A domain name is the address that is used to identify a website on the internet. Just like a house, you need an address to find it on the map, a domain name is that address for your website. At a technical level, all websites are hosted by companies that use IP addresses to connect the websites to the internet.
IP addresses are a random sequence of numbers, which are impossible for humans to remember and use every day. Domain names take those IP addresses and convert them to a format humans can read and remember.
infoceptor.com is a domain name. You don’t need to know the IP address assigned to infoceptor.com, only the domain name.
Domain names can be purchased through various domain or web hosting companies, such as GoDaddy, Skystra or Bluehost. The Internet Corporation For Assigned Names And Numbers (ICANN) is the global domain authority, and delegates domain registration authority to various domain registrars and companies.
Domain names can vary in pricing, from completely free, almost free, to several hundred dollars per year.
Various WordPress hosting companies, like HostGaor or Bluehost, will provide a free domain name with their web hosting packages. These domains are basically free for the length of time you keep your web hosting active with these providers. You can easily change web hosting providers, by changing the DNS settings of your domain. This is usually done via nameservers, which tell the internet where your domain is hosted.
There are various domain name extensions, otherwise known as TLD’s. There are a few major extensions, such as .com, .net and .org. A few smaller ones like .co, .io, .xyz and there are TLD extensions for nearly all countries in the world.
To use a domain name, you will need a web hosting service. We’ve ranked the top WordPress hosts, from which you can register your domain name and set up a hosting service with those companies.
To register a domain name, you’ll first need to see if it’s available. For our example, we used Skystra, because of their clean interface.
If your domain name is available, congratulations! That means all you need to do is register it, and it’s yours.
If it’s not available, that means someone else has registered it. You’ll need to choose a new domain name, or choose yours with a different TLD extension.
And finally, choose if you want your personal information protected from being publicly available. ICANN directives state that all domain name registrations need to provide contact information and to make that information publicly available.
Some domain registration providers offer ID Protection for this very reason. Sometimes referred to as WHOIS privacy, this puts your domain registrar provider’s contact information like your domain’s contact information, protecting your identity.
We hope this quick guide helped you learn about domain names and how they work. If you’d like to see additional information or if you have any questions, please let us know in the comments section below!
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