What Is A Domain Name? – Forbes Advisor INDIA – Forbes

Updated: Oct 17, 2023, 11:40am
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Edited By
Your domain name is essentially your business storefront—where old and new customers find you. And with a memorable domain name, you can easily stand out from your competition.
But what exactly is a domain name, what types are there and how should you choose one? Also, how can you find a domain name, and how do you register it? We’ll be answering all of these questions in this article.
Featured Partners
1
Domain.com
Starting price
$9.99 (Around INR 820 for the first year)
Renewal cost
$19.99 (Around INR 1,642 per year)
Free WHOIS privacy
No
On Domain.com’s secure website
2
NameCheap
Starting price
$6.98 Around INR 573.50 for the first year
Renewal cost
$13.98 Around INR 1,148.62 per year
Free WHOIS privacy
Yes
On Namecheap’s Website
Typically called the web address, a domain name is your website’s unique identifier. It’s what users type in their search bar to reach a website. It’s also the easy-to-remember form of your actual address, which is displayed as a string of numbers that can be challenging to memorize. For example, the domain name for YouTube is youtube.com, unlike its actual address, 142.250.97.93.
Your domain registrar assigns your domain name a unique internet protocol (IP) address, and your web hosting service does the backend work to make your address accessible in a human-friendly manner. Whenever someone enters your domain name in their browser, their device will send a request to the domain name system (DNS). The DNS network then finds the IP addresses associated with that domain name and directs the device to the exact destination or web page. This process takes less than a second.
There are different levels and types of domains you must have seen when browsing the internet.
A top-level domain (TLD) is the segment of a domain name after the site name and dot. It tells you the purpose or location of a business or website.
These are the most common examples:
Other top-level domain examples include .app and .icu.
These top-level domains require approval from relevant agencies. You need to comply with predefined community themes to use them. Examples are:
Currently, there are over 300 country code top-level domains, and the letters indicate specific countries. Examples are:
Country code TLDs tell visitors your target country. For example, Amazon has multiple TLDs, including Amazon.com, Amazon.com.au and Amazon.ca. Also, expect Forbes.com to offer a different experience than Forbes.com.in.
A second-level domain is the string of text before the top-level domain. For instance, “Forbes” is our second-level domain, while “.com” is the top-level domain.
Third-level domains designate the specific servers of a website, such as indicating its store or blog. For example, browsing Wikipedia in North America will direct you to en.wikipedia.org. The “en.” is the third-level domain, indicating that you’re reading the content in English. HubSpot also uses blog.hubspot to direct visitors to its blog content and academy.hubspot to lead users to its learning hub.

People often get these mixed up, but each has its distinct functions. The domain name is part of the uniform resource locator (URL), and it’s the readable address after the “www” of a web address. The URL is the complete address. It has the domain name, the protocol and path for locating your website pages.
For example, this page’s URL is “/”, while “forbes.com” is the domain name. The URL includes the protocol “https” and “//”, which is the path to this page that tells you everything you need to know about a domain name.
Since your domain name is the first thing your website visitors see, you need to ensure it’s the right one. Also, your domain name can affect your brand’s success, website search engine optimization (SEO), keyword rankings and general marketing efforts. As such, you need to consider several factors when choosing a domain name. Here are a few of the major ones.
Your choice of domain name will affect how your customers perceive you. For instance, “.com” is the most appropriate for small businesses; that’s why it’s usually the first option. But when it’s unavailable, .org, .net and any of the ones below are good alternatives, as they’ll convey the essence of your website.
Just make sure whatever domain type you choose is relevant to your website.
For domain names, the shorter, the better. Shorter domain names are easier to remember and faster to type, which helps your audience find you quicker and provides them with a positive user experience (UX).
So:
To be distinct in customers’ eyes, you need a domain name that reflects your brand. Here are a few tricks for a catchy domain name.
Featured Partners
1
Domain.com
Starting price
$9.99 (Around INR 820 for the first year)
Renewal cost
$19.99 (Around INR 1,642 per year)
Free WHOIS privacy
No
On Domain.com’s secure website
2
NameCheap
Starting price
$6.98 Around INR 573.50 for the first year
Renewal cost
$13.98 Around INR 1,148.62 per year
Free WHOIS privacy
Yes
On Namecheap’s Website
Try combining keywords with your brand name so it stands out. But make sure the keyword is relevant. If you sell boats and your brand name is Vista, you can have vista+boats= vistaboats.com. At a glance, such a honed domain name will show users what you do and help visitors remember you. It can also improve your site rankings.

Finding a domain name that’s still available can be challenging, but don’t let it deter you. The best domain registrars have domain name generators you can use to check if your desired domain name is available. And if not, they’ll suggest closely related ideas that can work for you.
You can also get a free domain name by choosing website builders such as Wix and IONOS. Otherwise, expect to pay anywhere from $1 around INR 81.95 to tens of thousands per year, with the average cost of a domain name being around INR 819.55 to INR 1,639.10 $10 to $20 per year. The prices often depend on:
Pro tip: Check for trademark infringement
Trademark infringements lead to legal suits and domain losses, which cost you legal fees and the need to fix your web presence. So, before registering a domain name, search the trademark database to confirm that it’s not already registered.

After settling on a domain name, the next step is to register the name, which is straightforward.
Meanwhile, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) keeps domain names in a public database. So, if you want to keep your contact information private, we recommend choosing domain name privacy. You can even select a provider such as IONOS, which comes with domain name privacy.
Featured Partners
1
Domain.com
Starting price
$9.99 (Around INR 820 for the first year)
Renewal cost
$19.99 (Around INR 1,642 per year)
Free WHOIS privacy
No
On Domain.com’s secure website
2
NameCheap
Starting price
$6.98 Around INR 573.50 for the first year
Renewal cost
$13.98 Around INR 1,148.62 per year
Free WHOIS privacy
Yes
On Namecheap’s Website
Customers can’t reach your website without a domain name. You can’t even build a website without it, which shows you how important a domain is. But to get the best from your domain name, note its essential components and what makes it different from URLs, protocols and other website elements. Also, remember how it works, why you need it, and how to find and register a domain name.
You need a domain name to build your business website. You can also use it to create a business email. Plus, your address would be difficult to remember without a domain name. Otherwise, Forbes.com, for instance, would be 199.232.57.55.
A domain name is a user-friendly web address that allows internet users to access your website. However, your website includes the files, images and any other data visitors interact with when they enter your website address.
You can buy domain names from any of the best domain registrars, including Namecheap, Domain.com, Google Domains and HostGator. Choose based on your needs, such as privacy preference, budget or need for ancillary services such as web building and web hosting. For example, Domain.com is best for long-term discounts, while GoDaddy is known for its ultra-low rates for first-time purchasers.
Aashika is the India Editor for Forbes Advisor. Her 15-year business and finance journalism stint has led her to report, write, edit and lead teams covering public investing, private investing and personal investing both in India and overseas. She has previously worked at CNBC-TV18, Thomson Reuters, The Economic Times and Entrepreneur.

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