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WPBeginner» Blog» Beginners Guide» Beginner’s Guide: What is a Domain Name and How Do Domains Work?

Beginner’s Guide: What is a Domain Name and How Do Domains Work?

Last updated on November 6th, 2020 by Editorial Staff
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Beginner’s Guide: What is a Domain Name and How Do Domains Work?

We are often asked by beginners: what is a domain name and how do domains work? If you are a beginner, then you may have heard that you need a domain to make a website.

However, many beginners confuse domain name with a website or website hosting service. If you are just starting out, then all these different terms may sound too technical.

In this beginner’s guide, we will answer what is a domain name and how domains work. The goal is to help you understand and choose the right domain name for your website.

Domain names and how do they work?

Here is a quick overview of the topics we will cover in this guide.

  • What is a domain name?
  • How domains work?
  • How is domain name different from website and web hosting?
  • Different types of domain names
  • Who is responsible for the domain name system?
  • How to choose a domain name
  • How to buy a domain name
  • Frequently asked questions about domain names

What is a Domain Name?

Domain name is the address of your website that people type in the browser URL bar to visit your website.

In simple terms, if your website was a house, then your domain name will be its address.

A more detailed explanation:

The Internet is a giant network of computers connected to each other through a global network of cables. Each computer on this network can communicate with other computers.

To identify them, each computer is assigned an IP address. It is a series of numbers that identify a particular computer on the internet. A typical IP address looks like this:

66.249.66.1

Now an IP address like this is quite difficult to remember. Imagine if you had to use such numbers to visit your favorite websites.

Domain names were invented to solve this problem.

Now if you want to visit a website, then you don’t need to enter a long string of numbers. Instead, you can visit it by typing an easy to remember domain name in your browser’s address bar. For example, wpbeginner.com.

How Domain Names Actually Work?

To understand how domain names actually work, we will take a look at what happens when you enter it in your browser.

How domains work

When you enter a domain name in your web browser, it first sends a request to a global network of servers that form the Domain Name System (DNS).

These servers then look up for the name servers associated with the domain and forward the request to those name servers.

For example, if your website is hosted on Bluehost, then its name server information will be like this:

ns1.bluehost.com
ns2.bluehost.com

These name servers are computers managed by your hosting company. Your hosting company will forward your request to the computer where your website is stored.

This computer is called a web server. It has special software installed (Apache, Nginx are two popular web server software). The web server now fetches the web page and pieces of information associated with it.

Finally, it then sends this data back to the browser.

How is Domain Name Different from a Website and Web Hosting?

web hosting

A website is made up of files like HTML pages, website builder software, images, and more.

If the domain name is the web address of your website, then web hosting is the home where your website lives.

This is the actual computer where your website’s files are stored. Such computers are called servers and they are offered as a service by hosting companies.

To create your website, you need both domain name and web hosting.

However, it’s important to remember that they are two separate services, and you can buy them from two different companies.

Now you may be wondering, how would it work if you bought them from two separate companies?

You just need to edit your domain name settings and enter the Name Server information provided by your hosting company. Name Server information defines where to send user requests for your domain name.

We recommend getting both your domain name and hosting from the same company. This allows you to easily manage them under the same account.

For more details, see our guide on the difference between domain name and web hosting.

Different Types of Domain Names

Domain names are available in many different extensions. The most popular one is .com. There are many other options like .org, .net, .tv, .info, .io, and more. However we always recommend using .com domain extension.

Let’s take a more detailed look at different types of domain names available.

Top Level Domain – TLD

Top level domain or TLD are generic domain extensions that are listed at the highest level in the domain name system.

There are hundreds of TLDs, but the most popular ones are .com, .org, and .net. Other TLDs are lesser known and we don’t recommend using them. For example, .biz, .club, .info, .agency, and many more.

Country Code Top Level Domain – ccTLD

Country code top-level domain or ccTLD are country specific domain names which end with country code extension like .uk for the United Kingdom, .de for Germany, .in for India.

They are used by websites that want to target audiences in a specific country.

Sponsored Top Level Domain – sTLD

Sponsored top-level domain or sTLD is a category of TLDs that has a sponsor representing a specific community served by the domain extension.

For example, .edu for education-related organizations, .gov for the United States government, .mil for the United States military, and more.

Who is Responsible for Domain Name System?

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the domain names system. It is a non-profit organization that creates and implements the policies for domain names.

ICANN gives permission to companies called Domain Name Registrars for selling domain names. These domain registrars are allowed to make changes to domain names registry on your behalf.

Domain name registrars can sell domain names, manage its records, renewals, and transfers to other registrars.

As a domain name owner, you are responsible for telling the registrar where to send requests. You are also responsible for renewing your domain registration.

How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Website?

Choosing domain name

There are currently more than 350 Million registered domain names and thousands more get registered each day.

