What are Domain Names

One of the most crucial prerequisites for setting up a successful Internet presence is the domain name. It is what visitors will discern first when they stumble upon your web page and what they will identify you with. The domain name should be easy to remember, but should also be something that tells your web site's visitors what the web page is about.

Generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs)

A domain name traditionally has two parts - a Top-Level Domain Name (TLD) and a Second-Level Domain Name (SLD). If you have domain.com, for instance, ".com" is the Top-Level Domain and "domain" is the SLD. There are a few categories of Top-Level Domains that you should examine before you select the domain name you desire. Your decision should be built upon the aim of your web page and on its target visitors. Let's take a peek at the gTLDs, or generic Top-Level Domains - these are the most widespread TLDs intended to designate a given function - .com (business entities), .net (networks), .biz (businesses), .info (informational sites), .org (non-profit organizations), .mobi (mobile devices), .asia (the Asia-Pacific region), .name (persons or families), .pro (given professions), and so on. As you can see, these TLDs encompass most realms of life, so you should go for the one that would portray the intention of your site best. There is no restriction as to who can register such domain names, but some of them contain additional requirements to confirm that you are eligible to have such a domain name (.mobi and .pro, for instance).

Country-code Top-Level Domain Names (ccTLDs)

The ccTLDs, or country-code TLDs, are country-specific TLDs. Each country has its own ccTLD. Picking such a domain name is good if your target group of web site visitors is from a certain country. Many guys would prefer to buy commodities or services from a local website, and if your goal is Canada, for instance, picking a .ca domain name could increase the visits to your web site.

Domain Redirects

You can register several TLDs, which can forward your web site's visitors to a specific web page such as domain.com, for instance. This would raise the traffic and lower the possibility of somebody pilfering your visitors by using the same Second-Level Domain Name with another TLD - if you are not utilizing a trademark.

Name Servers (NSs)

Every Top-Level Domain Name has domain name records. The name server records (NS records, aka DNS records) show where the domain name is hosted, i.e. they point to the hosting supplier whose name servers (NSs, also known as DNSs) it is using now. You can modify the DNSs of your domain name at any time. You can have your domain registered with one company and get the hosting service itself from another. Thus, if you register your domain and encounter good website hosting solutions someplace else later, you can point your domain name to the current company's NSs straight off.

Domain Name Server Records (DNS Records)

In general, as long as your domain utilizes a given pair of NSs, all its domain name server records will direct to the same web hosting company. Some web hosting vendors, though, allow you to modify given domain name records, like the A records and the MX records of your domain name. The A record is an Internet Protocol address, which indicates on which web server your web site is hosted, while the MX records show which hosting server handles the email mailbox accounts related to your domain name. For instance, if you hire a new site designer and he devises an .ASP web site that will be hosted on his private Windows server, you may wish to modify just the IP address (the A record) but not the MX records of your domain. In this way, www.domain.com will point to the Windows web hosting server, but your e-mailbox accounts or any sub-domains such as forum.domain.com or shop.domain.com will still be in your present Linux website hosting account. The .ASP platform is invented by Microsoft and requests a Windows web server, even though a Linux hosting server would be way more dependable.

Cut-Price Domain Names Furnished by 'Zasta Hosting'

Just a small number of web hosting companies permit you to modify particular domain name records and quite often this an extra paid service. With us, you have an extensive selection of Top-Level Domains to pick from and you can modify all DNS records or forward the domains via a redirection tool at no added charge.