Before discussing types of domains lets first again understand what is a website domain name. What goes in the protocol (HTTP://) is domain or domain and the first slash is a web address or URL.
You can read more on: Domain Let’s Know Read what it is and How it Works?
Types of domains can help to get better understanding and more information about website. Some most common types of websites:
Top-Level Domains (TLDs)
Top-level domains (TLD) known as domain name extensions. TLDs represent the highest level of domain in the Domain Name System (DNS). The Top-Level Domains are:
• .com: (.com) is commonly used first top-level domain for commercial websites. Initially .com was created only for commercial organizations. In middle time of -1990s, .com become the popular commonly used type of top-level domain for businesses and email websites.
• .net: is used for network. (.net) was created for institutes. Network technologies ,internet service provider or an infrastructure company use (.net). With (.com), the limit is restricted but with (.net) to networking purposes were never upheld and it became one of the more popular top-level domains.
• .edu: shorthand for education and made for education institutions. Education institutes and schools from other countries use .edu in with their country-level domain.
• .org: shorthand for nonprofitable organization. In past we often seen with other top-level domains there intentions were not upheld with time. But these days .org is used as a top-level domain by nonprofits, schools, and communities.
• .mil: shorthand for military,
• .gov: shorthand for government, .gov, like .mil, was restricted for governmental agencies.
Country code top-level domains (ccTLD)
A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is top-level domain reserved for for a particular country or a geographical area like sovereign state, territory All ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and shorthead by location: .au and .us for example Trends.au Where .au stands for ccTLD means country code top-level domain
Internationalized country code top-level domains (IDN ccTLD)
IDN ccTLD was a top-level name with an encoded format that lets non-Latin character sets or other special characters be used and assigned to countries, or independent geographic regions.
Generic top-level domains (gTLD)
a category of top-level domains is known as Generic top-level domains within the DNS. There are currently mostly known 21(gTLD) generic top-level domains ,which are listed as highest level in domains name system structure.
There are also over 1,500 gTLDs in use, but 21 gTLD make up the vast majority of all types of domain names. The generic top level domains are sub-categories into four parts:
• Generic : Doamin with .org, .com, .info, .net, can be used for general purposes.
• Generic restricted: Doamin with .name , pro, .biz can only used for specific purposes.
• Sponsored: Doamin with edu, .int, .gov, .cat, .asia mil, .coop, .travel, .coop, .travel, .aero, .mobi, .tel, .jobs can only used by businesses that involved in industry.
• Infrastructure (.arpa) one of the original top-level domain that used to help with the DNS infrastructure.
Second-level domains
Those domains which follow the top-level domains are well known as second-level domain. Lets understand with example in better way.
For example, “Shoppingday.com” is website, where “shoppingday” is the second-level domain of the main top-level domain “.com”. Here you can get idea that, second-level domains are the may be the name or kind of the business that registered the domain name. The brand name and project name is work as identifier for potential customers.
Third-level domains
Third-level domains with DNS hierarchy follow second-level domains. Can say the part of a website a webpage that comes before the second-level domain name is Third-Level Domain.
A third-level domain found on left of a second-level domain (SLD) and referred as subdomain. Some use the third-level domains as identifiers. “www” is the common third-level domain.
Registering domains name
Its important to register your domain online but its also important to know how to register a domain with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
ICANN categorizes different domain names, and assign domains with smooth process. In order to register a name with ICANN, you must use a domain name registrar, like Domain.com.
Once you select the right name for your business than make sure its also available for purchase. Following information have to submit while registration:
• It’s important to mention your contact info like: phone number, and email address, first and last name, physical address, payment info, billing info.
• Selected domain name.
• Domain name registration term (starting at one year.)
Having a good domain name is important, a good domain name keeps you top of mind with your customers and audience.