Domain

What is a domain?

A domain is the internet address of a website. This Internet address is unique worldwide, such as “eology.net”. It is especially important for online stores and companies, as visitors and customers can immediately call up the page via it. An own web address thus ensures a serious web presence and creates trust towards the user.

How is a domain structured?

A URL address is divided into three areas (top, second and third level domain).

The rear part of the URL, also called the Top-Level-Domain (TLD), deals with the geographical assignment of the web address. For Germany, the ending “.de” applies, for Austria or Switzerland, however, “.at” or “.ch”. However, TLDs are also used for generic purposes. The endings .com (for commercial), .net (for network) or .info (for information) are the most common uses here.

The Second-Level-Domain represents the actual name of the website. It is recommended to choose the company name for this. This increases the recognition value and creates trust with the user. In our example, the 2nd-level domain is “eology”. It can be chosen freely during registration – as long as it is not already taken.

With the Third-Level-Domain, also called subdomain, you have the possibility to separate areas of your website. For example, if your website exists in a German and English version, you can use “en.” as a subdomain for the English page. Thus, yoursite.com becomes en.yoursite.com. This way both internet addresses are independent of each other and can have completely different content. For the user it is nevertheless recognizable that it is the same company, which creates a different basis of trust. The most common third-level domain is “www.”. However, possible subdomains can also be blog.yoursite.com or login.yoursite.com.
It is important, however, that when using multiple versions of your site, you make sure that no duplicate content is created. You can easily avoid this by canonical marking of the original website version.

What do I have to consider when buying a domain?

In general, you should be aware of three points before buying an internet address:

• A web address should be well considered, as it usually remains unchanged for many years.
• Before you register a domain, you should check with a so-called domain checker whether the desired Internet address is available.
• Every company and every person can buy a web address. However, certain top-level domains such as “.de” are only available with a residence or business domicile in Germany.

What does a domain cost?

The price you pay monthly for reserving your Internet address varies from provider to provider. Many providers make a domain available for a small amount of cents per month, and take a big bite out of the services, such as technical support. You should therefore make sure that email facilities, web hosting and support are included in your total costs. In most cases, the monthly fees for the web address are increased after the first 12 months, so that the actually favorable price can quickly become a cost trap. To avoid this, you should take a close look at your provider.