A domain name can be considered as website’s equivalent of a physical address. A web browser needs a domain name to help you access a particular website.
A domain name consists of two parts – the domain name and the domain extension. For example, in the domain name domain.com, domain is the website name and .com is the extension.
Domain name registrations are overseen by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). ICANN keeps a centralized database of all the domain names.
How Does a Domain Work?
A domain name points to the server IP to help you access a particular website. Without the domain name, a user needs to enter the IP address of the server. But, the problem is, IP addresses are not memorable. This is why domain names gained huge popularity.
Different Types of Domain Names
While .com is the most popular type of domain, .net and .org have a fair bit of contribution to all of the domains on the internet. Some types of TLDs include:
TLD (Top Level Domains)
A top level domain is exactly how it sounds like – a domain name which is at the top of the internet domain name system. There are hundreds of TLDs available but the most common ones are .com, .net and .org.
ccTLD (Country Code Top Level Domains)
ccTLDs are based on international country codes such as .in (India), .us (United States) etc. They are often used by companies to build region-specific sites.
gTLD (Generic Top Level Domain)
A gTLD is a top level domain that doesn’t rely on a country code. They are mostly used for specific use-case such as .edu (education), .gov (government), .org (for non-profit organizations) etc.
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Other Domain Types
There are some other type of domains. They are:
Second-Level Domains
It’s basically a domain which sits directly below a TLD name. For example, .gov.in is used by governmental institutions and .ac.in is used for academic institutions.
Subdomains
Subdomains help to extend the main domain by helping a webmaster serve content that should be kept separate from the main site. Subdomains are assigned like subdomain.example.com. One example of a real-life subdomain is support.google.com.
Free Domains
Some websites offer free domains but usually they sit on a subdomain of the main domain of the website. Some websites which gives free domains are WordPress.com, Wix etc.
Free domains are not good for your business as it doesn’t give your business a unique identity.
I hope that this guide was useful. If you have any queries or suggestions, then please let me know in the comments down below.
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