How essential is to locate the best domain name?

One of the most crucial preconditions for creating a successful Internet presence is the domain name. It is what people will notice first when they stumble upon your web site and what they will link you with. The domain should be easy to remember, but should also be something that informs your web page's visitors what the web site is about.

Generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs)

A domain as a rule is composed of 2 components - a Top-Level Domain Name (TLD) and a Second-Level Domain Name (SLD). If you have domain.com, for example, ".com" is the Top-Level Domain and "domain" is the Second-Level Domain. There are a couple of categories of TLDs that you should contemplate prior to selecting the domain you wish. Your pick should be based on the purpose of your website and on its target audience. Let's scrutinize the gTLDs, or generic TLDs - these are the most popular TLDs meant to designate a given function - .com (business establishments), .net (network infrastructures), .biz (corporations), .info (informative websites), .org (non-profit organizations), .mobi (handheld devices), .asia (the Asia Pacific), .name (individuals or relatives), .pro (specific professions), and so on. As you can see, these TLDs cover most spheres of life, so you should settle on the one that would explain the intention of your website best. There is no restriction as to who can register such Top-Level Domains, but some of them involve extra requirements to confirm that you qualify to register such a Top-Level Domain (.mobi and .pro, for instance).

Country-code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs)

The ccTLDs, or country-code Top-Level Domain Names, are country-specific domains. Each country has its own ccTLD. Settling on such a domain name is good if your target group of visitors is from a given country. Many visitors would prefer to buy goods or services from a local website, and if your target is Canada, for instance, registering a .ca domain name could boost the visits to your web page.

URL Redirects

You can register different domain names, which can send your web site's visitors to a given web site such as domain.com, for instance. This would increase the traffic and decrease the possibility of somebody pinching your website visitors by using the same SLD with another Top-Level Domain - if you are not using a trademark.

Name Servers (NSs)

Each Top-Level Domain has domain records. The name server records (NS records, also known as DNS records) specify where the domain is hosted, i.e. they point to the web hosting distributor whose name servers (NSs, also known as DNSs) it is using at present. You can replace the NSs of your domain at any time. You can have your domain registered with one firm and get the website hosting service itself from another. So, if you register your domain name and discover good website hosting solutions somewhere else at a later time, you can point your domain name to the current company's DNSs instantly.

Domain Name Server Records (NS Records)

In general, as long as your domain name uses a particular pair of name servers, all its domain name records will direct to the same webspace hosting supplier. Some site hosting distributors, though, allow you to edit specific DNS records, including the A records and the MX records of your domain name. The A record is an Internet Protocol address, which demonstrates on which hosting server your website is located, while the MX records reveal which web server handles the e-mail address accounts related to your domain name. For example, if you take on a new web page designer and he build an .ASP website that will be accommodated on his private Windows server, you may desire to alter only the Internet Protocol address (the A record) but not the MX records of your domain. Thus, www.domain.com will direct to the Windows web hosting server, but your electronic mail accounts or any sub-domains such as forum.domain.com or shop.domain.com will still be in your current Linux hosting account. The .ASP environment is built by Microsoft and demands a Windows server, although a Linux web hosting server would be way more reliable.

Modestly Priced TLDs Supplied by 'Hosting Advocate'

Only a few web hosting companies allow you to modify given DNS records and quite often this an additional paid service. With Hosting Advocate , you have a large array of TLDs to select from and you can modify all domain records or redirect the domain names via a redirection tool at no extra charge. That is why, 'Hosting Advocate' would be your finest choice when it comes to handling your domain and to setting up a successful presence on the Internet.