In this article, we’ll discuss how to choose domain names, how they work and the different types of domain names and then how to choose the right domain for your business or product.

What is a domain name?

Not all domains work the same, and knowing the difference between the various types can be vital when you’re creating a website.
For example, some domains are reserved for particular kinds of sites, while others have unique connotations you’ll need to keep in mind.

Fortunately, there are ways you can tell which domains are appropriate for your site, and which should be avoided.
Once you have a grasp on the various parts and varieties of domain names, you can choose domain names that will improve your site’s User Experience (UX) and branding.

An Overview of Domain Names

When you want to create your own website you need to understand what domain names mean.
The domain name is the address of your website and email address.
For instance, the domain name example.com might translate to the physical address 198.102. 434.8.
Other examples of domain names are google.com and wikipedia.org.
Using a domain name to identify a location on the Internet rather than the numeric IP address makes it much easier to remember and type web addresses. When you choose domain names it must make sense and is an abbreviation of your business or product.
If you break it up it can give you an indication of where this website is or for what audience it is intended.

What does a domain name consist of?

Domain names can be broken up into different parts, the full stop keep the different part separate and they are resolved from the back to the front. Every section tel something about the domain name, location or purpose.

Different Types of Domains Available

• Top-Level Domains (TLD). Each website URL are broken down into different parts. Top-level domains are at the top of the internet hierarchy of domain names. Examples of Top-Level Domain Names are .net, .com, and .blog the.COM in domain.com.
  New options were introduced and some Top-Level Domain Names are restricted, as we will explain in the next section. For example .gov extension can only be used by government departments.
• Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLD) is also a Top Level Domain name but is restricted. We have country code top-level domains that are restricted per country,
  It depends on the audience that you target, many businesses use multiple (ccTLD) for every region that they are represented.
  .za for South Africa
  .us for America
  .ca for Canada
  .jp for Japan
  .fr for France etc.
• Generic Top-Level Domains.(gTLD) or often called New Top Level Domain names where .com or .biz is not enough anymore you can now register .tech , .space, .shop and even .art.
  When you want to choose a domain, you’ll want to think about what will work best for your brand, product and audience, something that is associated and relevant to your audience.
• Second-Level Domains. (SLD)
  At this point, we have covered the Top Level Domain Names, and now we go to the Second Level Domain Names. That is the part to the left of the Top Level Domain, if we look at www.example.com “example” will be the Second Level Domain.
  This is the part the people associate with your brand or product, that is why you need to take time to consider your choice.
  This part will tell your audience more about what they can expect on your website. This will make your URL unique from the other websites. You’ll have to check if your choice is still available with a domain checker.
• Third Level Domains also called sub-domains
  We have looked at the first 2 levels of domains and the last level is the Third Level.
  It is what comes before the second-level domain name, mostly “www” for web servers, mail servers will use SMTP, POP3 or IMAP as sub-domains.
  Sub-domains can be shop.example.com or crm.example.com if you need more web pages for different services but still on the same top and second-level domain name.
• Premium Domains
  Lastly, we come to premium domain names, If the domain name that you require is already registered by someone else. There is still good news and you don’t necessarily have to give up or use your second choice domain name.
  There is domain selling which refers to buying the domain from the current owner at a premium price. Lots of people do not use the domain names that they registered.
  The price is determent by the seller and can be much more than registering a new domain name.

How do domain names work?

A domain name is easy to remember the name for a server, the servers are represented as Internet Protocol (IP) addresses such as 196.55.12.117. IPv4
and translated to the domain name that you can easily remember.
When you enter a domain name the name is translated by the Domain Name System (DNS) automatically to the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the server.
The Domain Name System check where that server resides and locate it for you. It could be anywhere in the world.

What is a Domain Name System (DNS)?

The Domain Name System is a network of servers all around the world that hold an “address book” of all servers and their Internet Protocol (IP) address.
The DNS connects people with the correct server without remembering the IP address of the server but in a more easily understandable format for humans.
The DNS records are managed by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non-profit organization. They are also responsible for managing the IP address range allocations.

How do domain names and website hosting relate?

The domain name is like the address of the webserver where your website is located.
Web hosting is the server that keeps the files that generate the pages when someone opens your web page.
They do 2 separate functions but most of the hosting providers can handle both functions for you so they handle it on your behalf.

What domain name means?

A domain name refers to your website address. This is what users type in a browser’s search bar to directly access your website.
A domain name is unique and cannot be shared between different sites, it is like a physical address, with the street name, number, town and the postal code being a unique combination.

