Domains and Domain Names: What They Are and Examples to Help You Choose the Perfect One
Choosing a domain name is a critical aspect of ecommerce business ownership because it is the online address customers will use to find your website. Without it, you won't have an online presence, and therefore you won't reach any potential customers. This post will help you understand domains, domain names, and various types of domains, so you have the necessary knowledge to make an informed decision.
What Is a Domain?
A domain refers to the address of your website. It is similar to your home address, except that it is the location of your website online. A domain ensures that anyone browsing the internet can reach your website by searching its name.
What Does a Domain Look Like?
A domain name comprises letters, numbers, and a dot (period), followed by a domain extension such as .com, .org, or .net. For example, our domain name is www.yourwriter.com, where 'www' is a subdomain, 'yourwriter' is the domain name, and '.com' is the top-level domain extension.
What Are Domains Used For?
Domains serve essential purposes in ecommerce businesses, including:
1. To Gain Ownership
When you purchase a domain name, you gain ownership over the brand's internet identity. This prevents competitors from using your domain name.
2. To Solidify Your Brand Identity
A domain with a name relevant to your ecommerce business strengthens its brand identity. This makes it easier for customers to remember your brand, and it distinguishes it from competitors.
3. To Establish Credibility
Customers tend to view domains as a sign of credibility in ecommerce businesses. Owning your domain makes your brand appear trustworthy and professional. It also eliminates the possibility of other companies creating a similar-looking domain and deceiving your customers.
4. To Be Memorable
A memorable domain name will boost your brand's recall value in customers, making them more likely to return to your website again and again. A unique name can also help customers locate your website more easily via search engine rankings.
5. To Stand Out Against Competitors
Choosing a unique domain name can help you stand out amongst competitors in your industry, helping bring more traffic to your website. It also makes your brand more memorable and distinguishes your business from other strata.
6. To Build Authority
A domain name that is used consistently throughout all of your brand's web properties (e.g., social media accounts) can help build brand domain authority with Google. The more you use your domain, the more search engine crawl and index your pages, developing your domain authority and elevating your SEO.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is the name given to your domain, which is easier to remember than your domain's IP address. The domain name is created by registering it through a domain provider and is unique to your ecommerce business.
The Parts of a Domain Name
A domain name has several parts:
- Top-level domain (TLD): the last label in the domain name, e.g., .com or .net
- Second-level domain (SLD): the segment after the TLD, e.g., yourwriter in www.yourwriter.com
- Subdomain: a word that comes before the SLD, e.g., www in www.yourwriter.com
- Domain extension: the dot-separated segments that follow the SLD.
What Is a Domain Name Example?
Examples of domain names include google.com, amazon.com, ebay.com, and yourwriter.com. The domain name doesn't need to be the same as your business name; instead, it needs to be memorable and relevant to your brand.
Types of Domain
There are several types of domains:
Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD)
A gTLD comprises the standard top level domains such as .com, .org, .net, .edu and .gov. These domain extensions aren't country-specific, and any ecommerce business worldwide can use them.
Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD)
A ccTLD is country-specific, and it signifies the domain's country of origin, for instance, .us for the United States, .ca for Canada, .au for Australia etc. These domain extensions can only be used by ecommerce businesses from that country.
Internationalized Country Code Top-Level Domains (IDN ccTLD)
An IDN ccTLD utilizes non-ASCII characters accommodating unique languages and scripts. Examples would include Asian, Arabic and Cyrillic languages. These domain extensions allow businesses to signal to their customers their familiarity with a unique language or culture.
Subdomain
A subdomain is part of a larger domain name. For example, in the domain name www.yourwriter.com, the word 'www' is a subdomain of yourwriter.com.
Setting Up Your Domain
Once you have chosen your domain name, you will need to register it through a domain provider. You can then begin the process of setting up your website, selecting a web host and creating content that will help customers find and engage with your ecommerce business.