What is a domain name?
Your domain name will be the name by which you will be known online, no matter what niche you choose. It’s the unique address of your blog on the Internet. Your domain will be yours as long as you continue paying the annual fee ($10 - $15 for .com domain). Users who know your domain/URL (uniform resource locator) can simply type it in their browser’s address bar. Others will be able to discover your blog through search engines such as Google and Bing, so you definitely need to find a unique moniker. Make sure you love
your original domain name—you’ll face a number of challenges if you decide to change it down the road.
Types of domain names
Just as you and your business have a physical address, your domain name needs one too. It may be the highly popular “dot com” or it may be country or niche
specific. From .us (United Sates) to .co.uk (United Kingdom) and from .guru (yes, for life
coaches) to .sport (for sports related domains), these top level domains (TLDs) are added to any domain name in order to point to their location. The general rule is to go for a “dot com” domain, but some of the other extensions can work. For example “dot net” or “dot me.”
In the end, it’s about being memorable, so if a different extension or country code helps you be memorable, then break the rules!
List of Internet Top Level Domain :
|
TLD
|
Entity
|
Notes
|
|
.aero
|
air-transport industry
|
Must verify eligibility for registration; only those in various
categories of air-travel-related entities may register.
|
|
.asia
|
Asia-Pacific region
|
This is a TLD for companies, organizations, and individuals based in
the region of Asia, Australia, and the Pacific.
|
|
.biz
|
business
|
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register;
however, registrations may be challenged later if they are not by commercial
entities in accordance with the domain's charter.
|
|
.cat
|
Catalan
|
This is a TLD for websites in the Catalan language or related to
Catalan culture.
|
|
.com
|
commercial
|
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register.
|
|
.coop
|
cooperatives
|
The .coop TLD is limited to cooperatives as defined by the Rochdale
Principles.
|
|
.edu
|
educational
|
The .edu TLD is limited to institutions of learning (nearly
universally in the U.S. and increasingly overseas, e.g Australia and China),
such as 2 and 4-year colleges and universities.
|
|
.gov
|
governmental
|
The .gov TLD is limited to U.S. governmental entities and agencies
(commonly federal-level).
|
|
.info
|
information
|
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register.
|
|
.int
|
international organizations
|
The .int TLD is strictly limited to organizations, offices, and
programs which are endorsed by a treaty between two or more nations.
|
|
.jobs
|
companies
|
The .jobs TLD is designed to be added after the names of established
companies with jobs to advertise. At this time, owners of a
"company.jobs" domain are not permitted to post jobs of third party
employers.
|
|
.mil
|
United States Military
|
The .mil TLD is limited to use by the U.S. military.
|
|
.mobi
|
mobile devices
|
Must be used for mobile-compatible sites in accordance with standards.
|
|
.museum
|
museums
|
Must be verified as a legitimate museum.
|
|
.name
|
individuals, by name
|
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register;
however, registrations may be challenged later if they are not by individuals
(or the owners of fictional characters) in accordance with the domain's
charter.
|
|
.net
|
network
|
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register.
|
|
.org
|
organization
|
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register.
|
|
.pro
|
professions
|
Currently, .pro is reserved for licensed doctors, attorneys, and
certified public accountants only. A professional seeking to register a .pro
domain must provide their registrar with the appropriate credentials.
|
|
.tel
|
Internet communication services
|
|
|
.travel
|
travel and tourism industry related sites
|
Must be verified as a legitimate travel-related entity.
|