The internet consists of a series of computer networks that are connected using a network of cables.
When it comes to domain names, you might feel that it is hard to distinguish between different types. With this post, we intend to share some of the most important differences between the most common domain extensions.
For these computers to be able to communicate with one another, each computer is assigned an IP address – a series of numbers that identifies each computer.
IP addresses look like this e.g: 11.32.688.33.1 – they connect billions of computer devices worldwide.
However, humans need an easier way to navigate the internet, instead of using a complex numerical IP address to access a specific website.
This is where Domain Names come in.
First, let’s explain What is a domain name?
A domain name is a central factor to businesses looking to create a new website or grow an existing one.
It is a string of text ’address’ that someone types in a browser to visit a website -e.g ‘website.com’.
Types of Domains:
Domain names consist of a hierarchy that differentiates between domains.
Top-Level Domains ‘TLD’
A Top-level domain (often referred to as TLD) is the very last segment of any domain name.
www.website.com, ‘.com’ is the top-level domain.
TLDs serve to communicate the purpose or location of a website.
They are subcategorized into Country code top-level domains (ccTLD) and Generic top-level domains (gTLD).
Country Code Top-Level Domain ‘ccTLD’
This domain is used to indicate the website’s location. A .uk domain shows that this website is in the United Kingdom, a .eg domain is in Egypt, and so on.
These are often used by companies looking to build a local presence in a specific region.
They are also considered as a powerful signal that shows users that a website is aimed at them.
Generic Top-Level Domain ‘gTLD’
gTLD is the most common type of top-level domain. They include .com, .net , .org, etc.
They mainly reflect the objective of a website.
For example, a .com website is for commercial purposes, .org is for non-profit organizations, and so on.
Second-Level Domain ‘referred to as 2LD’
The second-level domain is the section directly below the TLD, before the ‘dot’. This portion of the domain name shows and reinforces the website’s main identity.
For instance,
www.google.com – ‘Google’ here is the second-level domain.
This is part of the domain that users will remember the most, so it’s necessary to choose a second-level domain that is short and memorable.
Third-Level Domain
This is the section preceding the second-level domain. Third-level domains are also referred to as ‘subdomains’, as they refer to a section on a website.
They are used when building a new section on a website – adding a subdomain.
For instance, if you are looking to add a blog section to your site, you will host it on a website like ‘blog.website.com’ to create a separate section for your content.
In Conclusion
Registering the right domain name is a powerful opportunity for businesses to reinforce their identity and improve their online performance.
Choose the domain that matches your website’s purpose and register your domain now.