We’ll start at the beginning: What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is an internet address. At that address, you’ll find a set of web pages, generally about the topic implied by the domain name.
For example, if you go the domain name “Horses.com”, you’ll probably find information about horses.
All domain names have at least 2 parts, separated by a dot. The part of the domain name to the right of the dot is called the Top Level Domain (TLD). In the 1990’s there were only 5 TLDs, and each had a special meaning:
- .COM - Commercial use, such as a company brochure
- .NET - Networking, such as an internet service provider
- .ORG - Organizations, generally non-profit.
- .MIL - Military, such as a Navy recruiting site
- .EDU - Education, such as university web site
- .GOV - Government use, such as IRS.gov
More TLDs are now available - We’ll discuss those in a later post.
Domain names are often compared to real estate, where the name itself is the property, and the web site is the building built upon it.
Domain names are also used to route email, and most modern companies issue email addresses to their employees with the company domain name to make it clear that this person represents the company and is doing company business.