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What’s
a Domain Name?
Your company has an
address where clients or customers can find you to visit
or get information. On the Internet, your domain name
is the equivalent of your street address. Visitors can
find you and your product or service and contact you
by addressing correspondence to the email address at
your domain name.
If someone wants to
visit your website, they can simply type in your Internet
“address,” or domain name on their browser.
Central computers that regulate and direct Internet
traffic will interpret the domain name and direct the
visitor to the location of your website’s homepage.
The homepage is basically the “front door”
or “lobby” of your website.
A domain name usually
begins with “www,” which stands for worldwide
web, followed by a name or combination of words that
represent your company’s website, then ending
with an extension. The most popular extension is .com.
This was originally used for United States companies,
but is now available to anyone wishing to buy it. It
is the most recognizable extension in the world, and
is very popular, so you may have to choose a few alternatives
for your address if you want the .com extension, since
many of these are already in use.
Other common extensions
include .net (originally for technical websites, but
now usable by anyone); .org, which is still primarily
used by non-profit groups and charities; and .edu, for
educational institutions such as trade schools and universities
or colleges. Some extensions indicate where the domain
is located. For instance, a domain name ending in .ie
is usually located in Ireland.
Choosing your
domain name is a matter of personal preference and availability.
If your company has a name that has been used in the
past by other companies in some form or is common, chances
are you will have to make some changes. For instance,
you may want www.walkercars.com, but it is already owned
by a used Volkswagen dealer in Minnepanaka, Minnesota.
You could try www.walkerautos.com, www.walkercardeals.com,
or some other variation or check to see if www.walkercars.net
is available. Another option is adding a legal extension
before the domain extension, such as www.walkercarsinc.com.
Be careful to check all spelling and make your address
easy to understand so that, when you register your domain
name, your clients and customers can find you easily
on the web.
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Why
redesign your website?