Domain Names And Ip Addresses
An Internet Protocol, or IP, address is different than a domain name. The IP address is an actual set of numerical instructions. It communicates exact information about the address in a way that is useful to the computer but makes no sense to humans. The domain name functions as a link to the IP address. Links do not contain actual information, but they do point to the place where the IP address information resides. It is convenient to think of IP addresses as the actual code and the domain name as a nickname for that code. A typical IP address looks like a string of numbers. It could be 232.17.43.22, for example. However, humans cannot understand or use that code. To summarize, the domain name is a part of the URL, which points to the IP address.
Why Do Domain Extensions Exist
The original purpose of domain extensions was to classify websites by type.
For example, any website with an address ending in .com was supposed to be a commercial site.
But as you know, all sorts of websites use .com. As the internet has evolved, domain extensions have often been used differently than originally intended.
Heres an example you might be less familiar with: the extension .fm is supposed to designate a website from Micronesia. But its currently used by many radio stations and audio streaming sites.
There are extensions, like .gov, that are restricted to specific organizations. But so many others are open to anyone.
As a website owner, your domain extension serves a few purposes. It can tell people what kind of site theyre on, it can inspire trust, and it can create a catchy and memorable URL.
The Legal Challenges Of Domain Names
Filing a domain name that includes the name of a known trademark is not the same as owning the trademarkâs intellectual and industrial property rights. However, anyone can reserve a domain name containing a trademark, if the company in question has not yet done so. This may create some conflicts between the company and the domain name holder that case-law is trying to address, since a domain name does not have a legal status as such.
It is therefore strongly recommended that businesses reserve several domain names with different extensions that incorporate the trademarks used by their company. This will prevent the companyâs brand identity from being misused, including by an unfair competitor or cybersquatters. However, French law seems to side with the owners of the trademark registered with the INPI, even if they do not own the corresponding domain name.
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What Is A Web Address
In order to understand what a domain name is, you need to understand what a web address is. A web address contains information about the location of a web page. It is also known as the URL and it basically, just tells the internet how to get to your site.
Now, lets make this easier by breaking it down:
On this page
Domain Names And Urls
The universal resource locator, or URL, is an entire set of directions, and it contains extremely detailed information. The domain name is one of the pieces inside of a URL. It is also the most easily recognized part of the entire address. When computer users type a web address directly into the field at the top of their browser window, it initiates a process of locating the page requested. To do so, the instructions contained inside the URL, including the domain name, must correctly point to that location. The IP address is a numerical code that makes this possible.
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What Is The Role Of Active Directory
Since Active Directory is mentioned a lot, and I will keep mentioning it, its time to explain what it is. Essentially, its the central database that stores everything about a company. I dont mean that it stores files and images, but it stores the users, clients, and servers.
Lets put this in a story for easier understanding. Take, Sara. She starts a new job at Company A. If Sara is ever going to be able to login to the computers, she needs to have an active account in Active Directory. This is because when Sara tries to log in to a computer, the computer will check with Active Directory to see if Sara exist as a user and if she is permitted to log in to the computer.
When Sara has logged in, she needs to print out some documents. Because she is part of Active Directory, as well as the computer she is on, she can easily reach a shared network drive where the document is. Because Active Directory also has sent out some default settings for her, she already has the office printer installed and set as default printer, making it easier for Sara to print out the document.
Active Directory holds all the users, computers and servers. But its important to note that what holds everything together is a domain, not Active Directory. The AD should be seen as a database that holds information while a domain is what makes everything talk to each other.
What Is A Domain Name Server
A DNS is a computer server that contains a database of many IP addresses and their associated domain names. It serves to translate a requested domain name into an IP address, so that the computer knows which IP address to connect to for the requested contents. The Internet is a network of connected computers, and they communicate with each other through IP addresses. A DNS plays an important role in helping us to conveniently use the Internet and it is one of the most essential foundations of the Internet as we know it today.
It is much easier for us to remember a domain name, webnic.cc, rather than a string of numbers, 104.20.73.209 to WebNICs website. Both the domain name and the DNS are extremely important and they work together to make this possible. Read our blog here if you are unsure what is a domain name.
A great example is to see a DNS as a phone book, which matches a name to a telephone number. You can search for the name you want and find the corresponding phone number. It is also a similar concept to your smartphones contact list, which will match a contact name to a phone number. Remembering domain names is definitely easier for us than to remember a string of numbers. DNS helps us to do this by match domain names to IP addresses, and simplifies our web surfing experience significantly.
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How Can Some Domain Names Cost So Much Money
Much like any other possible commodity, domain names can gather a lot of demand. One can both buy and sell them, and their price has its basis in the age-old concepts of supply and demand. A more in-demand domain name thus could be worth anything from thousands to millions of dollars.
A domain name might even have sentimental value to a particular individual. A company might not own the domain, but instead, someone who wants it because they have a deceased relative who needed it for some reason or another.
Other reasons why a domain name might be worth a lot of money include any of the following:
First of all, the domain name might have a short name that is catchy and could be valuable to several different services to promote their services.
