A domain name is more than just a URL. It represents a virtual store where online shoppers can find your store and discover your brand and products. A memorable domain name can help you stand out from your competitors and make a strong impression on consumers looking for products and solutions. A good domain name can enhance your online presence.

Just as retailers improve the appearance of their physical stores to attract customers, domain names play a vital role in making ecommerce stores easy to find and visit. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about domains: what they are, how they work, and frequently asked questions about domains, hosting, and registering a new domain name.

What is a domain?

A domain (or domain name) is a web URL (short for “Uniform Resource Locator”) or address. You can find domain names in URL strings after http:// or www., and you can also find domain names after the @ symbol in email addresses. A valid domain name acts as a digital destination that users see. When you type a domain into your web browser, you are telling your computer how to get to a specific location on the web.

Sometimes a domain name is simply a brand name. For example, Shopify merchant Mikokos uses mikokos.com as its domain.

Some brands add other words or phrases to their domain name when their preferred domain name is taken or to create a more descriptive URL. For example, swimwear brand Viera adds the word "swim" to its domain name, using vieraswim.com .

Depending on your industry and competitive situation, you may need to get creative when deciding on a domain name. This could involve using a different domain extension, such as .org, .cc, or including additional words in your domain.

For example, if you want to sell cars, Cars.com is already taken. However, if you include the city name, such as Cars[City].com, you may be able to find an available domain.

Getting a short or popular domain name will likely require significant capital, but a little creativity when choosing a domain name can go a long way.

How do domains work?

A domain name is a unique digital address that people can easily remember and use. When a user types a URL into a browser, the device sends a request to a web host on the global Domain Name System (DNS) network. The DNS network finds the unique IP address associated with the entered domain name and directs the device to that virtual destination, or website. When someone types the domain name into their browser, they are taken to that web page.

Domain names are unique to each website, and no two websites or businesses can share the same domain name. For example, http://website.com and http://website.org are different entities. This is because they have different top-level domains (TLDs). (More on this later.)

The basic components of a URL are:

• http://—protocol (not part of the domain)
• website.com or website.org—the root domain
• website—domain name
• .com, .edu, .gov, .org—top-level domains

For example, the root domain for personal care brand Humankind is byhumankind.co .

Some domains may include www, while others may not. You may also see subdomains, such as shop.website.com or blog.website.com. Here, blog and shop are subdomains, which are separate entities and destinations from the main domain.

If you want to build your ecommerce website with your own domain (which I recommend!), you’ll need to register your domain with a domain registrar. Luckily, there are many domain registrars out there, including Shopify.

A registrar acts as a domain host or domain provider for your website. They work behind the scenes to make your URLs accessible to Internet users around the world. A domain registrar assigns a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address to your domain.

Additionally, purchasing a custom domain name gives you the ability to include the domain in your email address, so you can use Sally@yourbusinessname.com instead of Sally@gmail.com .

Domain Name Servers vs Hosting Providers

Domain name servers and web hosting providers are both essential for domain owners, but they perform different functions. After the domain name registration process is complete, the DNS translates the user-friendly domain name into its corresponding IP address. Meanwhile, the web hosting provider stores the files that make up the website pages so that Internet users can view them at that address.

There are many hosting services out there, but not all of them are created equal. It is important to choose a web hosting provider that can meet your traffic and performance requirements.

Domain Type

According to the latest data , there are nearly 350 million domain names registered worldwide, and this number continues to grow as more businesses and individuals register domains.

However, not all domains are created equal. The most common domain types used today are:

Top Level Domains (TLDs)

Top-level domains are the domain types you most commonly encounter when browsing the web. When the Internet first began, .com was the standard. However, as businesses and individuals registered domains, other options were introduced.

Generic Top Level Domains (TLDs)

Generic top-level domains are domains that are not associated with a specific country and are the most common and popular domains. These include:

• .com : This is the most popular domain today, accounting for about 50% of all registered domains . If possible, owning a .com domain for your brand name is preferable to other options.
• .org : Short for 'organization', .org domains are often used by non-profit organizations and charities. If a .com domain is already in use, this can be considered an alternative, and the cost is generally similar to .com.
• .net : Once very popular, now mostly used by advertisers and network operators. While it can be advantageous to secure a .net domain, it is not as well known as other top-level domains.

