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Domains – Everything You Need To Know

Every online business possesses a domain name. You can not run a website or host it on a server with the help of a hosting service without an exclusive domain name. A domain may be defined as a unique format of text which is the address to a website that can be easily read by humans. Not everyone gets the domain name of their dreams. 

What Are Domains?

A domain name can be considered as a string of characters that can identify a website on the internet. Domain name functions are similar to the functions of an actual person’s name. Domain names are framed by the procedures and rules of the Domain Name System (DNS). If a name is registered in the Domain Name System (DNS) then it is a domain name. A domain name is case-sensitive and so the format should not be changed while surfing the internet for a particular website. 

Parts Of A Domain

A fully functioning domain consists of three parts. They are Top-level domain, Domain Name, and Subdomain (optional). These are three default parts of a domain. Subdirectories are formed with the website and they do not have to be mentioned in the default URL. 

  • Top-level domain A top-level domain is considered to be the highest level in the hierarchy of Domain Name System (DNS). For example; www.mybusiness.com, here “.com” is considered to be the top-level domain
  • Domain Name This is the actual name of the business. For example, www.mybusiness.com, here “mybusiness” is said to be the domain name.
  • Subdomain (optional) They are not present in the default URL link at times. For example, blog.mybusiness.com, where “blog” is known as the subdomain. 

These are the various parts of the domain and the functions which they perform. 

Domain Spoofing

The domain name of a site can be spoofed. This is done to carry out phishing attacks. Domain name spoofing is designed to trick users by luring them into websites that they did not intend on visiting. Some of the well-known spoofing attacks are “sting site”, “fake URL”, “URL hijacking”, etc. These are also called typosquatting. 

Typosquatting can be caused by five reasons. They are:

  1. Can be caused due to common misspellings.
  2. Typographical error.
  3. A singular domain name is typed in plural form.
  4. Different TLD (top-level domain). For example, using “.co” instead of “.com”
  5. Misusing ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain)

How To Form A Good Domain Name?

  • Good Domain should provide brand identity.
  • They must be very flexible.
  • They must be easy to remember and not complex.

Moving on to the interesting facts about the domain. These are short and can be easily remembered all throughout your life. 

Facts About Domain

Small facts lead to great knowing!

Once you start discovering the features of a domain in debt, you will be amazed to know about its facts. A fact is something that is proven to be true. Here are some of the known facts about the domain.

  • At times it is impossible for business owners to get domain names that they prefer.
  • Domains can be categorized based on the country-specific level domain. For example; ‘.com.uk’ refers to the United Kingdom and ‘.co.in’ refers to the country India. 
  • “.org”, “.com” and “.co” are the most commonly used TLD (Top Level Domain).
  • Second top-level domains are cheaper than TLDs (Top Level Domains).
  • The domain name needs to be renewed in order to stay active.
  • You can buy other domains that have expired.
  • A domain name can not be longer than sixty-three characters.
  • Currently, there are no “A” .com domain names. All are taken!
  • The highest price a domain sold was 35 million dollars.
  • On average, domain names are eleven characters long.
  • Three-character domain names are all taken too.
  • Mike Mann bought 14.962 domains in a single day.

Interesting, isn’t it? Moving on to myths. Many people still believe in myths. Likewise, domain myths are also believed by many.

Myths About Domain

Do not get carried away by myths. They might sound like the truth, but they are not the truth. Myths can be considered gossip as well. Here are some of the myths about domains that should be ignored.

  • A business domain name should definitely start with ‘www.’ as a prefix and ‘.com’ should be used to end the URL (Uniform Resource Locator).  
  • Only fully qualified domain names (FQDN) can be hosted on servers.
  • Domain names are not case-sensitive.
  • Domain names should have keywords in them.
  • “.com” is not mandatory.
  • Investing in premium domains is the best option.
  • There can’t be a number in the domain name.

Hopefully, you must have got a better picture of the domain by now. Your knowledge of this topic would have definitely widened and you would know a lot about the domain.

To Summarize

A domain name becomes the identity of your company in the virtual world. Do not forget to renew your domain at the right time or your domain can be purchased by some other vendor. Find the most suitable and apt hosting service with the best subscription plan to host your website. This hosting service should fulfill all your requirements and be cost-efficient as well. Purchase the same domain so that you do not have to share your domain name with other organizations or companies. Be swift! Grab your domain before it runs out.