Your domain name is your digital address. It’s how people find your business online, whether they are visiting your website or emailing you.
For example, our domain name is kaydee.net/. This is what appears in your browser’s address bar when you visit our website, and it follows the @ symbol in our email addresses, such as [email protected].
Just like physical addresses, no two domain names can be the same; they are unique to you.
How Do Domain Names Work?
Domain names work like the contacts app on your phone. Instead of memorising everyone you know’s phone number, you add their name, and perhaps an emoji or two if you like them enough.
Websites live on servers, which are essentially specialised computers connected to the internet.
To find each other, these computers use a unique string of numbers called IP addresses (for example, 182.134.25.25), which are like the phone numbers behind your contacts.
When you type a domain name into your browser, the internet’s phonebook looks up that name, finds its matching IP address, and connects you.
Domain Suffixes (TLDs)
Every domain name ends with a suffix, technically known as a Top-Level Domain (TLD).
Think of these like the digital area codes. They quickly tell visitors and search engines where your website is being run from.
Almost all of them fall into these two categories:
Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs)
These tell visitors where you’re based, and they’re brilliant for building local trust.
- .uk – United Kingdom
- .fr – France
- .ca – Canada
Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)
These are borderless and used worldwide. While .com dominates domains, there are hundreds of other options to choose from, especially for businesses, including:
- .org – Typically used by charities, communities, and non-profits.
- .net – Originally for tech infrastructure, but now used by all kinds of businesses.
- .me – A fantastic choice for portfolios, creators, and personal brands.
Decoding Domain Name Jargon
The tech world loves acronyms and jargon.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the language you’ll encounter when it comes to domain names.
Common Synonyms
- Domain Name vs Website Address: Good news, these are the same thing! You can use them interchangeably.
- URL (Uniform Resource Locator): While your domain name is the name of your website, like kaydee.net/, the URL is the path to a specific page on that website, like https://kaydee.net/web-design/
Related Technical Terms
- Subdomain: An extension of your primary domain used to separate a specific section of your site. It lets you create a distinct space for different purposes without buying a brand-new domain. For example, blog.kaydee.net for your articles, or fr.kaydee.net for French translation.
- Hostname: This is the unique name assigned to the server where your website’s files are stored. It tells the internet which server to connect to.
How to Register Your Domain Name
To own a domain name, you must go through a registrar, a company authorised to sell domain registrations.
When you buy a domain, you don’t own it permanently; you lease it, and are officially referred to as the registrant.
Recommended Registrars
We highly recommend and personally use Cloudflare, Krystal Hosting, HeartInternet, and SiteGround for their exceptional technical support and reliability.
Let Kaydee Web Handle Your Domain Name and Hosting
We believe technology should support you, not stress you out, so if you need a hand, we can purchase, register, and manage your domain name for you.
We register your domain directly under the business owner’s or company name, and beyond registration, we can configure your hosting and set up professional email addresses to help get your business found online.
Get in touch to find out more.
