Domain Names More Choices than You Think

When you are choosing a domain name you will probably be looking for a .com or maybe a .net. This on the whole is sensible advice, but if you are offering something a little bit different on your website and you want to stand out then there is another path you can take.

First let me give a quick and simple explanation of the different parts that domain names are made up of. Let us start with the top level, this is the end part of any web address such as .com or the myriad of other top level names that are now available. The part next to the top level domain is called the second level domain. The second level domain is the part that you register with a domain name registrar. For my site the second level domain is NameSearchDomain.

The part at the from of the web address is the third level domain, this is excluding the www part. The third level domain is often referred to by your web host as the sub-domain, it is just a sub-domain of the second level domain name. You can set this part up with your web host if it allows you to use sub-domains.

This is a very high level overview of how a web address is made up, there is more to this but for our purposes this is all we nee to know. To clarify here is an example using Google.

  • Second Level - Google.com or www.Google.com
  • Sub-domain - News.Google.com or www.News.Google.com

You do not need to enter the www part of the address in your browser, just typing in Google.com will take you to the website.

Now you know how a web address is made up you can use your imagination to come up with a clever and distinctive web address. If you take a look at del.icio.us you can see an interesting use of the available domain names to spell the word delicious. Here they have registered the domain name icio.us, the us part is the top level domain that represents North America. A sub-domain of del has been created on their web server which completes the creation of a catchy web address.

Why not use the same principal to create your own web address, there are many top level domains to choose from, far too many to list here. As many of the less well known top level domains are not used there will be a lot more domain names to choose from. You can use this method to create a distinctive web address and become more memorable to your visitors.

Allan is the webmaster at NameSearchDomain.com where you can find out all about Domain names.

In The News:


InsuranceQuote.com Domain Name For Sale Exclusively with DomainAdvisors
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Top Insurance Industry Domain Name Now Available. Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 23, 2012 DomainAdvisors, a leading broker of ultra premium domain names, announced today that the multi-billion dollar insurance industry's defining domain name, ...

and more »

RedOrbit

Internet domain name project relaunches after software bug
Reuters
In the most ambitious expansion of the Internet so far, the body that oversees domain names has now given organisations until May 30 to apply for their own Web address endings - for example .london, .eco or .canon - provided they have a legitimate ...
ICANN Domain Name Application Process Re-OpensRedOrbit

all 133 news articles »

Could the .secure domain make the Internet safer?
InfoWorld
By Robert Lemos | InfoWorld Most calls for new TLD (top-level domain) names seem like little more than real estate developers proposing the creation of entire new continents just to lease the land. The creation of .name, .pro, .xxx, and even .biz, ...

and more »

InsuranceQuote.com Domain Name For Sale Exclusively with DomainAdvisors
Albany Times Union
DomainAdvisors, a leading broker of ultra premium domain names, announced today that the multi-billion dollar insurance industry's defining domain name, InsuranceQuote.com has been listed exclusively for sale with their firm. Whether it's auto, home, ...


Mayor arrested after hacking into GoDaddy account and cancelling domain
Domain Name Wire
Register your domain names with Searchen Networks Inc., Check domain name availability. Search for domain names. Domain Name Wire is the Domain Name Industry's News Source. Major and his son accused to hacking into GoDaddy account and cancelling domain ...

and more »

MyBroadband

Number of co.za domain names revealed
MyBroadband
There are currently around 780000 .co.za domain names, with between 100000 and 140000 net additions annually. This is according to Uniforum SA director Neil Dundas. Dundas said that there are around 200000 new .co.za registrations per year, ...


Internet domain name project relaunches after software bug
IBNLive.com
In the most ambitious expansion of the Internet so far, the body that oversees domain names has now given organisations until May 30 to apply for their own Web address endings - for example .london, .eco or .canon - provided they have a legitimate ...


Ski Channel

Starting Dot Announces Application for .ski Top Level Domain
PR Newswire (press release)
Global community of ski sports participants, companies and brands to get a dedicated domain name extension to help grow the sport through related domain names. PARIS, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- STARTING DOT today announced its application to ...
Dot Ski North America and Starting Dot to Bring .ski Domains to the Internet ...Ski Channel

all 3 news articles »

EuroDNS Promotion Offers .JP domain Names at €52.99, for Two Weeks Only
PR Web (press release)
JP domain names. This promotion enables EuroDNS customers to register new or transfer existing domain names at a promotional rate. Valid until June 5, 2012, register a .JP domain name for only €52.99. Enter the promo code PRJP12A and benefit from this ...

and more »

.ME Registry Partners with Sedo For Upcoming Premium Domain Auction
MarketWatch (press release)
ME Registry, the provider of the personalized domain name extensions and ccTLD for Montenegro is partnering with Sedo, the leading online domain marketplace and monetization provider for an upcoming auction of premium .ME domain names. The .

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