What Is a Domain Name? The Complete Guide for WordPress Users
Are you getting ready to launch a new WordPress website? One of the very first things you‘ll need to do is choose a domain name. Your site‘s domain is a critical part of its identity and how people will find you online.
But if you‘re new to building websites, domain names can seem very confusing at first. What exactly is a domain? How do domains work? What‘s the difference between a domain and a URL? How do you choose and register the right domain for your WordPress site?
In this complete, beginner-friendly guide, we‘ll explain everything you need to know about domain names and WordPress. You‘ll learn what domains are, how they work, and how to choose and register the perfect domain name for your website.
Let‘s get started!
What Is a Domain Name?
A domain name is your website‘s unique address on the internet. It‘s what people type into their web browser to find and visit your site. For example, wpbeginner.com and wikipedia.org are both domain names.
You can think of a domain like a street address for a house or store. Just like 123 Main St. tells people where a particular building is located, wpbeginner.com tells web browsers where to find our website.
Every website needs a domain name. Without one, the only way to visit a site would be to type in its IP address (more on that in a minute). Domain names make the web easier to use by allowing us to access sites using easy-to-remember words and phrases instead of long strings of numbers.
How Do Domain Names Work?
Under the hood, the internet identifies websites using IP addresses. An IP address is a unique string of numbers assigned to each site, like 192.0.2.1.
The problem is that these numbers are difficult for humans to remember and type in correctly. Imagine if you had to enter a long IP address every time you wanted to visit a website!
To solve this problem, the Domain Name System (DNS) was created. DNS is like a big address book that matches memorable domain names with hard-to-remember IP addresses. With DNS, you can type in a domain like wpbeginner.com and the system will automatically translate that to the IP address of WPBeginner‘s web server.
This process happens almost instantly behind the scenes thanks to a network of domain name servers located all around the world. When you enter a domain, your web browser contacts a DNS server to look up the associated IP address, then uses that to load the correct website.
Understanding the Different Parts of a Domain Name
Most domain names have three main parts:
Top-level domain (TLD): The part after the last dot, like .com, .net, or .org. There are over 1500 TLDs available today.
Second-level domain (SLD): The main part of the domain name before the TLD, like wpbeginner or wikipedia. This is typically your brand name or site title. It‘s also called the "label."
Subdomain (optional): An additional part that can be added before the SLD to create a separate section of your website, like blog.wpbeginner.com. The most common subdomain is "www" but you can use other labels too.
So in a domain like www.wpbeginner.com, "www" is the subdomain, "wpbeginner" is the SLD, and ".com" is the TLD. Simple enough, right?
Now, there are a few other important domain name concepts to understand:
Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) are TLDs that aren‘t associated with any particular country, like .com, .net, and .org. There are also newer generic TLDs (ngTLDs) like .blog, .shop, .app, etc.
Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) are two-letter TLDs reserved for countries and territories, like .us for the United States, .ca for Canada, .jp for Japan, etc. Some also allow second-level domains within the ccTLD, like .co.uk.
Premium domains are short, catchy, highly desirable domain names, usually ending in .com. Because of their memorability and brandability, premium domains often cost hundreds or thousands of dollars on the resale market.
With these key terms and concepts down, you‘re well on your way to becoming a domain name expert! But there are still a few other important things to know, so let‘s keep going.
How to Choose the Perfect Domain Name for Your WordPress Website
Your domain name is one of the most important branding decisions you‘ll make for your website. The right domain is memorable, communicates what your site is about, and helps you stand out online.
Here are some tips for choosing an effective domain name:
Make it brandable. Your domain should be unique and catchy, something that people will easily remember. Avoid generic words or phrases that will blend in with other sites.
Keep it short and sweet. Aim for 12 characters or less. The shorter your domain, the easier it will be for people to remember and type in correctly.
Make it easy to spell and pronounce. You want people to be able to easily share your domain name verbally and know how to spell it when they type it in. Avoid words that are commonly misspelled or have multiple spellings.
Use relevant keywords. If possible, include a word or phrase that describes what your website is about. This can help communicate your site‘s purpose and improve your search engine rankings. But don‘t stuff your domain with keywords or make it unnaturally long.
Stick with .com whenever possible. While the other TLDs can work, .com is still the most popular, trustworthy, and memorable. People tend to default to .com when entering a web address.
Avoid hyphens, numbers, and special characters. Keep your domain as simple and easy to type as possible. Hyphens, in particular, are associated with spammy sites.
Research your domain before registering. Make sure it‘s not trademarked and doesn‘t have a history of spam or abuse. You don‘t want any legal issues or negative associations.
Think long-term. Choose a domain you‘ll be happy with for years to come, one that will still make sense as your site evolves. Changing domains later can hurt your brand and search rankings.
Need some domain name inspiration? Try using a domain name generator tool like Nameboy or Lean Domain Search. Just enter one or two keywords related to your site and these tools will suggest dozens of available domains.
How to Buy and Register a Domain Name
Once you‘ve found the perfect domain for your WordPress site, it‘s time to register it and make it officially yours. The process is pretty simple:
Choose a domain registrar or web hosting company. There are many trustworthy options, including Domain.com, Namecheap, Google Domains, Bluehost, and GoDaddy.
Search for your chosen domain name to confirm it‘s available. If not, you may need to pick an alternative or see if the current owner is willing to sell it (more on this below).
Add the domain to your cart and create an account with the registrar if you don‘t have one already. You‘ll typically need to provide your contact information and payment details.
Decide how many years you want to register your domain for. You can usually choose anywhere from 1-10 years, though we recommend registering for at least a few years upfront to ensure no one else can snatch up your domain. It also looks better to search engines.
