How valuable can an top domain name be?

One of the most crucial prerequisites for setting up a successful web presence is the domain. It is what visitors will discern first when they come across your web site and what they will relate you with. The domain should be easy to remember, but should also be something that informs your visitors what the website is about.

Generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs)

A domain name usually consists of two parts - a Top-Level Domain (TLD) and a Second-Level Domain (SLD). If you have domain.com, for instance, ".com" is the Top-Level Domain Name and "domain" is the Second-Level Domain Name. There are a few groups of Top-Level Domains that you should examine before you select the domain name you wish. Your pick should be built upon the goal of your website and on its target visitors. Let's explore the gTLDs, or generic TLDs - these are the most typical Top-Level Domain Names intended to show a specific purpose - .com (business establishments), .net (networks), .biz (companies), .info (informative websites), .org (non-profit organizations), .mobi (handheld devices), .asia (the Asia-Pacific), .name (individuals or families), .pro (particular walks of life), etc. As you can see, these Top-Level Domains encompass most fields of life, so you should go for the one that would illustrate the intention of your website best. There is no limitation as to who can register such domains, but some of them contain additional requirements to ascertain that you are eligible to own such a domain name (.mobi and .pro, for example).

Country-code Top-Level Domain Names (ccTLDs)

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

Domain Redirection

You can register a bunch of Top-Level Domains, which can send your web site's visitors to a certain site such as domain.com, for instance. This would raise the traffic and lower the possibility of someone pilfering your site visitors by using the same Second-Level Domain Name with a different Top-Level Domain - if you are not availing of a trademark.

Name Servers (NSs)

Each and every Top-Level Domain has domain name records. The name server records (NS records, aka DNS records) show where the domain is hosted, i.e. they point to the web hosting vendor whose name servers (NSs, aka DNSs) it is utilizing at present. You can replace the DNSs of your domain name at any time. You can have your domain registered with one provider and get the site hosting service itself from another. Therefore, if you register your domain and discover good website hosting solutions someplace else later, you can point your domain name to the current company's name servers straight off.

Domain Name Server Records (NS Records)

On the whole, as long as your domain name uses a particular pair of DNSs, all its domain name records will direct to the same web site hosting distributor. Some site hosting firms, though, enable you to modify certain records, such as the A records and the MX records of your domain. The A record is an IP address, which details on which server your website is located, while the MX records reveal which web hosting server tackles the electronic mail accounts associated with your domain name. For example, if you take on a new website designer and he develops an .ASP website that will be hosted on his private Windows web server, you may want to edit only the IP address (the A record) but not the MX records of your domain. So, www.domain.com will direct to the Windows server, but your email accounts or any sub-domains like forum.domain.com or shop.domain.com will still be in your current Linux web page hosting account. The .ASP platform is created by Microsoft and calls for a Windows hosting server, although a Linux web server would be far more dependable.

Inexpensive Top-Level Domain Names Courtesy of 'Free Hostia'

Just a number of web hosting providers allow you to modify particular name server records and very often this an extra paid service. With Free Hostia , you get a vast selection of TLDs to choose from and you can edit all DNS records or redirect the domains through a forwarding tool at no additional charge. Because of that, 'Free Hostia' would be your best choice when it comes to handling your domain name and to establishing a successful presence on the World Wide Web.