Or the domain name has a high SEO value due to a previous large company having had ownership over it. The larger company might since have lost its grandeur.
Other domain names include very popular search terms, giving a very high SEO value.
Finally, the domain name might be identical to that of a specific product. The owner might wish to keep a hold on the name to prevent others from getting hold of it except for a high price.
The above is not an exhaustive list of reasons. There could be any number of reasons someone wishes to hold on to their domain name. These could be personal, business-related, or even related to short-term popular terms such as through online memes.
Increase Professionalism With A Domain
An often-overlooked benefit to registering a business domain is the ability to create and use domain-specific email addresses. Many small business owners still use free email services like Gmail or Yahoo to communicate with their customers.
Consumers are becoming more tech-savvy, and they expect the businesses they use to have a certain level of professionalism. In a highly competitive market, small differences like having a business email can be the factor that tips the scale in your favor.
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Avoid Suspicious Sounding Domains
Are you more likely to give your credit card information to buywidgets.com or buywidgets.zip?
If you chose the first one, youre not alone.
People tend to be wary of specific domain extensions, often with good reason. There are extensions that spammy sites have almost entirely taken over.
So how do you avoid a sketchy-sounding domain name?
Unless you qualify for something like .gov or .mil, your best bet is to stick with .com.
A Domain Name Has Authority
Hosting your content on a third party blogging or social media platform can seem unprofessional, and undermine your efforts to build a business or professional identity. Since these hosted platforms are often used for personal blogs and other kinds of informal sharing, it can be harder to establish your site as a trustworthy, authoritative source in your niche. Thats where domain name registration comes in. Your own domain name can let potential customers and clients know that youre a legitimate business with long term plans.
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Why Is This So Important
The URL of your site is the first thing your visitors will see. Creating a relevant domain name can make a good first impression. Otherwise, your website may be viewed negatively.
This also affects the organic SEO rankings of your pages. Although exact match domains are no longer a necessity, your domain name keywords still have the ability to improve your SEO ranking.
Finally, domain names define your brand. A good domain name can increase brand and business recognition.
What Does The Domain Extension Mean For Your Website
You might be wondering if it matters which extension you choose for your website. What does a domain extension do for your site in practical terms?
First, it gives potential visitors their first impression of your website. Before theyve even clicked the link and seen your design and content, people notice whether your site is a .com, .org, or .ninja, and each one will give them a different impression.
Second, some domain extensions are more expensive to register than others. For example, youre likely to pay more for a .io domain name than one that ends in .com.
But your domain extension isnt a choice you should make purely based on cost. Keep in mind that you might make more money with a trustworthy .com site than the same site registered with a .biz domain name.
Your domain extension doesnt affect search engine optimization.
Shortly after the new gTLDs were created, was asked how they would affect SEO.
He clarified that Google will always try to return the best result for the query, no matter what TLD the site uses.
However, your domain extension can affect your page rank indirectly.
Having a memorable and trustworthy domain name benefits your sites SEO because people are more likely to click and link to it.
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Checking The Availability Of A Domain Name
This is the tricky part: each domain name can only be owned by one person at a time. Therefore, to purchase a domain name, you need to find one that is available when you carry out your search. You can use a search engine such as Google, and enter the domain name you are after to find out if a website is already registered with that name. Alternatively, there are tools that help you find an available domain name.
Point Your Domain Name To Your Web Host And Install WordPress
Once youre done with your domain registration and hosting purchase, you now need to do the most important thing which is to connect your domain to your web hosting servers. Then, you need to install WordPress.
So lets first talk about how you can point your domain name to your hosting servers easily.
Step 1: Find your web hosting DNS settings. Once youve signed up with Bluehost hosting, it instantly sends you an email where you can find your DNS settings they usually look like ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com.
Step 2: Now once you know your DNS settings, you simply need to add domain name servers to your domain with your domain registrar .
Log into your domain registrar dashboard and find the section for custom name servers.
Make sure to click on the Use Customer Name servers button to add your DNS. It looks something like this.
Quick note: If youve bought domain and hosting from Bluehost, by default, the DNS settings will be there, so theres nothing new to do.
Step 3: Click on Save Settings and youre done. It usually takes 24 to 48 hours for the changes to take effect. Usually, your DNS settings will be taken place almost instantly.
Once your DNS settings are set, your domain name will be shown up properly. Thats it, youre done!
Now since your DNS is pointed to your hosting account, youll now have to assign your domain name into your cPanel on Bluehost so that, it will create a folder on your hosting account.
Heres how it looks like
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The Difference Between A Url And Domain
A websites URL will always include the sites domain name. However, as you can see, there are several other sections of the URL that are required to access any resource or page of a website.
The domain name directs users to the homepage of the website, and it wont include the protocol, file name, directory or subdomain if one exists.
While there is only one domain name for a website, there can be an endless number of URLs.
Every page, image and other media on your website has a unique URL. As the name suggests, Universal Resource Locators are used to pinpoint and render your websites unique assets.