Imagine life without the internet? No – everything these days is governed by its presence, so it is important that everyone has at least a basic understanding of the key to all this activity – Domain Names.
The advent of the internet brought several changes in the human beings lifestyle and to the society in general. And today, here comes the “domain name” as part of its system. However, despite the fact that many of the people are using the internet today for whatever purposes, the term “domain name” is not that well-understood. Many were using the internet, joining any sites on the web, but it turns out that they are not aware of the nature of the domain name. So what then is domain name?
Generally, when we say “domain name”, we are basically referring to a distinct or unique name that recognizes a site on the web. It is then considered to be a portion of the URL or address of a web site. This particular thing has simply two major components, and these components are typically separated by a dot.
For a concrete view of the nature of a domain name, it is then much better to show an example of this thing. So, one of the common and widely identified domain names on the web is www.google.com. I am sure that you are all familiar with Google, so it is then very interesting for you to know that the first part of the domain name which is the www actually stands for the host server, that is the World Wide Web where in the site is found. The second part then which is what Google identifies the company or the organization name. And finally, the last part which is the .com then mirrors the type of organization. Generally, this is known as the “top-level domain name”.
Even the simple choice of the extension (.com .co.uk .net .info) can have a significant influence over how search engines view it. Dot Com (remember the old crash in the late 90s ) is still the most sought after, and therefore the most expensive name to buy.
The next significant part is the use of 2 or 3 letter abbreviations. Names like IT.com DIY.com, IBM.com ACT.com. are no longer available in any shape or form, having all been reserved many years ago by forward thinking people when the internet first started to appear.
Many of these names were probably sold for thousands to willing and desperate companies wanting the abbreviations. There is no guessing who snapped up ibm.com. And of course, DIY.com was snapped up by B&Q, the massive UK-based do it yourself store.
Nowadays, with all these short names gone, the key is using relevant keywords in the domain name. This can have a dramatic effect on the effectiveness of locating a domain name in a search. Keywords built into your domain name usually mean you are found quicker, and higher up on search engine results.
Speaking of the top-level domain name, it is very nice to know that some of the common top-level domain names used in the internet comprise the .gov which stands for government agency, .org for an organization, .edu for education institution, and .net for a network service provider.
Many domain name experts have considered that one of the best and simple tricks for locating companies and organizations on the internet is definitely to enter the name with the appropriate top-level domain name.
An exact and concrete awareness of the domain name is the best key for finding the desired site. Remember that! Also remember, the more relevant the domain name to your product, service or organization, the more easily you will be found.
