Domain Names: Everything You Need To Know
What is a Domain Name?
Every computer on the Internet has a unique identifying number, called an Internet protocol (IP) address such as 192.61.159.41 used in communicating with other computers - but that’s not very memorable for human beings.
A Domain Name is the unique name to the IP address of a website, in other words - it is the converted text-based memorable version of an IP address, just like an address (1500 awesome boulevard, Disneyland) is assigned to a house.
It would be almost impossible for people to find your house without an address, it is also unlikely people would be able to find your website without a domain name.
The domain name system makes it possible to assign unique names to the IP address of a site as it would be difficult to memorize IP addresses of all your favorite websites, for example - 172.217.23.142 for google.com or 31.13.90.36 for facebook.com.
Domain names that are short and memorable are more likely to become known internet brands e.g. – naming your domain to brand.com, as opposed to mynewbusinesswebsite.com.
Registering a domain name can be taxing and tech-savvy, but with the following guides and pointers you will learn the Dos and Don'ts in registering, transferring, privacy, and adding new domains.
Who is a Domain Registrar / Domain Registrant?
A Domain Registrar is the organization that manages the assignment and reservation of domain names while a Domain Registrant is the business owner, entity or company who owns or holds the registered domain.
Keep in mind that the domain name should be the business name or company name and not an individual employee’s name such that the business or company can maintain ownership of the domain name.
What are Domain Extensions, or top-level domains (TLDs)?
A Domain Extension is the last segment of a domain name (the part that follows after the ‘dot’ symbol). They are usually referred to as TLD (Top-Level Domain), or domain root.
In short, a TLD is the last part of a domain name. The most famous examples of TLDs are .com, .net and .org.
Brands and businesses seldom register their names with multiple extensions to protect their online identity, for instance somecompany.com can register somecompany.net to protect its brand.
What are the new gTLDs?
In 2014, hundreds of new domain extensions were released (often called the new generic TLDs (gTLDs), or new TLDs (nTLDs), by the non-profit organization responsible for maintaining naming rights on the Internet (ICANN).
These gTLDs vary from practical extensions such as .web or .tech to catchy extensions such as .cool, .money or .ninja. Find out more about gTLDs and check if yours is available now
What are ccTLDs?
Country-code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) are specific to a country, region, or other geographic location. Some common ccTLDs include .gh, .ng, .uk and .tv.
You can find a full list of all currently available domain extensions here.
What can I do with a domain name?
To answer this question, let’s assume domain names are properties - in that sense, what kinds of things can you build on them? Let’s run through some options.
Build a website – The most obvious option is building a website using either - a platform (such as wordpress or blogger) or writing the codes using a preferred programming language (such as php, asp or java), then pairing it up with your DNS(explained in the next section below) to point to your hosting service where website files are kept.
Get an email address – You can get a custom email address (like yourbusiness@yourname.com) with your domain name by signing up for an email hosting service and pointing your domain to it.
Motivation - At times, you might have a glimpse or spark of an idea (not fully grown) and might want to sit on a domain while the ideas percolate (once you register a domain name, it’s yours for a year at the minimum). When your finally decided on what you want and how you want it, you can proceed with your domain name otherwise turn off auto renewals (if on) so you don’t get charged for what you don’t need.
What is a DNS?
Domain Name Servers (DNS) are like the Internet's phone book used in maintaining a directory of domain names and translating them into IP addresses.
Although Domain names can be easy for people to memorize, computers or machines interact through the Internet Protocol addresses.
When you visit a website such as codedstar.com, your internet service provider looks for the DNS associated with the domain name and translate it into a machine-friendly IP address then directs your browsers to load the Internet resources (website).
When you register a new domain name or when you update your DNS servers on your domain name, it takes about 12 – 36 hours for the domain name servers to be updated worldwide and be able to access the new data, this period is referred to as the propagation period.
Domain Name Transfer
It’s pretty easy to transfer domain names from one registrar to another. The first thing to do is contact your current provider and make sure they are OK with it, then head to your domain control panel and carry out the rest of the transfer from there.
Domain Privacy (WHOIS)
According to ICANN regulations, every domain registrar is required to maintain a publicly accessible database called "WHOIS" containing the contact information for all registered domain names. Unfortunately, WHOIS has become a prime target for hackers and spammers looking to data mine names, email addresses, phone numbers and other sensitive information. To protect you domain info, you can enable WHOIS privacy provided by most Registrars.
It goes without saying that it is better to hide some of your information by enabling WHOIS privacy ( It’s free here) on your domain.
Domain Name Expiry
Domain name registration usually lasts from one to ten years. If you have purchased the domain for only a year, be sure to note the expiry date and renew in time. Any good domain registrar will send you notices of pending expiration months in advance, so pay attention when you see them!
Exactly what happens after a domain expires varies by country, some will include a grace period, but be sure to check before you buy. With some Registrars, there is a penalty if you go past the expiry date and it can get quite expensive once you get into what is known as the Redemption Period.
If you pass this point the domain can be made available on a first come first served basis so there is no guarantee that you will get your domain back. The bottom line is to keep an eye on your domain(s) and set them to auto-renew if possible.
Domain Dos and Don'ts
• Avoid adding numbers to domain names e.g. onebiz.com or 1biz.com? See? Tricky.
• Consider both computer and human processing capabilities when naming your domain (easy-to-read, accessible and user-friendly domain).
• Avoid Misspellings in your domain purposely, because these types of intentional word errors can at times backfire and set your site up for trouble.
• Keep your domain concise, uncomplicated, and on-brand, while still sticking in the minds of your audiences.
• Also keep your domain short and simple to gain value, establish positive UX, and increase share-ability.
• Avoid Hyphens and Case Sensitive names, they may associate your site with spam and decrease readability.
• Unless you have good reasons to choose another top-level domain extension (for example .biz or .info) stick with a .Com TLD Extension.
• Don’t Sweat about your Domain Age, rather fill it with quality content and give it an SEO-conscious domain
• Check that your domain does not contain trademarks. It's easy to search for trademarks online.
• If your domain has been used by someone previously check its past reputation to uncover any possible issues. Click here to check
• Make sure you can renew automatically so as not to lose your domain on expiration
• Always consult an SEO Expert when in doubt, there are loads of great freelance SEO experts and agencies who can help guide you through this process. You can also ask questions on Google‘s Webmaster forum or contact us.
• Never get discouraged if your ideal domain is unattainable, keep trying and you might end up with a better domain than your original choice!
• If you ever have to move your domain, 301 redirect all old URLs to the new domain for SEO ranking and safety.
• Buying domain names with multiple registrars can be hard to keep track of, so try keeping all your domains with one registrar.
There you have it, hopefully, by now all of your main questions about domain names have been answered and you can make a great choice for your brand moving forward.
If you are running into any issues with your domain, or just can’t figure out how to link it to the platform you want, send us a message and we’ll be sure to help you out.