What is a Domain Name?

When we talked about website hosting, we mentioned that the host was like giving your website a home. Well, your domain name is the address to your home. Your domain name, or web address, is the unique name and identifier for your website. It allows people to quickly and easily locate your website and browse your pages. Additionally, no two names can be the same. Each has to be unique to the website it represents.

Why Do We Use Domain Names?

Well, as we mentioned above, the main reason for using domain names is that they are a unique identifier. Computers recognize your domain in binary code. Binary is a set of zeros and ones that help the computer recognize the website, page, etc. However, humans have a hard time memorizing a seemingly arbitrary set of zeros and ones, so we attach domain names to help. This allows us to easily recall a web address, and search for it rather than having to keep a sticky note of binary code for our favorite websites.

Different Types

Now that we all know the purpose of a domain, let’s talk about the different kinds.

  • .com: Any website that is tagged with .com is a commercial domain name. It can represent anything from websites looking to make money, blogs, portfolios, your favorite video streaming sites, and many others.
  • .org: Websites with .org are organization websites. Typically this means charities or non-profit foundations. However, it’s becoming synonymous with a well-known, trusted organization.
  • .gov: Websites with a .gov tag are government websites. For example, any department such as Fish and Wildlife, the IRS, etc. are all .gov websites.

These domains all help us identify various organizations, governmental departments, and businesses. Additionally, they help provide us with insight into the validity of an organization.

How to Register Your Own

Registering your domain name is something that you have quite a bit of flexibility on. You can register with your host, or you can register with an external company. If you’re looking for someone to register your domain with you can register with us when you sign up for our enterprise plan. However, if you’re looking for registration without signing up for a plan, we recommend NameSilo. You’ll spend an average of $10 to $15 to register your domain.

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