The basics
Domain name
A domain name is the human-readable address of a website or email service, such as example.com, that points to servers through the DNS.
What Domain name means in practice
A domain name has two main parts: the name you choose (example) and the extension that follows the dot (.com). Together they are registered with a registrar for a set period, usually one to ten years, and must be renewed to be kept.
You do not buy a domain outright. You register the right to use it for that period, and the registry that runs the extension keeps the official record of who holds it.
Why it matters
The name and the extension together decide how short, memorable and trustworthy an address looks, and whether it is still free to register.
Try it
- Availability Checker Check up to 50 names at once: taken, available, or about to drop.
- Domain Name Generator Type a keyword and get the best .com names that are not taken, scored and confirmed live.
- Domain Score Score any name from 0 to 100 and see exactly why: length, word demand, readability.
Related terms
- TLD (top-level domain) A top-level domain, or TLD, is the last part of a domain name, such as .com, .org or .uk. It is the extension that follows the final dot.
- Registrar A registrar is a company accredited to sell domain names and manage them for you, such as GoDaddy or Namecheap. You register and renew a domain through one.
- Registry A registry is the organisation that runs one top-level domain and keeps the master database of its names. Verisign is the registry for .com.