So if your site is mysite.com, you can be sure that there is no other site on the planet with the same title.
Computers communicate with each other through numbers; in this case it is called IP number. You’ve probably seen or heard it when setting up your email program. It looks like this: 209.15.63.7.
So when a user wants to access your site, what you basically do is give their computer a signal to locate their computer’s fingerprint IP. You don’t see this happening; computers do this entire process while you watch the pages load on your screen. Therefore, every machine online anywhere in the world is programmed to recognize ‘mysite.com’ with its IP number and take you to that site.
There are two (or more) parts to your domain:
top level domain
Single or second level domain
So in the mysite.com example, .com is the top level domain and ‘mysite’ is the second level domain. GOOGLE ADVERTISING
top level domains
The above example of .com as a top level domain is one of many. Consider:
.com = purchases . network=network. edu=educational.org=organization
Another thing you can do is list subdomains (commonly known as hostnames) of the mysite.com domain. An example would be mypage.mysite.com. This will take you to another section of your site.
Technical information
All registered domain names are profiled in a database that details everything about the domain name and personal details such as address, contact, billing details, and your domain name server (DNS).
Here are the steps to access a website:
1. The user requests the site through the browser (a particular IP address) using a domain name
2. The local host queries the local nameserver
3. If the local nameserver does not find the IP address in its local database, it will query other available nameservers, which will in turn perform the same steps.
4. Finally, the user is given the IP address (website) or error message.
What can contain a Domain Name?
· Letters
Numbers
hyphens (-)
They cannot contain spaces or symbols anywhere in the domain and cannot begin or end with a hyphen. Including the top-level domain (such as .com), you have 67 characters to work with, giving you plenty of opportunities to register a keyword-rich, audience-specific domain. But try to keep your domain as condensed as possible, as some browsers return error messages if the domain name exceeds 58 characters.
Example
Acceptable domains:
þ mymarketingcenter.com
þ 1resource-marketingcenter.com
þ 1-stop-marketing-center.com
Unacceptable domains:
X-mymarketingcenter.com
X 1resource-marketingcenter.com- –
X 1 stop-marketing-center.com-
Why should I get a domain name?
If you want your site to be found on the web, you need one. But in addition to simply identifying your site, your domain name represents your business and is the first stimulus search engines use to attract visitors.
Many people are fooled into thinking that they will get their domain(s) when they need it or when the time is right. The problem is that when they finally succeed, their domain has been taken long ago and they start over from the beginning. Many have recognized this trap, so they immediately register their domains to reserve them until they are ready to use them. So, for a few dollars, they protect your next business idea.
If you are a company, all the more reason to reserve your domains immediately. If your business relies on multiple brands for the majority of sales, then it would be wasteful, if not tragic, to find out that your best brands are being held hostage by a guy who works out of your living room in hopes of paying him big bucks. to recover your domain. Even if you win the legal battle, why have it in the first place?
At last count, there were over 30 million domain names registered with thousands more joining daily. You only know that there are thousands of people glued to their computer screens searching for the availability of every conceivable domain that could make them rich tomorrow. You can guarantee that as soon as someone finds that potentially lucrative undiscovered domain, they will instantly register it. So delaying even for a few hours already puts you behind the 8 ball.
Try this for yourself. Open your browser and think about your favorite hobby. Now write the name of your favorite hobby followed by .com. So if his hobby was tennis, he would write tennis.com (he’s busy). You will have a hard time finding a domain name that has not been taken.
Now, considering that the CIA (yes, the intelligence types) projects online users to increase to 1.46 billion by 2007 (now estimated at 945 million), your chances of getting the domain name you really want are rapidly diminishing! every day!
Your personal website
The selection of the domain name for your personal site is much easier. You can name the site with your name, like maggiebruce.com, or with your profession, like dryourname.com. You probably have a better chance of getting your exact name as a domain if it’s less common than Smith or Jones.
With software programs like FrontPage, you can create your own website with zero HTML skills, zero programming skills, and you really don’t have much idea about websites! These programs do the coding and programming for you. All you have to do is put in the text and graphics that you can easily cut and paste from other applications and it will automatically generate your site for you.
You can get a lot of help from free online sources and support from specialists who often provide free tips and advice in exchange for their names being promoted to network members.
Your company
Trademarks
There are now strict ICANN and InterNIC regulations that prohibit you from buying other people’s trademarks and registering them as a domain name. For example, Wal-Mart is a registered brand name, so anyone who previously owned the name would be forced to return it without any payment to Wal-Mart. The same goes for almost any trademarked name.
We strongly advise you to stay away from trademark names and costly legal battles.
Stick to domain names relevant to your business. You can buy as many as you like and they reinforce your company’s image as an industry leader. It’s much better for your business to buy your domains now than later, which can cost several thousand dollars. Remember, the online community is growing at a dizzying pace and won’t wait for you to make a decision. Active-Domain has domains available for as low as $9.95 per year, a minimal investment that could pay off big.
Your products and services
This is one of the most powerful ways you can unleash your brand on the web. Many companies reserve a domain name based on future projects that have not yet been completed. They rely on market research and forecasts to anticipate demand for their particular product or service.
So they name their domain name after their product or service. When it officially hits the market, it creates quite a stir and people flock from far and wide to buy it. Viagra is a great example. Search engines lift you to the top of their lists and keep you there as long as the traffic and requests for search terms are consistent.
So if you have a product or service that you know is destined for success, buy your domain now and keep it hidden from public view until it’s ready to launch. That way you can focus on your project and not have to worry about someone else taking your perfect domain.
investors
It’s hard not to get excited and have $ signs glaze over your eyes when you see domains like business.com selling for $7,500,000.
We are not saying that all domains will fetch big money, but you may get lucky and get a good buyer if the domain is high value.
Despite the potential for loss, many people are still actively looking to buy and sell domain names. One can only speculate that the relatively low cost of buying domains today, combined with the potential to make money, far outweighs the risk of doing nothing at all. So people will continue to take risks.
You will always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.