When we talk about a domain name (in relation to the internet), we are referring to a ‘website address’. We use domain names to view websites or send an email.

A domain name ends with a suffix, such as .com or .co.uk.

A .com domain originally stood for a commercial company, but now often represents international companies.

Suffixes can indicate a country’s geographical focus to humans and search engines. For example, .fr for France, or .ca for Canada.

Or they can be more general, like .me or .net. There are now hundreds of suffixes to choose from; more available to businesses.

The domain name itself is the part after the three w’s (www), although not all domains use the w’s these days. It’s too much to type!

In email, the domain is the part that comes after the @ symbol.

The server where a website rests is simply a computer, with an allocated IP address. Each one connected to the internet is identified by a unique IP address (such as 182.134.25.25).

Numbers are less meaningful to humans, so as the Internet grew, memorable ways to identify those computers were needed. Enter ‘domain names’.

A domain name is therefore the unique identifier that points to a specific IP address. That is why no two domain names can be the same.

Synonyms of Domain Name

There are lots of ways to refer to a domain name, such as:

• Domain
• Website address
• URL – although this is usually a specific address of a page within a website. For example kaydee.net/domain-names-hosting

There are also terms that are more specific, like:

• Top-level domain or TLD
• Country code top level domain or ccTLD
• Generic top level domain or gTLD

Related Terms to Domain Name

• Host name
  A host name is the name of the computer on which a website rests. The host name is used to call the server and upload files, often for a website.
• Sub domain
  A subdomain divides the top-level domain. Subdomains can be used for languages such as fr.kaydee.net. Or for sub sections of a website, like a blog. I.e. blog.kaydee.net. Usually the files for the subdomain are kept in a subfolder of a similar name.

Domain Name Registration

Domain name registration is taken out through a registrar. Sometimes known as an Internet Service Provider, or ISP.

These are companies registered with a governing body (which is country-dependent) that often provide a range of internet services, such as connectivity, domains, and hosting.

A domain holder, or owner, is referred to as a registrant.

Registrars that we like to use are Cloudflare, Krystal Hosting, HeartInternet and SiteGround. Both have brilliant technical support.

Important Domain Organisations

ICANN stands for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and it is the organisation that links an IP address to a domain name.

IANA is the global coordination of the DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources is performed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

The domain name registration body for any .uk domain is called Nominet UK.

Buy a Domain Name

On behalf of your company, we can purchase and register a domain name.

We always register a domain to the business owner or company. The ICANN lookup tool lets you view the registrar and registrant for any domain name.

Website hosting and professional email addresses can also be provided.

Domain Name Definition

domain
[doh-meyn]

noun

7. Computers.
a group of computers and devices on a network that is administered under the same protocol.
The top-level in a domain name, indicating the type of organisation, geographical location, or both, and officially designated in the suffix, as .edu for institutions of higher education.