Domain Names TipsGood Domain Name Registration Tips

Domain Names 101: Warning, Not For Dummies

Seriously, most people think they know everything to be known about domain names! Are you one of them?

The truth; they don't. No one knows everything about a particular topic. If you come across people saying that they know too much then…

Wait until you see the nature and kind of URL, they're promoting.

The ugly truth is that at one point or another, we all need and benefit from some of the useful knowledge and content out there. That is why "101 and for dummies" products and services are such a favorite. Do you read them? If not try to read some and you'll know some of the domain names tips that you never knew before.

Alright here is my three cents paying forward - domain names guide 101 for dummies. If websites don't have domain names, they're then specified by their IP addresses. Exactly what is an IP address?

Why Domain Names Instead of IP Addresses

In order to determine the location of a website or a server, an identifier is used by humans or computers. You see, the IP address is expressed in a numerical format. It consists of four numbers which are separated by periods, which is also known as a "dotted-quad." An IP address looks something like this 127.0.0.1.

However, when it comes to humans, it is quite difficult to remember an IP address.

It is because of this numerical nature of an IP address that gave a major reason for the invention of domain names. With the use of domain names, a human can locate a website through user-friendly phrases or words. It is true that domain names may consist partly of numbers, but they do not make up all of it, like what is seen common with an IP address.

Domain Names Have Several Parts


  • When it comes to formatting, domain names have several parts.

1.) The first part is called the Uniform Resource Locator or URL for short.

This tells the browser what the domain name is going to point to. This will usually be http meaning that the browser expects to locate a hypertext document.

A hypertext document is nothing more than a webpage. In some rare cases the URL may be ftp meaning file transfer protocol. A webmaster may use this URL if he or she would like visitors to download files from their server.

2.) WWW is the second part of the domain name and it stands for "World Wide Web."

This phrase lets humans and computers know the site the domain name is pointing to is from the Internet. It is followed by the actual domain name, which may be a combination of numbers, letters or phrases.

  • Good domain names will be memorable, short and search-engine friendly.

Webmasters would be happier if their domain names are effective with SEO rather than just having creative domain names. To accomplish that objective, the webmasters makes sure that they choose domain names that are widely searched through keywords.

Domain Names End With An Extension


The ending of the domain name has a top level domain names extension.

Domain names extensions tell a person a little more concerning a website's origins. For example, the most common domain names extension is .com. This stands for commercial and was originally intended for organizations in that vein. However, this extension is used by just about every Tom, Dick and Harry looking to create a website.

The extensive use of a dot com extension in domain names is all for a good reason. Most people who surf the web will think about .com before .biz, or .org pops into their head. That does not mean that the other domain names extensions cannot become memorable. Just think of Wikipedia.org which is a vastly popular website in spite of its .org extension.

Domain names extension can also specifically point things out on a geographical level. Examples of this are .jp which stands for Japan or .fr which stands for France. Domain names can also be state-based such as .ca which stands for California. Both serve well as tools for localized Internet marketing.

A person can get one from a web hosting company that also registers domain names or get one from a separate domain name company. Prices will vary with both options. The typical cost will be somewhere between $6.50 and $35.

You know the saying, "You only get what you pay for." Sometimes the low price is correlated with the word cheap. If you want good service or good domain names, then you have to pay the price.