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What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is really just your address on the Internet. It's where people can find you, and it serves as your online identity. Businesses typically register domain names with their company name and sometimes also register their product names. Individuals often register family names or names that have a personal interest to them.

Domain names have two parts: the label and the extension, or top-level domain, separated by a 'dot.' In mindkeeper.net, 'mindkeeper' is the label and 'net' is the top-level domain.

There are over 20 domain name extensions to choose from. Popular domain name extensions such as .COM and .NET are typically used by for-profit companies, while .ORG is often used to denote a non-profit organization. Other generic extensions such as .INFO and .BIZ have more recently become available as well. You can also register domain names that are specific to a certain country. For example, the extensions .US, .UK, and .DE correspond to the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, respectively.


What are the Benefits of a Domain Name?

There are several options. If you're not quite ready to start building a website, you can just register and hold the domain name to ensure that you can use it in the future. Most Domain Name Registrars will automatically provide you with a placeholder page telling visitors that the site is 'under construction.'

Or maybe you're not ready for a full-blown website but would like to have one or more e-mail addresses linked to your domain name.

Once you're ready to put your business online or establish a personal Web presence, you can build a website (or have one built for you) and publish it for the world to see.

Whatever your situation, if there's a particular domain name that you want, it's good to register it quickly. There's no guarantee that a domain name available today will be available tomorrow.