What is a domain name? Meaning, Example, Usage & Pricing

A domain name is one of the most confusing topics on the internet. The funny part is when we open a blog to read about what a domain name is , we are interacting with a domain name itself. We don’t realise it!

What we type on the search box, with .COM as the ending, is a domain name. When we search a word on Google, thousands of search results trickle down on your Browser page. We click on some of them. But, again, we don’t realise that we have just clicked on a domain name.

What is a domain name?

Imagine you are calling someone from your mobile. You go to your phone book. You check the name of the person and dial the call. You will not even pay attention to the number of the person. It is already saved against the person’s name.

A similar situation is happening on the internet. In our case, even if we are not paying attention to the person’s number, the telephone company is. They realise who we are calling and divert us to that person’s number.

On the internet, every website present has a unique number assigned to it. This number is called the IP address. An IP address consists of four parts. When you enter this IP address in your browser search bar, you will reach the website it is assigned to.

For example, if you enter 172.217.6.132 there, you will reach google.com.

There are bazillion websites on the internet. It is next to impossible for human brains to memorize all those IP addresses. Of course, remembering and typing google.com is a billion times easier than remembering 172.217.6.132.

That is the reason why domain names came into existence.

You search a website name and you reach the website. Somewhere on the internet, you click on something and it takes you to some other website.

How does this happen?

Domain & Domain Name System (DNS)

When you type this name or click on a link, you enter the Domain Name System or what we simply call – the DNS.

Domain name system is a big concept. To explain in short, domain name system translates IP addresses into easy-to-remember and unique domain names.

You must have noticed that the domain name consists of two parts.

For example, connectreseller.com is a domain name.

Here, .COM which falls on the right of the dot is called a Generic Top-Level Domain or simply gTLD.

While the name CONNECTRESELLER, which falls on the left of the dot, is called the Second-Level Domain.

The important part to know here is:

The top-level domains are limited in number. While the second-level domain is the name user wants to give his/her website. However, second-level domains have to be unique. That means one domain name cannot be registered multiple times. connectreseller.com is not equal to connectreseller.org. The combination of a second-level domain and the top-level domain is what makes the domain name unique.

What can you do with a domain name?

Yes. domain names are not just for the websites. Sure, they are for websites. But, it is very much possible that you register a domain name but don’t start a website.

You can use this domain name to get a cloud hosting or get a professional email address such as contact@mycompany.in. Here, mycompany.in is a domain name but there is no website (mycompany.in) for on it.

How much do Domain Names cost?

The average cost of typical domain name ranges from $10 -12.

Cost of domain name depends on the top-level domain as well as the demand of that domain name in the market. Here, premium domains come into the picture. But, that is a topic for another time.

We hope that the confusion about what a domain name is quite clear. if you have any queries all doubts, feel free to reach us!