What is a Domain Name?

The term domain name can be defined as:

A name that identifies a computer or computers on the internet. These names appear as a part of a website's Uniform Resource Locator (URL), e.g. sitemadesimple.com. This type of domain name is also called a host name.
The product that domain name registrars provide to their customers. These names are often called registered domain names.
Names used for other purposes in the Domain Name System (DNS), such as the special name which follows the @ sign in an email address, or the Top-level domain names like .com, or the names used by the Session Initiation Protocol (VoIP), or DomainKeys.
They are sometimes informally (and incorrectly) referred to by marketers as "web addresses".

The most common types of domain names are host names that refer to or substitute for numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Rather than trying to remember a bunch of numbers and dots, it is usually easier to remember a name or common word derivative. Domain names allow for any service to move to a different location in the topology of the Internet (or an intranet), which would then have a different IP address - like taking your phone number with you.

By allowing the use of unique alphabetical addresses instead of numeric ones, domain names allow Internet users to more easily find and communicate with web sites and other server-based services. The flexibility of the domain name system allows multiple IP addresses to be assigned to a single domain name, or multiple domain names to be assigned to a single IP address. This means that one server may have multiple roles (such as hosting multiple independent websites), or that one role can be spread among many servers.

Hostnames are restricted to the ASCII letters "a" through "z" (case-insensitive), the digits "0" through "9", and the hyphen, with some other restrictions. Registrars restrict the domains to valid hostnames, since, otherwise, they would be useless.

		The term domain name can be defined as: A name that identifies a computer or computers on the internet. These names appear as a part of a website's Uniform Resource Locator (URL), e.g. sitemadesimple.com. This type of domain name is also called a host name. The product that domain name registrars provide to their customers. These names are often called registered domain names. Names used for other purposes in the Domain Name System (DNS), such as the special name which follows the @ sign in an email address, or the Top-level domain names like .com, or the names used by the Session Initiation Protocol (VoIP), or DomainKeys. They are sometimes informally (and incorrectly) referred to by marketers as "web addresses". The most common types of domain names are host names that refer to or substitute for numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Rather than trying to remember a bunch of numbers and dots, it is usually easier to remember a name or common word derivative. Domain names allow for any service to move to a different location in the topology of the Internet (or an intranet), which would then have a different IP address - like taking your phone number with you. By allowing the use of unique alphabetical addresses instead of numeric ones, domain names allow Internet users to more easily find and communicate with web sites and other server-based services. The flexibility of the domain name system allows multiple IP addresses to be assigned to a single domain name, or multiple domain names to be assigned to a single IP address. This means that one server may have multiple roles (such as hosting multiple independent websites), or that one role can be spread among many servers. Hostnames are restricted to the ASCII letters "a" through "z" (case-insensitive), the digits "0" through "9", and the hyphen, with some other restrictions. Registrars restrict the domains to valid hostnames, since, otherwise, they would be useless.

		Get A Domain Name
		A domain name is like a nickname. Commonly referred to as the "www (dot)" it is the address people use to get to your website. You pick a name, register, and pay for it. Domains can be a business name or personal name - "www.johndoe.com" or "www.businessname.com". Domain names are purchased for one or multiple year terms and are renewable. www.SiteMadeSimple.com offers low-cost domain names and registration. To see if a domain name is available or to purchase a domain name, enter your selection in the box below:.
		Enter a Domain Name: www.
		www.SiteMadeSimple.com Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved. Revised: 01/15/08.

what is a domain name