Review and complete your purchase. Make sure there are no unwanted add-ons selected, like domain privacy (we‘ll discuss that next).
Verify your new domain via email if required. You may need to click a confirmation link to prove you own the email address you registered the domain under.
And that‘s it! Your new domain should now be active, though it can sometimes take up to 24-48 hours for everything to take effect across the internet. You can now continue setting up your WordPress site.
How Much Does a Domain Name Cost?
A typical .com domain will cost you around $12-15 per year from most registrars. The exact price may vary based on the registrar, the domain extension, and any add-ons.
Some hosting providers and website builders throw in a free domain for the first year with certain plans, which can be a nice bonus if you‘re just starting out. But be aware the domain renewal costs after the first year are usually higher.
The exception is if you‘re buying a premium domain from a reseller. These can cost anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars per year depending on how valuable the domain is perceived to be.
What to Do If Your Domain Name Is Already Taken
Found your dream domain only to discover someone else already owns it? Don‘t give up hope just yet. You have a few options:
See if the owner is willing to sell. Reach out through their listed contact information (see "How to Find Out Who Owns a Domain Name" below) and make an offer. Be prepared to negotiate price.
If the domain is currently being used for a website, check archive.org to see if it‘s been updated recently. A site that hasn‘t been touched in years may have an owner more willing to sell.
If the domain isn‘t being actively used, see if it‘s listed for auction on a service like GoDaddy Auctions, Sedo, or Flippa.
If all else fails, consider a variation on your original domain name idea. Add or remove words, try a different TLD, or use a thesaurus to find synonyms for the keywords in your domain. With some creativity, you may stumble upon something even better.
Should You Add Domain Privacy?
When you register a domain name, your contact details (name, address, email, phone number) become publicly available in the WHOIS directory. Marketers and spammers sometimes scrape this information to send unsolicited messages.
To keep your personal information private, you can add domain privacy protection for an extra fee ($10-20 per year). This replaces your contact details with those of a proxy service.
Note that with the GDPR, most registrars no longer share contact information for domains owned by people living in the EU. But domain privacy can still be a smart investment for avoiding spam and keeping your information confidential.
Choosing the Best Registrar for Your Domain Name
While there are dozens of reputable places to register a domain name, here are a few we particularly recommend:
Domain.com is one of the top registrars, managing over 1.2 million domains. They have straightforward, affordable pricing and a good selection of TLDs. You can register a .com domain for $9.99 for the first year (renews at $13.99).
Namecheap is another popular budget registrar known for their transparency and commitment to security. They offer many .com domains for $5.98 for the first year (renews at $12.98). They also include free domain privacy.
Bluehost, a leading WordPress web host, includes a free domain with their hosting plans (starting at $2.95/month). This is a great option if you also need web hosting. Note that the domain will renew at $17.99/year after the first year.
Ultimately, most reputable registrars will get the job done just fine, so it comes down to your specific needs and preferences on things like pricing and user interface. The most important things are to make sure your registrar keeps your domain secure and offers good customer support.
How to Transfer a Domain Name
Already have your domain registered elsewhere but want to move it to a different registrar? No problem, you can usually transfer a domain as long as it‘s been at least 60 days since you first registered it.
The exact steps vary a bit between registrars, but the general process goes like this:
Log in to your current registrar and unlock your domain for transfer. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date, particularly the email address.
Request an authorization code (also called an EPP code) from your current registrar. This is a unique string of letters and numbers you‘ll need to authorize the transfer.
Start the transfer process with your new registrar. Provide them with your authorization code and give them permission to complete the transfer on your behalf.
Check your email for a transfer confirmation notice from your new registrar. Click the verification link to approve the transfer.
Wait for the transfer to complete. This usually takes 5-7 days, during which time you won‘t be able to make changes to your domain settings.
The nice thing about transferring is that it typically extends your registration by a year from your current expiration date, so you don‘t lose any time.
However, keep in mind that transferring your domain may impact things like your custom nameservers, email service, and SSL certificate, so be prepared to configure those again once the transfer goes through.
How to Find Out Who Owns a Domain Name
Curious who‘s behind a particular domain? You can look up the owner using a WHOIS database search. There are many free WHOIS lookup tools available, like:
- whois.net
- who.is
- ICANN Lookup
Just enter the domain in question and the tool will return whatever contact details are publicly available. However, keep in mind that the owner‘s information may be obscured if they use domain privacy or WHOIS guard.
Getting Additional Extensions for Your Domain
Want to cover your bases and make sure no one scoops up a similar domain to yours? Consider registering other versions of your domain with different extensions. For example, in addition to wpbeginner.com, WPBeginner also owns wpbeginner.net and wpbeginner.org.
You can also register common misspellings of your domain to account for typos (like wikipidia.org in addition to wikipedia.org). This tactic is sometimes called "domain hacking."
While registering extra domains does add to your yearly costs, it can be worthwhile for protecting your brand and funneling more traffic to your main site.
Wrapping Up
We covered a lot of ground in this guide! At this point, you should have a solid understanding of what domain names are, how they work, and how to choose and register one for your WordPress website.
Remember, your domain name is a key part of your site‘s identity and how people will find you online. So put some thought into choosing one that‘s memorable, brandable, and relevant to your niche. While .com is ideal, don‘t be afraid to get creative with other TLDs if needed.
Once you have your domain picked out, registering it is usually a quick and easy process through any reputable registrar or hosting company. Just make sure to keep your contact information and registration up to date, consider adding domain privacy, and watch out for spam and scams.
With a great domain name in place, you‘ll be well on your way to building a successful WordPress site. Happy domain hunting!
