Key takeaways: A domain name is your website’s unique online address, helping visitors find and remember your brand easily. The Domain Name System (DNS) translates your domain into an IP address, allowing browsers to connect users to your website instantly. Choosing the right domain name and extension builds trust, supports your branding, and makes your site more accessible to your target audience.
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A domain name is your website’s address on the internet because it’s what people type into their browser to find you online. Think of it like your home address, but for your website. For example, typing google.com or openai.com takes you directly to those sites. A domain name is the unique address people type into their browser to find your website. It replaces a long, hard-to-remember numerical IP address with a simple, readable name that’s easier for people to recall and share. Your domain often becomes the first place someone interacts with your brand online, which is why choosing the right one matters from day one.
A domain name consists of two main parts: the actual name and the extension. For example, in example.com, “example” is the name, and “.com” is the extension. The name should ideally reflect your brand, business, or website’s purpose, making them memorable and relevant to your audience. What you’ll learn from this article are: How domains work Structure of domain names How to register a domain name How to transfer and manage domain names Challenges and issues with domain names How domain names work When someone enters a domain name into their browser, their device sends a request to the Domain Name System (DNS).
The DNS acts like the internet’s phone book, quickly matching the domain name to the correct IP address so the browser knows where to go. This entire process happens behind the scenes in milliseconds, allowing visitors to reach your website without ever needing to know the numerical address. This system is what allows the internet to function smoothly at scale, handling billions of lookups every day without users ever noticing. Here’s how it works:
- Request When you want to visit a website, you type its name into the browser (like typing google.com). Your computer doesn’t know where to find that website yet, so it asks your internet provider’s server for the address. 2. Server lookup If your internet provider’s server doesn’t already know where the website is, it starts a search. The provider’s server asks other servers around the world until it finds the one that knows exactly where the website is. 3. Authoritative DNS server The server that holds the exact address of the website is called the “authoritative DNS server.”
- Once the provider’s server reaches this special server, it gets the exact address (IP address) for the website you want to visit. 4. Response Once the authoritative server gives the address, the provider’s server remembers it for next time, so it doesn’t have to ask again on your next visit. It then sends that address back to your computer, so your browser can find the website. 5. Connection Now that your computer knows the address of the website, it can connect to the website’s server (where the website is stored). This is when your browser finally loads the page you want to see.