A domain is the unique name of a site. It appears in the address bar of the browser when a user opens a page. In this article we will tell you why you need a domain and how to get one.
Why do I need a domain name?
To allow the user to get to the desired site, each resource on the Internet is assigned an IP address. It looks like a long set of numbers and is inconvenient to enter. To find the site by IP-address the average user can not, so the owners of the resource use a domain is a readable address. As a rule, it contains the name of the resource or a concept close in meaning to quickly find the site through the address bar – for example, google.ca.
What does a website domain name consist of?
The domain name of a site consists of at least two parts, separated by a dot: the domain zone and the main domain. Sometimes, if you want to separate a section from the main site, you make up subdomains.
The domain hierarchy is built from right to left: from domain zone to subdomain. For example, in the domain “maps.google.ca” three elements: domain zone “.ca”, domain “google” subdomain “maps”.
- Domain zone – Indicates whether the site belongs to a particular region or theme. It consists of a dot of a few letters. For example, “.ru” means that the site is Russian, and “.museum”-that the site belongs to a museum.
- Main domain – This is the name of the site, or domain name. For example, vadres public services portal “gosuslugi.ru” main domain will be the word “gosuslugi”.
- Subdomain – This is a prefix to the main name, which specifies the address. For example, the service “Personal account of the individual entrepreneur” in the address bar will read “subdomain.sitename.com”. The subdomain “subdomain” contains the abbreviation of the desired page.
The maximum possible number of subdomains is 999. In this case, a subdomain can not be longer than 63 characters, and all subdomains together with the primary domain and domain zone should fall within 255 characters. That is, if you have created 10 subdomains and they are a total of 255 characters, you can not create a name: Domain name and zone must be, the limit has been reached. These values may vary depending on the domain zone.
What are the domain zones?
The domain zone is chosen during domain registration. The name of the site subdomain user can come up, but the domain zone is chosen from the existing ones. Their list is limited – in total there are about 500 domain zones on the Internet. They are divided into territorial and thematic zones.
Territorial domain zone – The abbreviation after the dot reflects the name of the country, city or region where the site audience is located. For example, Canada’s domain zones are “.ca” and the international ones are “.com”, “.net”. If the business operates only in one region, you can choose a narrower, regional zone.
To register a domain, you need to take into account its requirements. For example, for the domain zone “.ca” there are three rules:
- The length of the domain name must be between 2 and 63 characters;
- The domain consists of Latin letters, numbers and hyphens;
- The hyphen must not be at the beginning or end of the domain;
- Have a certificate of residence registration in Canada
The Domain Zone can determine whether or not a customer should go to a site. Let’s say he’s from Toronto and wants to order a smartphone. Two sites come up in the search: the “.ca” and “.com” domain zones. The “.com” zone is international, so the order is likely to take a long time to arrive from abroad. And the “.ca” site shows that the seller is in Toronto. So you can get a smartphone faster.
Thematic domain zone – International thematic zones indicate the direction of activity: for example, “.biz” – business, “.agency” – agency, “.auto” – cars.
According to the thematic zone, the user concludes whether the site is suitable for him. For example, he wants to buy tickets directly from the airline. Zone “.aero” will indicate that the resource is likely to match his request.
Some of the thematic zones have special conditions. The “.agency” zone can be used by all businesses and individuals. Typically it is used by advertising agencies, media and real estate agencies, and manicure studios and authors of personal blogs can also use it. To register in the “.aero” zone you need to provide the registrar with an ID for the aviation community. It can be obtained from the official site of the domain zone.
The list of requirements for each zone can be found on the website of the registrar company.
How to get a domain
You can get a domain in two ways: register a new one or buy someone else’s.
Register – You need to choose a name and send it to the registrar company. If the name is free, she will register it.
Buy – You can buy a domain from your registrar company or on special exchanges. On some hosting services – services that allow organizations and individuals to place a site on the Internet – there is a section “vacant domain names. This means that the customer has not renewed the right to the name after the expiry of the contract and the domain will soon be put up for sale.
Old domains are bought for several reasons:
- It is believed that it is easier to bring them to the top of search queries.
- The domain is assigned TIC and PR. These are indicators of confidence on the part of search engines. Now these indicators are not accrued, but website developers by habit prefer these names.
- The name contains the right keywords that help promote the site in search engines.
Buying other people’s domains is not always safe. For example, the site may have been sanctioned by search engines. In order not to lose customers because of the bad reputation of the domain, you can look at his history verification service domains.
How to register a new domain
To register a domain, you need to choose a name and activate it on the website of the registrar company.
Choose a domain name – A correctly chosen domain is a tool that will help customers recognize the company and elevate the site in search results. To make it easier for users to find the site, the domain name should not be difficult to pronounce words, a large number of numbers and complex abbreviations. There are several other tricks:
- include the name of the brand or organization in the domain name;
- choose a unique name: similar names can confuse the customer and direct him to a similar competitor’s site;
- use a short name: it’s easier to remember.
For many entrepreneurs, the site is the main tool of income. In order not to lose the domain and avoid a conflict situation, you need to make sure that the name does not coincide with someone else’s trademark, and register it for yourself, not the administrator.
An example of a good domain is top-flower.ca. The name reflects the company’s activities, it is easy to read and remember. Less successful – topflowerforyou.ca. The phrase “bouquet for you” is long, because of the confluent spelling of the letter “I” the name is hard to read – a domain hard to remember.
Activate the domain – To use the selected name, you need to go to the site of the company-registrar and follow four steps:
- Enter a name and domain zone.
- Select additional features – for example, purchase an SSL certificate to secure the data users enter on the site.
- Enter personal information about the buyer.
- Pay for your domain.
The domain is connected for a certain period of time, and then it needs to be extended: this can be done in a personal account on the registrar’s website. The owner of the domain receives a reminder letter in advance. If you do not extend the domain in time, the registrar will block it and give the customer 90 days to redeem it with a fine. When the deadline comes out, the name will be available for free sale – it can be bought by someone else.
How to transfer a domain name
If the company is sold, the site is no longer needed or its owner quit, the domain name can be sold or reassigned to another owner. To do this, draw up a contract for the transfer of the name of the new administrator. The subject of the agreement must specify:
- domain name;
- the names of the previous and new owners;
- places of registration of both owners;
- the date the name was transferred to the new administrator.
After signing the contract, you need to submit a notice to the registrar about the transfer of rights to a third party: now someone else will pay for the domain.
How to get a domain for free
Some registrars offer free names for the site. They add prefixes to them that reflect which control system the site belongs to. For example, “.wix.com. They have limitations:
- the name cannot be sold;
- registrar can add advertising to your site;
- free sites poorly promoted – search engines have a negative attitude to the names with the prefix registrar;
- there may be problems with the speed of loading pages.
A free name is suitable for placing a personal blog that you do not plan to promote in search results. It is more convenient to attract readers to your blog through social networks.
If the site is the main sales channel, you need a domain with no restrictions.
What’s important to remember
- Domain name – the name of an Internet resource in the address bar. You can make it up yourself or choose from free domains.
- The domain zone indicates the territory or theme of the site.
- A successful site name should be short, related to the name of the company, easy to read and memorable.
