Do You Know What a Domain Name Is?
If you are trying to tell somebody where you live, what will be the first thing that you tell them? More than likely, it would be your address which would include the number, street name, city, state and zip code. This address is unique to you and nobody else is ever going to own the same address as you do. A domain name is very similar.
When you own a domain name, you are able to give directions to people on how to get to your website by using the domain name. The website itself is going to reside on a server but the domain name is what is going to point people to that data. Keep in mind that a server and a domain name are two totally separate things. The server is where you store information, the domain name is how you point people to that information.
Top Level Domain Names
A top level domain name, quite simply, is any website name with an extension, such as .net, .com or .org. For example, Google.com is a top level domain name as his yahoo.com or Microsoft.com. If you wanted to direct somebody to one of these websites, you would simply tell them the top level domain name and they would be able to find it.
Subdomains
This is where things tend to get a little bit confusing. If you own a top level domain, it is also possible for you to own any number of subdomains that are associated with it, providing your server allows this. For example, if you owned Google.com then you could own the subdomain search.google.com or anythingelse.google.com.
These subdomains would reside as folders on your server and any data that was inside of that folder would be accessible by somebody via the subdomain.
Is WWW a Subdomain?
Although you would think that www was, in fact, a subdomain, it isn’t. WWW stands for world wide web and it is simply a way of distinguishing the fact that that website is available on the Internet.
People often refer to their website as being www.somewebsite.com but as of 2009, it has been decided that it is inappropriate to say the letters WWW before stating your domain name. The Internet has evolved to the point where this is understood.
Setting up Your Domain Name
Almost all hosting accounts that are available will be able to set up your domain name for you and point it toward the data on your server. Most of these hosting companies will also make it completely seamless.
If you already own a domain name, it may be necessary for you to point it in the right direction. Your hosting company will also give you detailed instructions on how this is done.
If you’re purchasing a domain name at the same time as you’re purchasing your hosting, you have the option of doing the two of these together in most instances. Some people like to keep it separate, however, so that it is easier to switch hosting accounts if necessary in the future.
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