Domain Names Overview

Posted by admin | overview | Monday 21 September 2009 7:28 pm

If you are thinking of starting up a new business or adding a new application to the internet it can seem very daunting. Many people may be put off because they do not fully understand what it is that they are getting involved in and how it works.

Your website or internet application needs be hosted on a server which will support your website and help it to run smoothly. The domain name is what tells the browser where your website is hosted and how to get there, so that when your domain name is entered into the browser it redirects to your website.

You can choose from many different TLDs (top level domains) such as .com, .co.uk, .net and hundreds of others, but these three are the main ones. If your business is aimed specifically at the UK then you should opt for a .co.uk domain because these are favoured by search engines for UK searches. If you intend to trade internationally then a .com domain would be beneficial.

With your own domain name you can also have your own email addresses. This looks much more professional for customers and clients than using free email accounts provided by Hotmail or Gmail.

It is best to avoid domain names such as .biz or .info as these are not as professional and are not as widely known by Internet users.