During casual coffee chats or business meetings, it's apparent that many entrepreneurs and business owners need to be better-versed in domains, and some are even unfamiliar with the URL concept. This inspired the creation of this article, aiming to benefit numerous individuals by shedding light on domains and URLs, as well as what entrepreneurs and business owners should know about them.
Understanding Domains and URLs
In today's digital age, domains and URLs have become integral to our everyday lives. Yet, only some people grasp the ideas behind these terms. This article delves into the fundamentals of domains and URLs, their workings, and their evolution from the Internet's inception to the present competitive market.
A Domain: The Unique Name of a Website
Domains are unique names identifying websites on the Internet, consisting of a name and a domain extension separated by a dot. For instance, in "https://www.davismw.com", "davismw" represents the domain name, and ".com" is the domain extension. This combination simplifies website navigation by providing an alternative to remembering and entering IP addresses.
URL: The Complete Web Address
Conversely, a URL is a specific webpage's complete web address, comprising the protocol, domain name, and page path. The protocol (e.g., "https://" or "http://") denotes the communication method for accessing the webpage, while the page path indicates the website's specific location.
The Evolution of Domains
Domains emerged in 1985 to simplify finding and accessing websites. Before this innovation, users had to memorise a website's IP address, a lengthy sequence of numbers separated by dots. Domains enabled users to input an easily memorable name to identify websites.
Since then, the use of domains has become increasingly important, and they have evolved to become more sophisticated and competitive. Today, domains are a valuable asset for businesses and individuals alike, and the domain industry is worth billions of dollars.
Expanding the Domain of Landscape
In the early days of the Internet, only a few top-level domains (TLDs) were available, such as .com, .org, and .net. However, as the Internet grew, more TLDs were added to accommodate the increasing demand for domains. Today, hundreds of TLDs are available, ranging from country-specific TLDs to niche and industry-specific TLDs.
Break down the type of domains.
We can only cover some as more and more are added from the time this article was created.
Common Domain
A Common Domain is a popular and widely recognised internet domain name that usually has a top-level domain extension (like .com, .org, .net) and a second-level extension (like "example" in "example.com"). They help make websites more easily recognised and remembered by visitors and establish credibility and legitimacy.
"example" is the second-level domain (SLD), which represents the unique identifier of the website.
".com" is the top-level domain (TLD), which is the extension at the end of the domain name.
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Generic and Traditional Domains .com - Commercial .org - Organization .net - Network .edu - Educational .gov - Government .mil - Military .int - International Organizations
Niche and Industry-Specific Domains .biz - Business .info - Informational .pro - Professional .name - Personal Names .co - Company/Community .tv - Television .me - Personal |
New and Specialized Domains .io - Input/Output (Tech) .io - Indian Ocean .me - Montenegro .ly - Libya .xyz - Generic .blog - Blogging .app - Applications .shop - Ecommerce .club - Clubs and Organizations .space - Space-related content .today - Current events and news .online - Online businesses and services .store - Online stores and retailers .design - Design-related content and services .ai - Artificial intelligence art - Arts and culture .buzz - Buzzworthy content .center - Centers and communities .city - Cities and urban areas .cloud - Cloud computing and storage .digital - Digital content and services .earth - Environmental and conservation initiatives .global - Global businesses and organizations .group - Groups and communities .health - Health and wellness .life - Lifestyle and personal development .news - News and journalism .photography - Photography and visual arts .social - Social media and networking .tech - Technology and innovation .world - Global initiatives and causes .academy - Educational institutions and programs .agency - Marketing and advertising agencies .associates - Associations and partnerships .careers - Job boards and career services .engineering - Engineering and technical services .financial - Financial services and institutions .fund - Investment and financial funds .legal - Legal services and institutions .marketing - Marketing and advertising .media - Media and entertainment .services - General services and businesses .solutions - Technology solutions and services .training - Training and education .university - Universities and higher education institutions .ventures - Venture capital and entrepreneurial ventures .charity - Charitable organizations and causes .church - Religious organizations and communities .fashion - Fashion and style .guru - Experts and professionals .luxury - Luxury goods and services .pet - Pets and animal-related content .racing - Auto racing and related content .restaurant - Restaurants and dining .science - Science and research .surf - Surfing and beach culture .yoga - Yoga and wellness |
Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs):
Country Code Top-Level Domains are internet domains assigned to specific countries or territories. They have a unique two-letter code used as the domain extension for websites associated with that country. This makes it easier for people to find and access websites worldwide.
