This section of the Compare Hosting Packages web site introduces you to the concept of domain names and domain registrations, this information is worth knowing if you want to create a successful web page.
What is a domain?
A domain or domain name is the name of a web site and is what type into the top box of your internet browser in order to go to the website you are looking for. The domain name for this site is comparehostingpackages.co.uk.
Domains can be held for a minimum period of 1 year and you can hold them for as long as you require.
Types of domains
There are a number of different types of domains available and the difference in these is the extension at the end of the name that has been chosen, examples of domains are as follows:
- .co.uk: This is a domain that is for companies and web sites in the United Kingdom, some domain types require you to be a citizen of the specific country.
- .us: This is a domain that is for companies and web sites in the United States
- .fr: This is a domain that is for companies and web sites in France
- .com: The com in .com stands for commercial and generally means the website is a company, but in reality it can be any website.
- .net: The net in .net stands for network and therefore is usually in relation to a network of sites.
- .org: The org in .org stands for organisation and is used for not-for-profit organisations.
Choosing your domain
It is very important to choose your domain name carefully as once it is chosen you are stuck with it! The guidelines below should help you choose an appropriate name for your domain:
- Make sure the name is related to the content of the web site and what it is there to do
- Pick a name that is easy to remember and easy to spell to ensure that people can find your website without any problems
- Pick an appropriate domain type, see the information on the types of domains above
- Use a unique domain name, if you pick a unique name that no-one has thought up it will allow you a shorter domain name which makes it more efficient for users to type in your domain name. This is not always possible as it may not describe your site well or may be hard to find a short unique domain name.
- Use a combinations of words if you need to (without having an excessively long name), this can make it easy for visitors to understand what your website is and can sometimes help search engine ranking when they are a unique set