Domain is one of the most important things you need to consider when setting up your website.
As such, the domain represents the brand of your business, affects the SEO of your site and serves as a name that visitors will have to remember.
In this article, I will explain to you exactly what a domain is and what it consists of , what to look out for when choosing a domain , as well as the domain registration process .
What is a domain?
Domain is an abbreviation of domain name. It is a string of characters that makes up an Internet address. Each site or service has its own unique domain.
Example domain: ” wp.sk “
What is the domain for?
The domain serves as a replacement for the IP address. Since the IP address consists of a set of numbers (e.g. 172.168.204.102), it would be very difficult for an ordinary Internet user to remember the address of every page he would like to visit.
For this reason, domain names are commonly used for websites.
If you want to search for a specific site, you do not need to enter the IP address, but you type the domain name into the browser.
It connects to the IP address of the server on which the searched website has its hosting.
What does a domain consist of?
The domain as such can be divided into several levels – each level of the domain is separated in the URL by a dot:
Domain 1. levels
A first-level domain, also called a ” top-level domain ” (TLD), is a domain ending (e.g. ” .sk “ or “ .com ”) and is the highest level in the domain name hierarchy.
Domains 1. levels can be divided into two basic types:
- Geographical (national) domain – this is a domain that indicates a country or language (for example, ” .sk “, ” .cz “, ” .eu “, etc.).
- Thematic domain – these are “exotic” domains that can reflect the nature of the site, or simply help to differentiate the site from the competition (for example, ” .art “, ” .gov “, ” .com “, ” .org “, etc.) . With thematic domains, you have a significantly wider range of endings at your disposal, but usually at a higher price.
💡 Tip: You can see the list of all TLD domains on this wikipedia page .
Domain 2. levels
A second-level domain, also called a ” second-level domain ” (SLD), is a word or set of characters that serves as the name of your site and follows immediately after the first-level domain (e.g. ” google “, ” wp “, ” heureka ” etc.).
It is a unique name that you choose to represent your brand or reflect the nature of your website.
Example: If your domain name is ” mojadomena.sk “, domain 2. level in this case is ” mydomain “.
Domain 3. levels
A third-level domain (also called a subdomain) is a prefix that connects to domain 2. level and is separated from it by a dot (for example ” support.wp.s k”).
Example: If you own a domain named ” admin.mydomain.sk “, domain 3. level would be the word ” admin ” in this case.
Subdomains are usually used to classify the main (SLD) domain – it can be paid or free domains.
Domain registration and purchase
Domain registration consists of 3 simple steps:
- Choosing a name for the domain
- Domain verification
- Buying a domain
1. How to choose the best domain name?
Choosing the right name for your domain can be quite a difficult process at times.
When creating it, you should devote enough brainstorming time and consider all possible variants of the domain, or the words it will consist of.
When choosing a name for your domain, you can follow these tips:
a) Representative and memorable name – the domain should describe your brand as well as the nature of your website.
In addition, you should try to ensure that the domain is not unnecessarily long – the user does not have to remember a domain that consists of several words or contains a large number of letters.
b) Keyword in the domain – from the SEO point of view, a domain that would contain an important and highly searched keyword is very lucrative.
For example, if you had a website dedicated to smartphone reviews, a domain called ” smartphonerecenzie.sk ” could improve your position in the Google search engine.
c) Think about the ending – choosing an ending is a rather sensitive matter. If you own a site in Slovak, the ending ” .sk ” may be worth considering.
On the other hand, if you are trying to reach people from all over the world (and not just from one country), thematic endings such as ” .com “, ” .art ” or ” .edu ” may be a more suitable alternative for you.
d) Avoid numbers and diacritics – it is generally recommended not to use special characters, diacritics and numbers in your domain name, as such a name can be harder for the visitor to remember (and appear too generic).
Likewise, such domains are more difficult to enter into a web search engine.
💡 Tip: If you would like to learn more about how you should choose a domain, be sure to read my article 63 tips on how to choose the best domain name for a website .
2. How to verify a domain (and find free domains)?
If you have already thought through your domain name and come up with the best name, the “more stressful part” follows for you – domain verification.
Domain verification can be done on several sites on the Internet. Among the most popular are, for example, web-zone.sk or who.is , where you simply enter the full domain name and the tool immediately tells you whether the domain is free or someone already owns it.
It is necessary to verify the domain before you can register it and finally buy it.
In other words – if someone is already using your domain, or he just managed to buy it earlier, you have only 2 options to choose from:
a) Changing the ending (level 1 domains) – if the domain with the ending you originally wanted was already taken, you still have the option of keeping the name (level 2 domain) of your website.
All you have to do is choose a different ending (e.g. instead of the ending ” .sk “, you can choose the ending ” .com “).
However, it is necessary to note that in practice the owners of one domain often buy its various variants with endings that could be important to them.
Example: If you wanted to purchase the domain ” topcars.sk ” and it was already occupied, it is quite possible that its variants (” topcars.com “, ” topcars.eu “, ” topcars.net ” etc.) will also be occupied.
b) Change the name (or modify it slightly) – the second option is to simply think of a new name for your website, or try to change the already used name.
Example: You can edit the occupied domain ” autoprenajom.sk ” with a hyphen ” auto-prenajom.sk ” and try to see if this variant of the domain is free).
💡 Tip: When choosing and verifying a domain, it is also important to look at its history.
From an SEO point of view, an older domain that someone already owned in the past may have a negative record, or it may be blocked by the Google search engine.
However, an older domain can also have its positives – if it had a good history and the former owner displayed its pages in high positions in the Google search engine, such a domain can “boost” your pages for Google.
3. How to register a domain?
The purchase and registration of the domain itself takes place on the websites of the domain providers.
There are quite a few domain registrars and you can choose one as you like.
Domain providers usually only differ in the price of the domain you want to buy – based on this, I recommend looking at several providers and comparing their prices.
In addition, each provider can offer other services (such as web hosting, SSL certificate, etc.) with domain registration.
💡 Tip: If you still don’t have an overview of which hosting would be the best for your WordPress site, be sure to read my article: How to choose the best hosting (not only for WordPress) .
Basically, domain registration only takes a few minutes. After visiting the sites of one of the providers, you simply choose a domain name, fill in some important personal information, pay for the domain and within 24 hours you should own it.
Popular domain providers include, for example:
Websupport
A popular domain provider that has been operating since 2004. In addition to domain registration, Websupport also offers other services such as server rental, web hosting, SEO tools or even SSL certificates.
Based on this, Websupport is recommended especially for beginning entrepreneurs who, in addition to domain registration, would also like a stable platform for launching their e-shop or other commercial website.
Webglobe Yegon
Like Websupport , Webglobe Yegon ranks among the top domain providers and has thousands of free names for your site.
In addition to domain registration, Webglobe Yegon also offers services such as hosting and simple tools for creating and managing your website .
A big positive of this provider is the intuitive interface that practically anyone can handle.
Wedos
Wedos has different types of domains that you can definitely choose from (and at a reasonable price).
Along with domain registration, you also have the option to purchase hosting, an SSL certificate or even cloud services.
Domain price
How much you actually pay for your domain can vary from name to name, from one domain extension to another.
By default, the price of a domain ranges from €10 per year to €100 or more per year.
For this reason, it is a good idea to first look at the price for your domain that you would like to buy, compare it with other domain providers, or choose a cheaper option.
