Choosing the ideal domain name is crucial for businesses that want to attract customers and improve their brand’s online recognition. To achieve this, it is essential to understand what domains are and how they work. In this post, we explore the topic of domain levels and look at how domains have evolved in recent years.
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Domain Levels
Domain names consist of various levels, each with their own function. Understanding these functions enables businesses to choose a domain that strengthens brand identity, improves online visibility, and attracts more visitors. Here is an overview of the different domain levels:
- Top-Level Domains (TLDs)
TLDs, sometimes referred to as domain extensions, are located after the final dot in a URL (e.g., .com, .org, .uk). Their function is to categorise domains so that users have a better understanding of the type of organisation using the domain, or where it is located. There are two distinct types of TLDs, generic TLDs (gTLDs) and country code TLDs (ccTLDs).
While there are no strict rules forcing organisations to choose a specific type of gTLD, there are traditional practices, for instance, many companies use .com, organisations .org, service providers .net, governments .gov and universities .edu or .ac.
Instead of a gTLD, businesses can opt for a ccTLD, such as .uk (United Kingdom), .de (Germany) and .fr (France). These indicate where organisations are located or operate and are useful for attracting local customers or those seeking websites in specific languages. Organisations operating in multiple countries can create separate websites using different ccTLDs, e.g., amazon.de and amazon.fr.
There are some anomalies. For instance, Anguilla’s .ai ccTLD is used by many AI companies and some TLDs combine generic and country-code elements, e.g., .co.uk or .ac.uk.
More recently, the number of TLDs has expanded dramatically. There are now over 1500 available, giving website owners greater choice to choose a TLD that is more aligned with their business (e.g. .accountant, .tech, .shop or .cafe) or their precise location (e.g. .london or .paris).
Are you a government organisation? Read: A Comprehensive Guide to .gov.uk Domains
- Second-Level Domains (SLDs)
SLDs are user-generated terms that often contain a brand name, for instance, eukhost in eukhost.com. Sometimes this is combined with a location, e.g., JohnsonsLeeds.com. Other SLDs are descriptive, e.g., cheapholidays.co.uk.
The choice of SLD can impact how a website name is remembered and affect brand identity. While there is an enormous choice, if a domain name is registered to another holder, you will need to choose an alternative TLD or SLD.
- Subdomains (Third-Level Domains)
Subdomains are used to add new websites to your existing domain, for instance, to create separate websites for different services, product categories or locations while keeping the same brand identity. For example, a website called footwear.com could create the subdomains sneakers.footwear.com and boots.footwear.com. When creating subdomains, the subdomain name appears before the SLD.
Multiple Domain Registrations
Online fraud and cybercrime have led to a growth in organisations registering multiple domains to protect their brands. By purchasing similar-sounding domains, businesses can prevent fraudsters, copycats and cyber criminals from getting hold of them and creating fake websites. While this is more difficult given the increase in TLDs, businesses doing so can protect their customers and reputations.
For more information, read: 7 Tips to Keep Domain Names Secure
Domains and SEO
Domains can play an important role in SEO. Businesses that wish to rank well in the UK can benefit from a UK-related TLD, such as .uk or co.uk, as search engines will pay attention to the TLD when providing results for people in the country. However, a UK-related TLD might not rank so well in other countries.
With SLDs, it can help SEO if these include keywords relating to the business type or location. For example, pamperspetshop-luton.co.uk includes the brand name, business type and location; information that can help it rank higher in local searches and attract the right visitors. A real-life example is B&Q, whose domain is diy.com.
Is your hosting helping your website’s SEO? Read: Hosting with SEO in Mind: Essential Features to Consider
How to Find and Register a Domain
Once you have decided upon your preferred domain, the next step is to check its availability. You can do this via a web host, provided it is an ICAAN-authorised registrar, such as eukhost.
If the domain is available, you can register it immediately, securing it for your own use. If you delay, there is always the risk that another company will register it first. If the domain is not available, you will be given a list of alternatives, for example, you could use .co.uk instead of .uk while keeping the same SLD. Occasionally, domains may be registered but available for sale from the registered holder.
Domains cannot be permanently purchased, instead, you buy a fixed-term registration, usually for one or two years. To keep hold of your domain, registration should be renewed before expiry, otherwise it will become publicly available for others to register. To prevent this, set up automatic renewal with your web host or registrar.
Conclusion
Understanding domain levels, how they work and their importance to visibility, traffic and reputation, is vital when choosing a domain name. From reading this article, you should now be familiar with domain levels, how they have evolved, the importance of protecting domains, their impact on SEO and how to register them.
Looking to purchase a domain name? Not only does eukhost offer a huge range of TLDs; our domains are competitively priced, and we have excellent search facilities to help you find the domain name you need. Moreover, we can complement domain registration with high-performance, reliable and secure web hosting. Find your perfect domain now visit our Domain Search page.
