to the left of the SLD, it is also referred to as a third-level domain (3LD).

Another example of a domain name with a subdomain is tools.usps.com. It is made up of a subdomain («tools.»), a second-level domain («usps»), and top-level domain («.com).

You may already be familiar with this domain name. In March 2022, it was the most popular government domain, getting over 244 million visits in 30 days according to Statista.

Pro Tip: CMS Hub users can add their custom domain to HubSpot for free. This allows you to connect your new domain to hosting, CDN, and security features all at one time.

Setting Up Your Domain

If you want to acquire a domain name, you must buy one and register it. To do this, visit a domain name registrar, like GoDaddy or Google Domains, plug your desired domain name in, check its availability and price, and then buy it, if it’s in your price range. From there, you’ll be able to associate that domain with your server and hosting provider, making your site accessible via the web address.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Originally published Jul 19, 2022 7:00:00 AM, updated August 08 2022