A good domain name is essential for building brand credibility and for the success of online businesses.
A domain is not just an address for your website but also your brand identity and reflects your values. It helps you to connect with your customers through an online presence or store that allows them to find products and services that meet their needs.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is an easily recognizable and readable name of a website that refers to its unique address, which enables you to navigate the online world with ease. The unique address is a set of numbers called an IP address that the computer uses to communicate with the server where the website data is located.
How does a domain name work?
When a user enters a domain name in the browser bar, it sends a request to a set of DNS (Domain Name Server), which responds with the IP address of the website hosting servers. The data or the web pages are then fetched from the hosting server and displayed on user browsers. Every time a new domain name is entered in the browser search bar, the same sequence of events follows. IP addresses are difficult to remember, so the domain name system was created by Paul Mockapetris, who expanded the scope of the internet beyond academics with this simplification.
What is the structure of a domain name?
Let us understand the domain name structure with the help of an example of the DotPe website www.dotpe.in:
- www refers to the third-level domain or the world wide web, which has been central to the development of the information age or the internet revolution
- dotpe refers to the second-level domain or the name of the website
- .in is the domain name extension or the top-level domain
What is a domain extension?
Domain extension or the top-level domain is a notation at the end of a web address or a domain name that classifies the website type or country code. There are a few domain extensions available that you need to decide on while selecting the domain name for your website. An appropriate domain extension for a website is useful to convey the purpose or objectives of the entity.
Many types of domain extensions are available:
- dotcom(.com) is the most common extension in use today and denotes the commercial nature of the entity. Initially, the domain extension was restricted to commercial entities, but in the 1990s the restrictions were lifted allowing anyone to register the domain name with a .com extension.
- .net is the short form for network, and the extension was reserved for technology infrastructure companies or internet service providers. However, the restrictions were not continued for long, and it evolved into a general purpose extension.
- .org is a short term for organizations that are essentially nonprofits. This domain name extension gradually became a general-purpose top-level domain or extension.
The three domain extensions initially comprised the generic top-level domain but have since expanded to include many other extensions. Some of those include .edu for the education sector, .gov for government, .biz for business, and others.
The country code domain extension helps to identify that a site belongs to a specific country. The domain extension .in indicates the website belongs to the country India. Similarly .us indicates the website is from the United States of America (USA). The country code domain name extensions are relevant if your business or organization activities are limited to a specific country or geographical area.
What is the importance of a domain name?
- Builds credibility
A domain name is an extension of your brand identity and is an essential part of today’s brand strategy. The domain name lends credibility to your business and makes your company look professional.
Your preferred domain name will add to the reputation of your website and help you distinguish your small business as a trustworthy and reliable provider of products and services. This will inspire confidence in your customers to do business with you, whether you are a business-to-consumer(B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) company.
Your domain name is the first step to taking your business online and enables you to continue to build on your reputation even as your physical address changes.
- Create brand awareness
A domain name can increase your brand awareness. As users begin their purchase journey with an online search, the domain name enables you to get discovered by your prospective customers.
If your domain name matches your brand then it will make it easy for your current and future customers to remember and return for purchase. Even if the domain name doesn’t match exactly with your brand name, you will still have better market recognition and reputation.
You can continue to build on your online reputation even if the physical address of your business changes.
- Create new business opportunities
A domain name will help you expand the scope of your business to new geographies and customer segments. Your ability to get new businesses increases with a domain name, leading to higher revenue and profitability. An e-commerce website will help you display thousands of products that otherwise are not feasible with a physical storefront.
How to choose a domain name?
A good domain name is important for a business to succeed in today’s digital world. However, getting a good domain name is not easy, as the freedom to register domain names has spawned domain name squatters. Besides, there are factors that you need to consider before selecting a domain name.
- Easy to remember and spell
Your domain name should ideally be identical to your brand name. You also need to have alternative names, and you should decide names that are easy to remember and also to spell.
- Select the right domain name extension or top-level domain (TLD)
You need to select a domain name with an extension or a top-level domain name that is indicative of the nature of your business activities. The choice of extension should be dictated by the relevance of the extension to your business activities.
There is a probability that you may not get a domain name with the desired extension, so you should plan for an alternative extension or top-level domain that is reflective of your business.
- Domain name availability
Once you have decided on the domain name including extension, then you need to check the availability of the requisite domain name from a domain registrar. You need to consider the price also before you finalise to purchase the domain name.
How to get a custom domain name with DotPe?
DotPe is a multi-channel commerce platform headquartered in Gurgaon. The platform offers retailers a full stack of business solutions including an online store, point of sale solution, marketing suite, payments and integrated delivery. DotPe helps you build your unique online presence by allowing you to easily buy a custom domain from the DotPe dashboard. The automated set up makes it super simple without the requirement of any third party intervention or technical knowledge.
