What Is a Domain Name and Why Should It Be Catchy?

A domain name is a website name. It helps users remember your web address easily and allows quick access for system administrators to manage the website. 

In business, websites are greatly important and necessary for both new and established businesses that want to build their customer base and drive sales. A domain name is key to strengthening a brand and making it widely known. So, if you are wondering what a domain name is, why it matters, and how to pick the right one, this article has all the answers!

What Is a Domain Name?

A domain name helps users memorise your website address with ease and lets the Domain Name System (DNS) administrators access the site to edit the IP address of the particular domain when issues occur. In simpler words, a domain name is the name of the website, or URL, that helps people remember the site name better. The domain name is important for those thinking of creating a website because it can directly affect your business.

Parts of a Domain Name

What are the different parts of a domain name? The picture shows that a domain name consists of several sets of letters separated by dots. Here is the explanation of each part going from the right to the left:

• The first one on the far right is a Top-Level Domain (TLD), an important part at the end of every domain. According to the resource management and administration of ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), TLD can be divided into two extensions:
  • Generic Top-Level Domain: gTLD 
  • Country-Code Top-Level Domain: ccTLD 
• The second set from the right is a Second-Level Domain (SLD). It can be either the website’s name or the type of entity the organisation is registered as.
• The third one from the right is a third-level domain. If the SLD indicates the entity type, this is used to identify the website name.

The next part belongs to a subdomain, an additional part of the main website, suitable for businesses that also run other smaller businesses.

Domain Name Extensions

Now that you know the different parts of the domain name and what each represents, let’s move on to domain name extensions that can be divided into two types: a generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) and a Country-Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD).

Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD)

• .com (commercial) – used for companies, organisations and businesses, as well as personal websites.
• .net (network) – often used for businesses in the networking industry such as internet service providers. 
• .org (organisation) – used for non-profit organisations and some government websites.
• .gov (government) – used for government organisations.
• .edu (education) – used for educational institutions.
• .info (information) – usually used for websites providing information.

Country-Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD)

A Country-Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) is assigned to a particular location or country, for example, .th for Thailand; .my for Malaysia; .vn for Vietnam; .jp for Japan; .cn for China; .ca for Canada; .br for Brazil; .hu for Hungary; .de for Germany; .uk for England; .au for Australia; .nz for New Zealand, etc.

Nowadays, there are many newly emerging TLDs. Hence, you will need to choose the TLD extension of your domain name that best suits your business.

Techniques for Choosing the Right Domain Name

• Keep it short. A concise name helps people remember your website easily and look for it on search engines.
• It shouldn’t be an abbreviation. It looks unprofessional and can also be hard to remember.
• Avoid using hyphens. It is not typical of a domain name to use hyphens, and it may be hard for people to spell or even remember.
• Name a domain after your brand. If your brand is already well-known in the market, using it as a domain name will boost your website’s credibility.
• Keep it simple. Do not pick a weird or ambiguous name.
• Choose a domain name that represents your brand and what you want to promote.

Most important when choosing a domain name is that it’s catchy, concise, and easy to remember when searching. If you want to promote your website or use SEO to make your brand widely recognised, our team of experts is ready to help guide you.