Computer Repair in Kalamazoo

What is a domain name? A domain name is a memorable, assigned/leased space on the internet that translates to machine recognizable unique IP addresses. The domain name you purchase should be pointed at your website, and any other web-accessible resources you have at your availability (such as email @yourdomainname.com or eccommerce site (ex. store.yourdomain.com)).

This is different from the “URL” which gives much more information and points to a specific point on a server, such as the specific page address, folder name, machine name, and protocol language.  To put it simply, a domain name is an address for the Internet. It helps people find your web site. Just as homes and businesses have street addresses or phone numbers, all web sites have domain names.

Lets get familiar with the structure of a domain name. As an example we could use the address of the page you are now at. If you look at the address bar of your browser, you will see the following name (or similar):

https://geek-easy.com/category/pc/….

In this long sequence of letters, the domain is just “geek-easy.com”. This is the name that we, at Geek Easy Computers, use to refer to our website. It was chosen with one basic idea in mind – to reflect the name of the company (Geek Easy Computers) and the offered services, so that it is easy for you, our customers, readers and partners, to remember our website and find us online. The “/category/pc” part is the directory this page is located in on the server.

The domain itself contains two basic parts. The first part is the second-level domain(SLD), that is of your own choosing (in our domain name this is ‘geek-easy’) and the second one is the top-level domain, or TLD, that you select from a list of TLDs offered by your domain registrar. The TLD is the general part of the domain name where you have a limited choice. Since it is the “after dot” part of the domain, the TLD is also known as a domain extension, similar to a file extension. There are currently more than 100 different TLDs on the web, so you still have a great variety in selecting your desired domain!

The most popular domain extensions on the web – .COM, .NET, .INFO, .ORG, .BIZ, .NAME, .MOBI, etc. They are all known as generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and are open for registration to all users worldwide, regardless of their citizenship, residence or age.  All international domains have their formal purpose, for instance, .COM is intended for commercial sites, .NET for network companies, .ORG for non-profits, .BIZ for businesses, .NAME for personal pages, .MOBI for mobile-device optimized sites. Nevertheless, most of them, with the exception of .MOBI, can be used for any type of websites. Their growing popularity and easy-to-spell syntax have made them a preferred choice among users.

Domain names can be registered through many entities known as “registrars”. A listing of these companies can be found at icann.org (International Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers). A few that come to mind are GoDaddy, NameCheap, and NetworkSolutions. Your webmaster should be able to assist with deciding on, and obtaining a unique domain name that represents you. The registrar you choose will ask you to provide various contact and technical information that makes up the registration. The registrar will then keep records of the contact information and submit the technical information to a central directory known as the “registry.” This registry provides other computers on the Internet the information necessary to send you e-mail or to find your web site. You will also be required to enter a registration contract with the registrar, which sets forth the terms under which your registration is accepted and will be maintained.  For example, if you choose a name like “example.com“, you will have to go to a registrar, pay a registration fee that costs around US$10 to US$40 (a good example range) for that name. That will give you the right to the name for a year, and you will have to renew it annually for (usually) the same amount per year. Some registrars allow for multi-year registrations as well.

That is a good basic rundown of a domain name.  If you are interested in creating and/or a website for your business, give us a call or send us an email.  11Web.com is our exclusive web site provider and specializes in affordable small business websites, so they can create a solution that fits your needs!  Geek Easy Computers wants to make your technology easier!