How to choose domain names that serve you best

This is the first and most important decision you will have to make before you create a website. The Domain name can be changed later but it is not a good idea when you start using that domain name.
A few tips on domain names:

• try to use appropriate keywords in the name, you can use something like “steps.com” if you sell shoes or related products or services.
• try to keep the domain name short, because it is easier to remember a few words than a whole phrase.
• do some research and don’t use words that can infringe on any trademarks or proprietary services.
• try to use a domain name that will give your audience an idea of what they can expect to see on your website or your brand.

Restrictions and rules on domain names

The restrictions imposed on domains vary depending on what extension you are registering and what country the domain is associated with.

Domains can be formed using only use letters and numbers from the ASCII set of characters e.g. (a-z) (A-Z) (0-9). Hyphens are also allowed but must be surrounded by characters, therefore not at the beginning or end of the domain. You’re not allowed to use special characters (like ‘#*%’) and spaces cannot be used. 

General Rules

• Your domain must be unique, i.e. a domain name that is not already in use. 
• .com .net .org and .info domain names cannot exceed 67 characters.
• .info and .biz must have at least 3 characters not including .info and .biz
• Other domain names cannot exceed 22 characters, not including the extension. 
• Domain names are not case sensitive.
• 2 letter domains are not allowed.

Common Extensions

• .com – used for commercial or personal sites
• .net – recommended for companies involved in internet infrastructure
• .org – recommended for not-for-profit organisations
• .info – used for commercial or personal sites
• .biz – restricted to commercial and business purposes
• .mobi – implies the website is designed for mobile usage

Common Country-Specific Extensions

• .ca – websites with a Canadian presence as defined by CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Authority).
• .cc – Cocos (Keeling) Islands, to be used for commercial or personal sites
• .co.uk – the United Kingdom for commercial or personal sites
• .de – Germany, to be used for commercial or personal sites
• .eu – websites with a presence in the European Union
• .org.uk – the United Kingdom for charities and not-for-profit organisations
• .jp – Japan, to be used for commercial or personal sites
• .us – the United States, to be used for commercial or personal sites

Conclusion

To sum it all up when you choose domain names:

1. Choose a domain name that is easy to type. …
2. Keep it short. …
3. Use keywords. …
4. Target your area. …
5. Avoid numbers and hyphens. …
6. Be memorable. …
7. Research it. …
8. Choose a domain name extension that fits.
9. Protect and build your brand.
10. Act fast.

Now that you know what a domain name is all about and what is involved to choose domain names, you can make a better decision on the correct domain name that can be associated with your service, product or business.
Your domain name can be an extension of your business name or a combination. The domain name must give your visitors, to your website, an idea of what they can expect to see on the website.
Your domain name must make it easier for your visitor and not confuse them.

What is a domain according to Google

You can search with our WhoIs tool to see if the domain name that you require is still available or not.

[wp24_domaincheck]

Link your new domain to 1 of our hosting packages

This is a list of Top Level Domain names that we do, if you require a TLD that is not on this list please contact us.

List of the popular TLD

.co.za	.africa	.org.za	.web.za
.net.za	.joburg	.capetown	.durban
.com	.net	.org	.za.com
.sa.com	.mobi	.info	.biz
.name	.co	.cc	.ac.bw
.co.bw	.net.bw	.co.com	.co.mu
.com.au	.co.na	.co.zn	.co.uk
.ae	.de	.eu	.fr
.gr	.me	.mx	.net.au
.us	.se	.tv	.vc
.live	.in	.ws	.xyz

Complete list in alphabetic order

.academy	.agency	.art	.bargains	.bike
.build	.builders	.cab	.camera	.camp
.careers	.center	.city	.clothing	.cloud
.club	.codes	.coffee	.company	.computer
.construction	.consulting	.contractors	.diamonds	.directory
.design	.digital	.domains	.earth	.education
.email	.energy	.engineering	.enterprises	.equipment
.estate	.exchange	.family	.farm	.florist
.fund	.gallery	.glass	.global	.graphics
.green	.guru	.health	.healthcare	.holiday
.international	.life	.media	.marketing	.ninja
.one	.online	.trade	.rentals	.rocks
.run	.school	.science	.services	.site
.solar	.solutions	.space	.store	.supplies
.team	.tips	.tech	.today	.tours
.training	.university	.website	.world

If there is still TLD that is not shown here contact us to see if we can register it for you