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A to G .ai - Anguilla .ag - Antigua and Barbuda .ar - Argentina .aw - Aruba .at - Austria .au - Australia .be - Belgium .bg - Bulgaria .bd - Bangladesh .bb - Barbados .bf - Burkina Faso .bi - Burundi .bj - Benin .bs - Bahamas .bw - Botswana
H to P
.ch - Switzerland .cl - Chile .cn - China .cm - Cameroon .co - Colombia .cr - Costa Rica .cu - Cuba .cv - Cape Verde .cz - Czech Republic .cd - Democratic Republic of Congo .cy - Cyprus .de - Germany .dk - Denmark .dj - Djibouti .do - Dominican Republic .dz - Algeria .ec - Ecuador .ee - Estonia .eg - Egypt .es - Spain .et - Ethiopia .eu - European Union .fi - Finland .fr - France .gi - Gibraltar .gl - Greenland .gn - Guinea .gr - Greece .gt - Guatemala
.gu - Guam |
Q-Z .ma - Morocco .md - Moldova .me - Montenegro .mg - Madagascar .mk - North Macedonia .ml - Mali .mm - Myanmar (Burma) .mn - Mongolia .mo - Macao .mq - Martinique .mr - Mauritania .mt - Malta .mu - Mauritius .mv - Maldives .mw - Malawi .mx - Mexico .my - Malaysia .mz - Mozambique .na - Namibia .nc - New Caledonia .ne - Niger .ng - Nigeria .ni - Nicaragua .nl - Netherlands .no - Norway .np - Nepal .nr - Nauru .nu - Niue .nz - New Zealand .om - Oman .pa - Panama .pe - Peru .pf - French Polynesia .pg - Papua New Guinea .ph - Philippines .pk - Pakistan .pl - Poland .pm - Saint Pierre and Miquelon .pr - Puerto Rico .ps - Palestine .pt - Portugal .pw - Palau .py - Paraguay .qa - Qatar .re - Réunion .ro - Romania .rs - Serbia .ru - Russia .rw - Rwanda .sa - Saudi Arabia .sb - Solomon Islands .sc - Seychelles .sd - Sudan .se - Sweden
.sg - Singapore |
Second-Level Extensions:
Second-Level Extensions are part of the internet domain name that appears just to the left of the top-level domain extension. They help to identify and categorise websites and make it easier for people to find and access the information they need online.
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A to G
.org.ar - Argentina .gob.ar - Argentina .edu.ar - Argentina .net.ar - Argentina .int.ar - Argentina .tur.ar - Argentina .mil.ar - Argentina .gv.ar - Argentina .com.au - Australia .net.au - Australia .org.au - Australia .edu.au - Australia .gov.au - Australia .asn.au - Australia .id.au - Australia .act.au - Australia .nsw.au - Australia .nt.au - Australia .qld.au - Australia .sa.au - Australia .tas.au - Australia .vic.au - Australia .wa.au - Australia
.com.br - Brazil .gov.br - Brazil .org.br - Brazil .net.br - Brazil .edu.br - Brazil .adv.br - Brazil .agr.br - Brazil .am.br - Brazil .arq.br - Brazil .art.br - Brazil .ato.br - Brazil .bio.br - Brazil .blog.br - Brazil .bmd.br - Brazil .cim.br - Brazil .cng.br - Brazil .cnt.br - Brazil .coop.br - Brazil .ecn.br - Brazil .eng.br - Brazil .esp.br - Brazil .etc.br - Brazil .eti.br - Brazil .far.br - Brazil .flog.br - Brazil .fm.br - Brazil .fnd.br - Brazil .fot.br - Brazil .fst.br - Brazil .g12.br - Brazil .ggf.br - Brazil .imb.br - Brazil .ind.br - Brazil .inf.br - Brazil .jor.br - Brazil .jus.br - Brazil .lel.br - Brazil .mat.br - Brazil .med.br - Brazil .mil.br - Brazil .mus.br - Brazil .not.br - Brazil .ntr.br - Brazil .odo.br - Brazil .ppg.br - Brazil .psc.br - Brazil .psi.br - Brazil .qsl.br - Brazil .radio.br - Brazil .rec.br - Brazil .slg.br - Brazil .srv.br - Brazil .taxi.br - Brazil .teo.br - Brazil .trd.br - Brazil .tur.br - Brazil .vet.br - Brazil .vlog.br - Brazil .zlg.br - Brazil
.com.bo - Bolivia .org.bo - Bolivia .gob.bo - Bolivia .edu.bo - Bolivia .net.bo - Bolivia .mil.bo - Bolivia
.net.cn - China .gov.cn - China .edu.cn - China .org.cn - China .com.cn - China .mil.cn - China .ac.cn - China .ah.cn - China .bj.cn - China .cq.cn - China .fj.cn - China .gd.cn - China .gs.cn - China .gz.cn - China .gx.cn - China .ha.cn - China .hb.cn - China .he.cn - China .hi.cn - China .hk.cn - China .hl.cn - China .hn.cn - China .jl.cn - China .js.cn - China .jx.cn - China .ln.cn - China .mo.cn - China .nm.cn - China .nx.cn - China .qh.cn - China .sc.cn - China .sd.cn - China .sh.cn - China .sn.cn - China .sx.cn - China .tj.cn - China .tw.cn - China .xj.cn - China .xz.cn - China .yn.cn - China .zj.cn - China
