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You are here — at my website!The world wide web is made up of a giant maze of computers all hooked together. Your website (your house ) has an address , consisting of a long series of 0’s and 1’s ( called an IP address). Easy for the computer to understand but super hard for people to remember and not mess up. A domain name is the combination of letters, numbers, and symbols ( your web site’s address ) that a person types into their browser in order to find your specific web site . This domain name makes it easier for people to remember your address and visit your website (your house) vs. trying to remember the numerical IP address.
Domain names are made up of two parts.
- The part after the period (.) is called a top-level domain. This can also be called the suffix. It is meant to show the purpose or the location of a website- .com = commercial , .org = non-profit, .edu = educational, .gov = government, etc.
- The part in front of the period (.) is called the second-level domain. This part is where you get to shine and name your site. There are a few things to keep top of mind when you are trying to pick out a domain name:
- You want the name to be easy to pronounce, easy to spell and as short as possible.
- .com is the most memorable and popular suffix.
- Don’t use numbers or hyphens in the domain name. These make the name hard to pronounce and remember. If you must use a numeral in the name, register for a domain name using the numeral and one also using the written word for the number and direct them both to the same website, so that you catch all customers looking for you.
When you have your list of possible names written down, it’s time to check if the name is available. Each domain name is 1-of-a-kind, meaning that if it’s already taken you’ll have to either purchase it from the owner or choose another. Each website ( house) has it’s own domain name ( address) and there can’t be duplicates or the world wide web wouldn’t work as we know it.
Domain names can be registered with any domain registrar that is authorized by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to do this work. There are differences in what services they offer, which suffixes/extensions they offer, and what prices they advertise. Use these criteria when choosing a registrar–
- Check the prices– now and for renewal. You register for a minimum of 1 year, but can register for up to 10 years at a time.
- How easy is it to transfer a domain name to another registrar, if you wish. Review their policy before you decide.
- Can you set up auto-renewal of the domain name so that you don’t forget to renew it and then inadvertently lose it?
- What other services are offered by the registrar? You may be interested in them now or in the future.
Watch out for add-on pricing that makes you think you got a great deal until you see the bill. Check out online reviews and see if other customers had good or bad experiences. Look for any hidden fees before you sign on the dotted line.
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