This means that all the good ones are already registered or will be registered very soon. This puts a lot of pressure on new users to come up with a domain idea for their website.

We’ve created a free AI-powered business name generator tool that helps you come up with creative company name ideas and check domain name availability status to help you save time.

Here are some quick tips to help you choose a domain name for your next website.

  • Stick with a .com domain name as it is the most popular, easy to remember, and easy promote.
  • Make sure it is shorter and easy to remember
  • Make it easy to pronounce and spell
  • Do not use numbers or hyphens
  • Use domain name generators to come up with clever domain name ideas

For more tips and practical advice, see our guide on how to choose the best domain name for your website.

How to Buy a Domain Name?

You can buy domain names from one of the many domain name registrars. A domain name typically costs 14.99 per year. Some popular domain name companies are:

  • Domain.com (Use this Domain.com coupon to get a discount)
  • GoDaddy

However, buying domain does not automatically give you hosting service. For that, you will need a website hosting account as well.

Many WordPress hosting companies offer domain registration services as well. This allows you to manage both services under one account, and you also don’t need to worry about changing name server settings for your domain.

We recommend using Bluehost. They are offering WPBeginner users a free domain name and 60% discount on hosting. Basically you can get started for $2.75/month.

Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Names

Over the years we have helped thousands of beginners start their first websites. We have heard almost every possible question about domain names that you can think of.

Following are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about domain names.

1. What is a subdomain?

A subdomain is basically a child domain under the main domain name. For example, videos.wpbeginner.com is a subdomain of wpbeginner.com.

Once you register a domain, you have the permission to create subdomains for it by yourself.

Subdomains are commonly used by websites to create child-sites under the same domain name. For example, a business website can create a subdomain for their blog or their online store as store.example.com or blog.example.com

2. Can I cancel my registration of a domain name?

Some domain registrars allow you to cancel your domain registration at any time. If you cancel your registration, it will become available for others to register.

Other domain name registrars allow you to simply let your domain registration expire.

In most cases, you will not get any refund for the domain registration. However, some domain registrars do have refund policies which you may want to discuss with them before canceling your registration.

If you don’t have the auto-renew feature turned on, then your domain name will simply expire after the registration period you have paid for.

3. Can I move my website to a different domain name?

Yes, you can. You can point your domain name to your hosting server. You can also keep both domain names pointing to the same website.

However, search engines consider it duplicate content and that will affect your search rankings.

We have a step by step guide on how to properly move a website to new domain name and setup redirects, so you don’t hurt your SEO.

4. Can I sell a domain name?

Yes, you can sell your domain name. Domain names are like real estate for web. There is a huge demand for good brandable custom domain names.

Trading domain names is a multi-million dollar industry. Since domain names are so cheap, smart entrepreneurs are always looking for great domain name ideas to get their hands own.

If you want to sell your domain name, then there are many marketplace websites like Sedo, GoDaddy, and others where you can list your domain for sale.

Popular registrars like Domain.com also let you buy premium domains right from their domain search feature.

Related: See the best GoDaddy alternatives for buying domains.

5. What is domain privacy? Do I need it?

ICANN requires people registering domain names to provide an email, physical address, phone number, and other personal information to be made available publicly.

Domain Privacy is a separate add-on service sold by domain registrars. It allows you to show proxy information instead of your actual personal info.

You don’t need to buy domain privacy if you don’t want to. However if you are concerned about privacy, then you can buy this service for a small cost.

6. Can I buy more than one domain name?

Yes, you can buy as many domain names as you like.

7. Where can I learn more about making websites?

Right here. WPBeginner is the world’s largest WordPress resource site for beginners. We have tutorials, step by step guides, and videos created specifically for beginner users.

Here are some of the helpful resources you’ll find on WPBeginner (All of them are completely free).

  • How to make a website (step by step guide for beginners)
  • WPBeginner Videos – Our series WordPress video tutorials for beginners
  • WPBeginner Dictionary – Our glossary of terms to help you understand the WordPress lingo
  • WPBeginner Blog – This is where we publish our WordPress tutorials, how tos, and step by step guides.
  • WPBeginner on YouTube – Need more video instructions? Subscribe to our YouTube channel with more than 126,000 subscribers and 12 Million+ views.

