So you want to register a domain name, but maybe your not sure which one to get or what domain name extension to use? This domain registration guide will help to answer those questions and more.
What’s in a domain name?
- A name that is used to identify a computer or multiple computers on the internet through the use of a URL, e.g. powerpixservices.com.
- A name that is used for other purposes like email where the domain name follows the @ symbol, or the domain name proceeds an extension like .com.
Where to start?
If you are registering a domain name for your business, generally you would want to use your business name (example: greatcompany.com, or greatcompanyllc.com). But maybe you need a domain name for a personal website, in that case, you may want to use your own name or a domain name that deals with the main topic you will be dealing with on the website (example: joesmith.com, fishing101.com). In either situation, the domain name itself will act as the anchor point for the entire website.
Choosing a good domain name:
When registering a domain name a good rule of thumb is to keep the domain name as short as possible. The benefits of this become clear when someone has to type your domain name into a web browser to get to your website. Long domain names can be difficult to remember and when people have to type the domain into a web browser, typographical errors could lead them to the wrong site by accident.
Domain name variations:
Most domain name registration tools will give suggestions, or variations on the domain name you are attempting to register if the name is not available. This can be a great way to find new variations on your domain name that you might never have thought of. This type of tool is a great place to start when first thinking of a domain name, as you can test out many different ones and see if they are available to you now.
Domain Extensions (TLD):
So what do all these different domain name extensions mean and what do they stand for?
TLD stands for Top Level Domain which represents the letters after the final dot in a domain name (example: .com, .net, .org).
While there are many TLD’s to choose from, we will only be discussing the ones most commonly used. If you would like to do some more research, you can find a complete list of TLD’s and their definitions here.
Popular TLD’s:
- .com (commercial) is a generic TLD that is open for any person or entity to register. The .com TLD was one of the first TLD’s and has grown to be the most popular TLD in use.
Note: In this day and age, almost everyone thinks .com automatically when they think of a website. Even though the .com name space is very saturated, it is still highly recommended to register your domain as a .com as your first choice.
- .net (network) is a generic TLD that is open for any person or entity to register. The .net TLD was also one of the first TLD’s and is the third most popular top level domain.
Note: While .net was originally supposed to be used for networks, it can also be used as a secondary .com due to it’s popularity.
- .org (organization) is also a generic TLD open to any person or entity to register. The .org TLD was one of the first TLD’s.
Note: Originally .org was to be used by miscellaneous or non-commercial organizations. Real world use consists of non-profits, personal sites, open-source projects, and sometimes commercial organizations.
Newer TLD’s:
Because there can only be so many variations on a domain name, many of the popular ones are already taken. To help alleviate the popular TLD name space saturation problems, new TLD’s were created. Many of the newer top level domains have specific requirements to use them, but there are also new open TLD’s that the general public can use.
- .biz (business) is open to any person or entity, but may be challenged if not used by a commercial entity.
- .info (information) is open to anyone to register. It has become the most popular of the new TLD’s.
- .name (individual, by name) is open for anyone to register. This is a great TLD to use with your own name.
Final Thoughts:
As you can see there are quite a few things to think about when registering a domain name. The bright side of all of this is that registering a domain name is VERY easy to do and quite inexpensive.