The parts of a domain
| Part | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Name | yourbusiness | The part you choose |
| Extension | .com, .net, .law, .dental | The top-level domain, run by a registry |
| Subdomain | book.yourbusiness.com | A section you create under your domain |
ICANN oversees the system. Registrars like Cloudflare, Namecheap or GoDaddy sell registrations, and registries run each extension.
Who controls your domain
The registrant listed on the record controls the domain. ICANN's registrant rules say you take sole responsibility for it and must keep accurate contact information on file. If a web designer or former employee registered it under their own name, they control your address. Fix that early.
Choosing a good domain
- Short and easy to spell after hearing it once
- Your business name, or close to it
- A .com when you can get one
- No hyphens or numbers that people forget
- Checked for trademarks before you buy
City or service keywords in the domain do little for rankings, since Google's SEO guidance says keywords in URLs have hardly any effect. Brand names age better.
Keep it safe
- Turn on auto-renew with a card that will not expire soon.
- Use a business email you will keep as the account login.
- Turn on two-factor authentication at the registrar.
- Lock the domain against unauthorized transfers.
Good example. A bakery registers its domain in the company's name, on the owner's business email, with auto-renew and two-factor login.
Bad example. The same bakery lets its first designer register the domain. Years later, the designer is unreachable and the domain expires.
Read who owns the domain, hosting and files. Our web design team sets up domains in your name, never ours.