Sponsored Top Level Domains (TLDs)

In addition to generic top-level domains, there are also some sponsored top-level domains that are used for specific purposes and organizations. These include:

• .edu : Primarily used by businesses and organizations related to education. While anyone can purchase a .com or .org, .edu domains can only be registered by accredited educational institutions and organizations. Many university websites use the .edu extension. Having a .edu domain can give you a good reputation because it is required.
• .gov : This domain is used by government agencies and institutions, and is primarily reserved for government use. While there are technically ways to acquire these domains, reputable domain registrars do not allow you to purchase the .gov extension. We do not recommend using .gov for business purposes, and recommend using one of the other options listed above.

Of course, there are also different top-level domains depending on the location in each country around the world.

Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)

In addition to generic top-level domains, many countries use country code domains that are associated with specific geographic locations. There are currently 255 country code top-level domains in use.

For example, many websites based in Canada use .ca, in Australia you often see .com.au, and Chinese domains use .cn.

If your company primarily targets customers in a particular region, a country code top-level domain can be a valuable investment, but be careful not to limit yourself from the start. There may also be restrictions depending on the country code top-level domain. For example, a .eu domain requires that the registrant reside or be located in the European Union.

Many large organizations, such as Amazon, have multiple ccTLDs to provide content that fits their needs. For example, amazon.com provides a different user experience than amazon.au (Australia).

Second Level Domain (SLD)

A second-level domain is a unique text string that comes before .com or .org (or another extension). For example, Shopify is a second-level domain, and .com is a top-level domain (TLD). Second-level domains are not limited to letters; for example, the World Wide Web Consortium uses the domain w3.org.

Although it may make sense to use numbers in your second-level domain, it is best to avoid numbers and hyphens whenever possible. In general, second-level domains without numbers are easier to remember and are seen as having more authority.

Third level domain

Third-level domains are located below the second-level domains in the domain name hierarchy. As mentioned above, www. is the most common third-level domain, but you will also frequently see other third-level domains when browsing the web.

For example, in the case of .co.uk, .uk is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) and .co is the third-level domain.

If you've ever browsed Wikipedia from North America, you've probably been redirected to en.wikipedia.org, where en. is a third-level domain, ensuring that content is in English.

Third-level domains are used to point to specific web servers and can be useful for tailoring specific web content based on geographic location or other branding purposes. For example, HubSpot uses blog.hubspot to direct visitors to their blog content.

Third-level domains are also commonly referred to as subdomains, and businesses often create subdomains to divide their parent domain into sections, each tailored to a specific purpose or audience.

How to choose a domain name

Check Availability : Do a domain name search to see if your idea is available. It can be helpful to use a tool like Whois to find more information about a specific domain. If the domain name you want is already taken, you may need to look for a new idea. If the domain is not in use but is registered, you may want to contact the domain owner and negotiate a price.

Budget : Domain names are usually not free. Some hosting providers offer a “free” domain name with your hosting purchase, but a basic domain name will cost you about $10-$15 per year. Common words and phrases (e.g. headphones.com ) are likely to cost more than less common ones.

Easy to remember : Your domain name is what people type into their browsers to find your website. It’s important to choose a domain name that’s easy to remember and spell. Consider alternative names, especially if something like brand.com is in use.

A name that matches your brand : Your domain name is what represents your brand, especially if you sell online only. Incorporate your brand name into your domain name whenever possible. For example, fashion designer Tery D'Ciano has a website for her brand called terydc.com .

Naming your online store can be fun, but it can be a tricky task. When starting an ecommerce business, it’s important to choose a domain name that’s easy to remember, but unique enough to not be confused with other domain names.

Using creative spelling variations or variations of familiar words can be appealing, but these methods can cause confusion and miss out on potential sales opportunities. In addition, you need to find available domain names and secure one within your budget. Free domain names are not common.

You can also use your domain name to build credibility for your brand. Andrew Lissimore used this approach when he started a website selling headphones. Andrew chose headphones.com as his domain name, negotiated a price from the original domain name owner, and successfully used the new domain to grow his online business.

Shopify and domain

Setting up a website requires a domain registrar, a server to host your domain, website design, email and customer support features, and many other ecommerce software features. Therefore, it is important to choose a tool that makes managing your business as easy as possible.

With Shopify’s internet domain registration, your new domain is instantly connected to your online store. You don’t have to worry about third-party apps, complicated setup processes, or website builders, everything is ready for you, so you can focus on what matters most.

FAQs about domain names