Internet Domain Names Explained by DesignerTrade.com
An domain name is the address by which websites are found on the internet. Without them, websites would be difficult to remember and locate. For example, suppose there was a website that was all about "Example". Most likely, the owners of that website would have registered the domain name, "www.example.com". Visitors would then type that domain name into the address bar of their browser, in order to go to the Example website.
How do domain names work?
A good way to think of internet domain names would be that they are something like an address forwarding service. Websites are made up of pages -- or files, that usually end with the file extension of ".html", ".htm", ".php", ".asp", and so on. All of these files, and other website content (such as images, .pdf file, and other media) are stored on a computer (or, a "server") with a unique address. This is called an IP address. An IP address is made up of numbers, that resemble 123.23.234.45, for example. Your internet domain name directs people to your site using this IP address. Therefore, the reason that we use internet domain names instead of IP addresses are because domain names can be catchy, and much more easier to remember than a bunch of numbers.
Internet domain names are registered.
The internet has enabled millions of users the ability to have their own websites. In the world wide web, being the level playing field that it is, anyone can register a domain name. Many among the web design profession register their domain names with DesignerTrade.com, due to the minimal yearly registration cost (usually around $7 USD per year), and the numerous extra services and e-commerce products that are included with the registration. There are other registrars, that usually inflate the price of their yearly registration fees (some go as high as $35 per year, or even higher), and charge extra for services like domain forwarding, masking, blogging tools, and all the other services that are normally included with domains registered through DesignerTrade.com.
Internet domain names are "first come, first serve."
If a name is not registered, it's pretty much up for grabs by anyone at any time, with few exceptions. For this reason, many find it wise to register an internet domain name as the first order of business, the moment they have an idea for a new website. The sooner one registers a domain, the better. With this in mind, some may wonder if the internet will run out of words to use for new domains! It's true, most of the one-word popular dictionary words are already registered as domains, and probably won't expire any time soon as they most often increase in value over time. That's right, internet domain names can be sold, bartered, auctioned and transferred from one person or entity to another -- and some transactions have even reached as high as millions of dollars.
However, domain names come with an expiration date. When you register a domain name, you can register for just one year, or two, five, ten, and so on. When your expiration date approaches, you are entitled to renew your domain. Once a domain has expired without renewal, it then becomes available for others to register. This is one of the many reasons to keep your registration information current. DesignerTrade.com automatically sends reminder notices at periodic intervals (usually starting with 90 days) prior to expiration, to the email address listed on the registration information of domains registered through DesignerTrade.com. Although, you can set your domain name to auto renew, and have peace of mind that your domain will be renewed automatically for you.
Many possibilities.
It's a great feeling to come up with an idea for an internet domain name. Maybe it's your business name, the kind of product you sell, or maybe it's your own name that you'd like to register as an internet domain name. And, it's an even greater feeling when you check and find out that name is available! Domains can be registered as a .com, .net., .org, .biz, .info, and many, many other possiblilities. Internet domain names can be comprised of letters, numbers, and hyphens (-). It's OK to be creative!
We encourage you to bookmark DesignerTrade.com as the trusted resource of many people in the web design field, for internet domain name registration.
