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Basic Domain Name Info

What is a domain name?

Randy Harris

December 18, 2005 (14:39:08 EST)

A domain name is usually thought of as the .com name for a website, ie- yourcompanyname.com, favoritehobbyorsport.com, even the domain name anything.com has been registered.

Actually a domain name is made of two parts; a Top Level Domain, and a second level domain. The top level, or TLD as it's called is the ".COM", ".NET", ".ORG" suffix at the end of the second level domain name.

When you register a domain name, (we will explain domain name registration in a minute), anyway, you register a name and get to control what it is used for by paying a fee to a domain reigstrar who is authorized to register names in the TLD you choose.

Domain name registration is the act of securing the rights to a unique domain name for a set amount of time for a fee.

There are many domain registration services. Each is authorized to reigster names within one or more TLDs.

While you could build a website on any domain name, there are several factors to consider when choosing a name. The success, (or failure) of your site can depend on its domain name more that you'd imagine. To help you find the best domain name, we've put together this guide and list of domain name resources.

Top Level Domain Names

In the beginning of public use of the internet, seven TLDs or top level domains" were created to organize information and users into categories appropriate for their distinct needs. TLDs are designated by the characters after the last "dot" in a domain name, (".com" is the most well known).

There are also two character country code toop level domains, (ccTLDs), and even newer, more specialized TLDs such as ".biz", ".info", ".pro", and ".name".

Expired, Deleted or Dropped Domain Names

Deleted Domain Names are one source of good names
that many people don't consider. Every day 20,000 or more .COM domain names are deleted. Read how you can buy pre-owned domain names for the cost of domain registration.

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