Domains
Domain names make it easy for people to locate your website. Without them we would have to use IP addresses to access websites which would be like entering a telephone number every time you want to visit a website. It would also restrict each IP address to a single website.
Registering a domain name which contains words or phrases which are relevant to the purpose of the website make it easier for people to remember your website and recommend it. Using relevant words or phrases also helps search engines determine the purpose of your website which helps them direct relevant traffic to it.
Permitted Characters
Domain names can be registered using any character from the Roman alphabet (A-Z), any digit (0-9) and hyphens which must be preceded and followed by a letter or digit.
Top Level Domains
The top level domain is the part after the final dot of your domain name. There are almost 200 different top level domains with new ones being added regularly. Selecting the best top level domain allows you to further imply the purpose of your website before a visitor arrives. For example:
If you are setting up an online shop which only sells books to customers in the United Kingdom, the ideal choice would be ‘books.co.uk’. This instantly tells potential visitors that the website is likely to sell books and the top level domain is ‘co.uk’ which is the accepted top level domain for websites localised to the United Kingdom.
There are several open top level domains which can be used if you do not wish to localise your website. They are as follows:
| Top Level Domain | Requirement |
|---|---|
| COM | This is an open top level domain normally used for commerce websites. |
| NET | This is an open top level domain normally used for networks (groups of people interested in a particular subject). |
| ORG | This is an open top level domain normally used for non-profit organisations. |
| BIZ | This is an open top level domain normally used for businesses. Registrations can be challenged if they are not owned by a commercial organisation. |
Country Specific Top Level Domains
Each country has a top level domain which is specific to that region. Some registrars require some form of proof that the registrant has some claim to the domain on that countries top level domain. This is commonly a company registration number.
Other Restricted Top Level Domains
Organisations may prefer to use one of the other restricted top level domains if they are eligible. Here are a few examples of top level domains which are restricted to particular organisations:
| Top Level Domain | Requirement |
|---|---|
| EDU | This is reserved for accredited education establishments. |
| GOV | This is restricted to government agencies (in the United States). |
| INT | This is restricted to organisations endorsed by an international treaty. |
| JOBS | This is restricted to established companies with regular jobs to advertise. |
.Tel Domains
The .tel top level domain is fundamentally different to other domains. These are not used to host websites in the traditional sense. Instead, purchasing a .tel domain allows you to log in to a control panel and enter contact information for your company. This can then be publically accessed using a web browser. Each .tel domain then becomes a directory of contact information which is specific to your company, allowing anyone in the world to instantly access telephone numbers, fax numbers, email and postal addresses.