We hope this article helped you learn what is a domain name and how do domains work. You may also want to see our list of best free domain name generators to find cool ideas for your next domain name.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

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29 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Cherry Lou Roselyn Reyes says:
    Sep 19, 2020 at 10:01 pm

    Thanks for all the information and for making it easy to understand…love it ❤️❤️❤️

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 21, 2020 at 11:59 am

      Glad our guide could help make this easier to understand :)

      Reply
  2. Abhi says:
    Aug 19, 2020 at 7:03 am

    This is a very very good post. Useful, easy and effective. Cleared my doubts. Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Aug 19, 2020 at 11:27 am

      You’re welcome :)

      Reply
  3. Tushar Nakra says:
    Aug 17, 2020 at 8:18 am

    Very useful information I would get to know.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Aug 18, 2020 at 10:57 am

      Glad our guide was helpful :)

      Reply
  4. Judy Schumwau says:
    May 25, 2020 at 8:30 am

    If I move a website to another host, will it affect my email? I’m nervous because several people are using the email associated with the domain and I don’t want them all to have to change any settings.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      May 27, 2020 at 9:01 am

      You would need to set up the emails again for them to work properly.

      Reply
  5. Omulu says:
    May 20, 2020 at 1:12 am

    Hi

    Is there anything like free hosting, if is encourage, where and how to go about it.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      May 20, 2020 at 9:19 am

      For our opinions on free hosting you would want to take a look at our article below:
      https://www.wpbeginner.com/showcase/best-free-website-hosting-compared/

      Reply
  6. subbu says:
    Apr 29, 2020 at 6:43 am

    good post,helpful to the beginners

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Apr 29, 2020 at 10:19 am

      Glad you found our guide helpful :)

      Reply
  7. Russkii Tudor says:
    Mar 24, 2020 at 8:12 am

    Can I make a website using only my up address. IDK i’m first time doing a website

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 24, 2020 at 8:52 am

      You would need to use the server’s IP address if you do not have a domain for your site

      Reply
  8. DEBASISH GHOSH says:
    Mar 4, 2019 at 3:28 am

    This is really help full i recently created a blog with all your given instructions and i when i need to know something about wordpress i just visit your site because your all articles are so easy to follow the instruction. so thanks

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 4, 2019 at 2:06 pm

      You’re welcome, glad our site can help :)

      Reply
  9. Belmadeng says:
    Feb 20, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    Thanks a lot for the ultimate guide. It was extremely useful.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 21, 2019 at 10:17 am

      You’re welcome :)

      Reply
  10. JohnL says:
    Jan 12, 2019 at 7:10 am

    Thank you for this great article!
    After several search and test for how can I fix a DNS problem, I was driven to search for how domain names work, so this was my first article to begin with.

    my problem is that my subdomain doesn’t work and it is redirecting me to /cgi-sys/defaultwebpage.cgi

    note: I’m using cloudflare for the main domain and I have added A record of my subdomain.

    please give us a solution for that problem in a detailed article since no one talk about that and a lot of people have the same problem

    ps. I have contacted my host provider and nothing works

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 14, 2019 at 1:50 pm

      That error is most commonly caused by your DNS not being fully updated when creating a new subdomain in which case you would need to clear your cache and you may want to try renaming your htaccess file. If the error continues you may want to reach out to your hosting provider again and let them know about the continued issue.

      Reply
      • JohnL says:
        Jan 17, 2019 at 3:42 pm

        I solved the problem by deleting the cache on cloudflare and exactly by turning off the ssl certificate in cloudflare until that the ssl certificate works on bluehost because it was in progress. after doing that everything is working great.
        thank you for your support and suggestion

        Reply
        • WPBeginner Support says:
          Jan 18, 2019 at 10:17 am

          Glad you were able to get it resolved and thanks for sharing your solution should others run into this issue :)

  11. Olusegun says:
    May 15, 2018 at 7:48 am

    what is the relationship between a website and the email associated to the website? my website is hosted by one registrar and the email by another registrar and the domain name by another registrar can they be merged and manage with one account?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      May 17, 2018 at 4:54 am

      Hi Olusegun,

      Yes they can be merged if your email service provider supports custom domain names (Most of them do), then you can use your website’s domain name in your email addresses. Please contact your email service provider for more details.

      Reply
  12. habib says:
    Nov 14, 2017 at 9:01 am

    hi sir i have build website at wp and i have installed google xml sitemap plugin but i am not getting my sitemap i have tried many times please help me.

    Reply
  13. ADEOGUN TITUS says:
    Oct 13, 2017 at 8:58 am

    Hi! I hosted with BlueHost as recommended few weeks ago. Am having difficulty setting up my site email. pls i need a link to guide me in doing this. Thanks!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Oct 15, 2017 at 9:19 pm

      Hi Adeogun,

      Please see our guide on how to fix WordPress not sending email issue.

      Reply
  14. Aaron Davis says:
    Oct 12, 2017 at 7:38 am

    Is it true that if you register your domain name through WP.com that can cannot take it elsewhere±

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Oct 12, 2017 at 8:59 am

      No it’s not true. You can transfer the domain after 60 days of registration. The 60 day lock is a policy of ICANN (not WordPress.com).

      You can find more instructions here: https://en.support.wordpress.com/move-domain/transfer-domain-registration/

      Reply

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