Domain names explained
Your website's address: the human-friendly name people type instead of a string of numbers. You rent it, you don't own it forever.
A domain name is your website’s address: yourbusiness.co.uk instead of the IP address computers use to find servers. It is how visitors reach your site and how customers recognise your email address.
How it works
Behind the scenes, the DNS (Domain Name System) translates your domain into the address of the server where your site is hosted. Point the domain at your host and the browser knows where to go.
Things worth knowing
- Domains are rented. Registrars renew them year by year. Let one lapse and someone else can take it, so keep auto-renew on.
- The ending matters.
.com,.co.uk,.studioand the rest carry different signals and availability. - Email lives here too. A custom domain gives you
[email protected], more credible than a free inbox. - Security sits beside it. Your SSL certificate protects the connection once people arrive.
Getting it right
Pick something short, memorable and easy to say out loud. Secure the obvious variations if you can. Keep the registration in your own account. A domain is one of the few digital assets a business should keep under direct control.