Domain Names More Choices than You Think

When you are choosing a domain name you will probably be looking for a .com or maybe a .net. This on the whole is sensible advice, but if you are offering something a little bit different on your website and you want to stand out then there is another path you can take.

First let me give a quick and simple explanation of the different parts that domain names are made up of. Let us start with the top level, this is the end part of any web address such as .com or the myriad of other top level names that are now available. The part next to the top level domain is called the second level domain. The second level domain is the part that you register with a domain name registrar. For my site the second level domain is NameSearchDomain.

The part at the from of the web address is the third level domain, this is excluding the www part. The third level domain is often referred to by your web host as the sub-domain, it is just a sub-domain of the second level domain name. You can set this part up with your web host if it allows you to use sub-domains.

This is a very high level overview of how a web address is made up, there is more to this but for our purposes this is all we nee to know. To clarify here is an example using Google.

  • Second Level - Google.com or www.Google.com
  • Sub-domain - News.Google.com or www.News.Google.com

You do not need to enter the www part of the address in your browser, just typing in Google.com will take you to the website.

Now you know how a web address is made up you can use your imagination to come up with a clever and distinctive web address. If you take a look at del.icio.us you can see an interesting use of the available domain names to spell the word delicious. Here they have registered the domain name icio.us, the us part is the top level domain that represents North America. A sub-domain of del has been created on their web server which completes the creation of a catchy web address.

Why not use the same principal to create your own web address, there are many top level domains to choose from, far too many to list here. As many of the less well known top level domains are not used there will be a lot more domain names to choose from. You can use this method to create a distinctive web address and become more memorable to your visitors.

Allan is the webmaster at NameSearchDomain.com where you can find out all about Domain names.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Domain Names Information:

Related Articles

How Do I Buy a Domain Name?
Q: I'd like to buy a domain, but I discovered that it's already registered by a bulk domain buying company (just check negres.com).
How to Register an Expiring Domain
Understanding the process and options involved with registering an expiring domain can be a confusing task. How, Where, When?This article will explain the basic steps to researching an expiring domain name, and the many different options (or should I say necessary steps to insure success).
How to Profit from Expired Domain Name Registration
After the dot com crash, expired domain names and expired domain name traffic have been a source of potential income. It is important to inexpensively obtain the automated tools required to track the thousands of domain name registration and abandoned websites that are removed from the domain registry and become available for purchase.
WhyYouNeedThatPerfectName.com!
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose,By any other name would smell as sweet"-Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)A rose perhaps but not your domain name!Welcome to the dotcom bubble! Here, any successful e-tailer should tell you that there's more to a name than just the name itself. This article serves precisely that purpose -against the backdrop of quality domain naming strategies and styles, auctions, speculators and court conflicts, to convince you why your online endeavor needs that perfect domain name.
How to Profit with Domain Name Speculation
Domain Name speculation has become big business. According to recent study, the average domain name bought and sold by domain name speculators realized a 377% profit.
Why El Cheapo Domains Will Cost You Money
You want your own online business? Good because it's one of the most fun things you can do with your spare time and can be very profitable.Remember that just because it's an online business doesn't mean that you should treat it with any less professionalism or seriousness than you do your daytime job.
Domain Name Forwarding and Search Engines
You own a single site, but several domains - perhaps you wanted to make sure that even if your customers misspelled your domain name they'd get to your site, or perhaps you'd like to have a specific domain name direct to a page deep within your site - whatever the case, there are some important considerations surrounding multiple domain names routing to a single site and search engine submission.Search engines like Google and Yahoo won't always wait around for you to submit a site - Googlebot and Yahoo Slurp (which you may recognize from your server logs if your site has been up for a few weeks) are constantly running across new domain names to index.
What is Domain Name Backordering?
Domain names are the hottest net-real-estate on the internet. It's no wonder services like: "Domain Name Backordering" is available to the public.
Eu-Domains For Everybody
Cologne,10 July 2004. ICANN accredited registar Secura announces today, that the company is accepting applications for the sunrise and real time period of eu-domains (https://www.
Domain Names and Longevity
It begins as an idea -- a company name, a business venture, a personal project. You research available domain name options, choose the one you want, and finally register it.
Whats In A (TLD) Name?
They're pushing for a top level domain (TLD) exclusively for porn sites. I'm quoting from this article at http://www.
A Little Secret About Public Domain Treasures
I bet this little secret is going to get YOU excited..
ICANN Registrar: jp-Domains for Anybody
Cologne, October 10 2004. ICANN Registrar Secura announces today, that the company is now accepting the registration of jp-domains from companies and individuals outside of Japan.
Deleted Domains Can Kickstart a New Website
Are you getting ready to launch a new website online with a brand new domain name? You may want to consider registering a deleted domain name instead. Here are some of the benefits to consider from this strategy.
Five Ways To Profit From Public Domain Information
Ever wondered why Walt Disney never got sued for intellectual property theft?C'mon, the guy ripped off so many Hans Christian Anderson and Grimm Brothers' fairy tales! And he never paid the said authors any royalty fees! Granted that they're dead, but shouldn't their families be entitled to proceeds from their works? Such would be a small price to pay, considering the accumulated wealth of Walt Disney's billion dollar enterprise.But alas, Mr.
Warning: Your Domain Name Could Infringe On Trademark Rights!
If you have or are about to purchase a domain name, YOU could be in trouble and you don't even know it yet..
Domain Name - How To Pick One
Picking a domain name should be easy, right? Why, I'll just use my business name. Not so fast, Sparky.
Internet Domain Registration - Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions on Domain Name Registration
Here are the top ten most frequently asked questions regarding on Internet domain name registration:Q1. Which characters are allowed in Internet domain names?A: For normal ASCII domain names, the letters a-z, the numbers 0-9, and one special character, the hyphen or dash "-".
Virtual Airport
Aero Registrar Secura GmbH proposes to the IT departments of airports to sell aero-domains to companies at the airport. Airports can build a portal of the airport and forming by this a kind of virtual airport.
Customer Excellence Returns to Web Site Hosting!
For those of you with Web sites, you probably know what a "host" is. It's a company that provides a location, or address, on the Internet where your Web site resides.