It’s a confusing business this, when you’re thinking of having a website for the first time. There are so many things you’ve never heard of and a Domain Name is just one of them. In this post I’ll try to explain what it is, what it does and how, what it will give you and finally how you register a domain name.
In simple terms you may know it as a URL or a web address for example www.imaker.co.uk . It is the name you register for your website for a period (in the case of co.uk of 2 years, a .com for 1 year) that no-one else can use while the name remains registered.
The main advantage of having a domain name is that it allows you to set up a website with that name. The domain contains information about it’s owner, contact information and other references to the ownership and registration details of the name. The domain also has something called the MX records and Name server details. Put simply the MX records point at where emails will be sent, while the name server record points to the physical address of the website, that is the address of the machine where the website is stored.
Full control over the name. That doesn’t sound too impressive, but gives you total control over the name, where the site is hosted, where emails are sent and received which is very important should something happen to your existing services. It means you can change any detail at will. You don’t necessarily have to have a web site to own a domain name. It is possible to use the name to provide a unique email address. Some registrars will provide email free when you register the name and some hosts will let you use the name solely for email.
A domain registrar will arrange the registration for you. There are many of them and it’s a matter of your personal choice which one you use, some are better than others. You pay your money and take your choice!
Leave a reply