Communication has always been and will always be a fundamental necessity for human beings. Whether it is receiving a letter in the mail or chatting on the phone with loved ones, it is a great way to converse with others.
One way communication continues to expand is through the internet.
When the internet developed in the late 60s – early 70s, people had no idea how to use it, nor did they understand what the function was for. However, with much practice and study, the internet has become the most used connecting source worldwide.
Although, we know and understand the Internet and the way it is today, what many don’t understand are the domain extensions.
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This structure and layout were first introduced in 1985 when the first six top-level domains launched. Those first six new domain extensions included:
- .COM (commercial)
- .ORG (organization)
- .NET (network)
- .EDU (education)
- .GOV (government)
- .MIL (military)
Today there are over 1,500 domain extensions and counting!
What’s the Purpose of Domain Names?
The purpose of domain names is simple. They were created to make certain companies and industries easily recognizable online by giving them new domain extensions and custom domain extensions. Below are the different parts of a name and what they mean.
Parts of a Domain Name
Sub-Domain
A subdomain is an additional part of your main domain name. Subdomains are created to organize and navigate to different sections of your website. You can create multiple subdomains or child domains on your main domain.
For example:
store.yourwebsite.com
In this example, ‘store’ is the subdomain, ‘yourwebsite’ is the primary domain and ‘.com’ is the top-level domain (TLD). You can use any text as your subdomain, but you want to make sure it’s easy to type and remember.
Second-Level Domain
A second-level domain or SLD name is a title just to the left of the domain extension, the .com or .net. An example would be the website: business.com The word “business” – directly to the left of the final dot – is the second-level domain.
The SLD is the first point of contact internet users have with your website. It’s the most memorable part of a URL and therefore the most important.
Top-Level Domain
A top-level domain or TLD, is the acronym you may have come across when searching the perfect domain name just for your business. TLD is letters to the right of your second-level domain. An example of a TLD is.COM or.ORG.
Other parts of domain extensions include the generic Top-Level Domain or gTLD, Country-Code Top-Level Domain, or ccTLD and sponsored Top-Level Domain or sTLD.
The Future of Domain Names
Today there are over 1,500 top-level domain names and counting.
The good of it is that they have become so targeted that you can find an extension for just about anything.
Now that you have a better idea of what domain extensions are and how they work, you will be better prepared for finding one you may need in your future.
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