.com.co - Colombia .org.co - Colombia .edu.co - Colombia .gov.co - Colombia .net.co - Colombia .mil.co - Colombia .nom.co - Colombia
.co.cr - Costa Rica .ed.cr - Costa Rica .fi.cr - Costa Rica .go.cr - Costa Rica .sa.cr - Costa Rica .ac.cr - Costa Rica .org.cr - Costa Rica
.com.do - Dominican Republic .org.do - Dominican Republic .gob.do - Dominican Republic .edu.do - Dominican Republic .net.do - Dominican Republic
.com.gt - Guatemala .org.gt - Guatemala .edu.gt - Guatemala .gob.gt - Guatemala .net.gt - Guatemala
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H to P
.com.hk - Hong Kong .org.hk - Hong Kong .net.hk - Hong Kong .edu.hk - Hong Kong .gov.hk - Hong Kong .idv.hk - Hong Kong
.co.id - Indonesia .or.id - Indonesia .go.id - Indonesia .mil.id - Indonesia .edu.id - Indonesia
.ac.jp - Japan .co.jp - Japan .ed.jp - Japan .go.jp - Japan .gr.jp - Japan .lg.jp - Japan .ne.jp - Japan .or.jp - Japan
.edu.my - Malaysia .com.my - Malaysia .org.my - Malaysia .net.my - Malaysia .gov.my - Malaysia .com.mx - Mexico .org.mx - Mexico .gob.mx - Mexico .edu.mx - Mexico .net.mx - Mexico
.net.nz - New Zealand .org.nz - New Zealand .ac.nz - New Zealand .gen.nz - New Zealand .maori.nz - New Zealand .school.nz - New Zealand .govt.nz - New Zealand .iwi.nz - New Zealand .health.nz - New Zealand .mil.nz - New Zealand .cri.nz - New Zealand .parliament.nz - New Zealand
.com.pa - Panama .edu.pa - Panama .org.pa - Panama .gob.pa - Panama .net.pa - Panama .ac.pa - Panama .com.pe - Peru .org.pe - Peru .gob.pe - Peru .edu.pe - Peru .net.pe - Peru .edu.ph - Philippines .com.ph - Philippines .org.ph - Philippines .net.ph - Philippines .gov.ph - Philippines
Q to Z
.co.uk - United Kingdom .org.uk - United Kingdom .me.uk - United Kingdom .ltd.uk - United Kingdom .plc.uk - United Kingdom
.ac.uk - United Kingdom .gov.uk - United Kingdom .police.uk - United Kingdom .nhs.uk - United Kingdom .sch.uk - United Kingdom .mod.uk - United Kingdom
.edu.sg - Singapore .com.sg - Singapore .org.sg - Singapore .net.sg - Singapore .gov.sg - Singapore
.co.kr - South Korea .or.kr - South Korea .re.kr - South Korea .go.kr - South Korea .ac.kr - South Korea .mil.kr - South Korea .ms.kr - South Korea .es.kr - South Korea .pe.kr - South Korea .seoul.kr - South Korea .gyeonggi.kr - South Korea .busan.kr - South Korea .daegu.kr - South Korea .incheon.kr - South Korea .gwangju.kr - South Korea .daejeon.kr - South Korea .ulsan.kr - South Korea .jeju.kr - South Korea
.com.tw - Taiwan .org.tw - Taiwan .net.tw - Taiwan .edu.tw - Taiwan .gov.tw - Taiwan .mil.tw - Taiwan .club.tw - Taiwan .idv.tw - Taiwan
.com.ve - Venezuela .org.ve - Venezuela .gob.ve - Venezuela .edu.ve - Venezuela .net.ve - Venezuela |
Stay tuned for the following article. We will delve deeper into the different types of domain extensions and their purposes, giving you a better understanding of the diverse and ever-evolving world of domains.
Who is Supercharge Interactive
Supercharge Interactive specialises in delivering comprehensive online business solutions, from web development to digital marketing strategies. As part of our web development process, we emphasise the importance of domains and URLs since these serve as the foundation for creating a website. We consistently advise our clients to purchase and retain ownership of their domains to avoid potential challenges, such as hosting companies taking control and negatively impacting their businesses. If you're considering a new website, migrating hosts, or revamping your existing site, please visit www.supercharge.business or contact us through s͛Card.
A Note on s͛Card
As a testament to our expertise, our team at Supercharge Interactive developed s͛Card, a cutting-edge tool for seamless communication and collaboration. We are proud of our accomplishments and are eager to assist you with your online business needs. Reach out to us and experience the professional, reliable, and innovative solutions that Supercharge Interactive offers.
