Different Type of Domain Names You Need to Know About
Choosing a domain name is key for every business which seeks a good reputation online. Your domain name is the face of your business online. Here is a quick guide on how to choose between the different types.
Probably you own a business or you will own it someday, it’s always every business owner’s wish to see their businesses reaching new heights online. If you aspire to have a name online, choosing a domain name is your first step to success.
You should take time to find a brandable and memorable domain name and the best reseller hosting with WHMCSservices to ensure success for your brand online. Other than just being an extension of your brand name, there is more entailing to domain names that one should keep in mind when choosing. The different types of domains should be considered before landing on one to anchor your success online. Before jumping into the whole process of identifying and registering domains, let’s first take a look at the five types of domains you can choose from.
What’s a Domain?
Your home has an address. Similarly, your brand needs an address online to enable people to find your content. Domain names tell browsers where to go in order to display the contents of your webpage to users and customers. Think of yourbrand.com as a domain.
How Do Domain Names Work?
Domains are just substitutes for the lengthy IP addresses that represent websites. Without the concept of domain names, one could be typing the IP addresses in their browsers in order to land on their desired webpages. Instead of typing yourbrand.com in the address bar, you would write something related to 45.656.78.986.32 having short names that are easy to remember makes finding a website easy. Domain names act like middle persons to communicate between servers and user computers in relaying web content.
Domain Name Plus Host
In order to browse a website, a domain name and a web server are needed. The server stores all the contents of the website. This is what you will rent from the best reseller hosting with WHMCS company to store all your files, media elements, and databases for your website. A high-quality web hosting plans and packages increase the performance of your website. A domain name is what users will key into their address bars to visit your site. The browsers communicate with servers to retrieve the information and display it.
Types of Domains
Now that you know what domain names are and how they work in relation to web servers, let’s dive into the types of domains you can choose from. When someone thinks of a website a simple “.com” extension fills their mind. Although this is the most common domain name in the market it is good to be aware that there are other types of extensions available for one to choose from.
Top-level Domains
Commonly referred to as TLDs. These are names that top the hierarchy of naming on the internet. There are over a thousand available for purchase and registration today. Recently, ICANN opened a way where companies could register unique TLDs to suit their business needs. This made the number of TLDs increase a great deal. Examples of TLDs include .com, .info, .me, .co, .site, .net etc.
When choosing a TLD, be sure to choose one that is straight in line with your brand operations. Do not land on registering for a certain TLD just because it is popular but rather consider the best selection for your brand’s success online.
Country Code TLDs
As the name suggests, these are Top Level Domain names that are tied to country codes. Each country in the world has its own TLD code but it is not mandatory to have it just because your brand operates in the country.
Generic TLDs
These are also special-purpose domain names. They are generic in such a way that they give information about the website they represent. Think of a military base owning a website with a ‘.mil’ extension. A school or education institution with a website like ‘myschool.edu’. There are a lot of gTLDs available for registration, however, your brand must meet the minimum requirements, for example, a business won’t register a ‘.mil’ domain.
Second-Level Domains
Second level domains are least in value and authority as compared to TLDs which top the hierarchy list. However, they are important since they describe the second part of the primary domain name. There are some second-level domains which are country codes like ‘.co.uk’ which tells that the brand is a company in the United Kingdom. Government bodies in the United Kingdom use the ‘.gov.uk’ domain.
Third Level Domains
These are below the second-level domains in the hierarchy. They are sometimes referred to as subdomains since they are mostly used to build additional sections of a website. An example of a third-level domain leading to an app could be ‘app.mybrand.com’.
The domain name you choose should be in line with the operations of your brand. Before you choose a domain, consult on the different types of domain hosting services provided in the market today.
