A domain name is essentially your website’s equivalent of a physical address. In the same way that a GPS needs a street address or a zipcode to provide directions, a web browser needs a domain name to direct you to a website.
A domain name takes the form of two main elements. For example, the domain name Facebook.com consists of the website’s name (Facebook) and the domain name extension (.com). When a company (or a person) purchases a domain name, they’re able to specify which server the domain name points to.
Some examples of domain names include:
- IsItWP.com
- Google.com
- Facebook.com
- Wikipedia.org
- Yahoo.com
- Whitehouse.gov
For a more technical explanation of what a domain name is: The internet is a giant network of computers that are connected through a network of cables. Every computer is assigned a unique IP address that allows the computers to communicate with each other. The IP address is a series of numbers that is used to identify each particular computer. A typical IP address looks like this:
192.168.1.1
An IP address is difficult to remember, so domain names were invented to solve that problem. Instead of having to type in a string of random numbers that’s difficult to remember, users only have to type in a domain name, like PizzaDelivery.com, in order to visit a website.
Now that you know what a domain name is, let’s talk about how domain names work.
When a user types a domain name into the URL bar of an internet browser, it sends a request to the Domain Name System (DNS), which is a global network of servers. When these servers receive your request, they search for the name servers that are associated with the domain name and forward the request to those name servers.
Your website hosting company manages your name servers. So, if your website is hosted on Bluehost, Bluehost will then forward the request to the computer where your website files are stored. This computer is called the web server. The web server then gathers the requested website and sends it back to the browser so the user can view it.
How it Works
Domain names work by acting as a shortcut to the server that hosts your website.
Without a domain name, anyone who wanted to visit your website would have to enter the full IP address. But the problem is that an IP address is difficult for people to memorize or to include on advertising materials.
In our case, Hostinger.com is the domain name. Let’s say it points to the IP address 100.90.80.70. The IP address points to a server, but it doesn’t resolve the website if visitors try to use it. That’s because for an IP address to resolve a website, the remote server needs to be using port 80 with a default page (i.e. index.html) stored in its web-apps directory.
As you can see, messing around with server defaults and IP addresses can be both confusing and time-consuming. That’s why the vast majority of website owners opt to utilize a service like Hostinger which offers bundled domain names with annual web hosting packages.
Domains can also use redirects, which essentially allow you to specify that if people visit your domain, they’re automatically forwarded to another. This can be useful for campaigns and microsites or for forwarding people to dedicated landing pages on your main site. They can also come in useful for avoiding confusion around spellings. For example, if you visit www.fb.com, you’ll be forwarded to www.facebook.com.
The Different Parts of a Domain Name
There are 3 different parts to a domain name, they are as follows:
1. Subdomain
The first part of a domain name (from left to right) is the www part that comes before the dot.
Example: www.IsItWP.com
This is a standard part for every domain name, called the machine name or subdomain. This is optional though, because you don’t need to enter www before a domain name in a browser in order to visit that domain. You domain name can just be IsItWP.com.
2. Second Level Domain
The second part is the second level domain, which is the part you’re most familiar with, between the dots.
Example: www.IsItWP.com
This is your domain name itself that you register for and it’s the most customizable part.
3. Top Level Domain
At the very end of the domain name, after the dot, is the top level domain also known as the domain extension.
Example: www.IsItWP.com
The domain extension can be .com, .biz, .net, .org, .gov, as well as many other variations. But .com is the most popular and well known.
Subdomains
Subdomains are useful because they don’t require webmasters to purchase an additional domain name to create divisions within their site. Instead, they’re able to create a subdomain that effectively points to a specific directory on the server. This can be super useful for campaign sites and other types of web content that should be kept separate from the main site.
For example, Facebook uses developers.facebook.com to provide specific information for web and app developers who want to use the Facebook API. Another great example is support.google.com
Free Domains
There are also free domain names that you can get from different website builders such as WordPress.com, Squarespace, Weebly, etc.
These are similar to subdomains as they use the name of the website in your personal domain. For example, rather than having businessbooks.com it would be businessbooks.wordpress.com or businessbooks.squarespace.com.
Free domains are not good for long term business goals or if you wanting to have your own unique branding. We recommend paying a few bucks and getting your own.
