What Domain Name Means & What Web Hosting You Should Use

Understanding Domain Names & Web Hosting

In this article I'm going to define what a domain name is, explain what a web host is and give a few suggestions on how to choose one when you need it.

Let's start with the term domain name. We're not just going to talk about domain names themselves, but also "top level domain names" (TLDs) and "subdomains".

Not everyone understands what a domain name is, exactly, and some people don't understand it at all. That's OK if this is true for you.

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When you're looking at a website address, it typically has a format something like this:

www.worthgodwin.com/mac/

You'll notice is has a few sections to the address, so let's break it down into parts, using the above address as an example.

www -- this is the "subdomain" and despite popular beliefs, it is optional, and also does not have to be "www". "www" is by far the most common subdomain, but pretty much anything
could be a subdomain, or you can even leave it off in most cases.

worthgodwin -- in the above example, this is the actual domain name. Typically the domain name is the name of the business or organization that runs the site, or it is descriptive of what
the site is about.

If you are thinking about getting a domain name, it's a good idea to get one which has some of the key words you hope to have people find the site with. For example, if I had known years ago what I know now, I might have tried to get computertraining.com or something similar instead of using my own name. If I had, it might have given me a leg up when I first tried to get my site visible on Google and the other search engines.

.COM -- this is the "TLD" or top level domain name. .com is by far the most common, but there are many others. The TLD is supposed to give the visitor an idea what broad category the site should fit into. .Com means commercial, (although many non-commercial sites use it) .org is some kind of organization like a non-profit organization, etc.

Each country has it's own TLD, too, like .US for the United States, .UK for the United Kingdom, .IN for India, etc. Many of the TLDs are pretty casual -- i.e. you can use whatever you want, even if it's not an exact match for your type of site. But some of them are very carefully restricted, such as .GOV for US government, .MIL for military, .EDU for actual schools or universities, etc.

/mac/ -- the last part of the address above refers to a folder, just like a folder on your computer. This is normally used to indicate a specific section of the site, such as /mac/ would have information specific to Apple's Mac computers, while /windows/ would have Windows-specific information.

You can even have a folder within a folder (again, just like your own computer can have folders containing folders) and this can be used to break the section of the site down into subsections. Like /mac/software/ vs. /mac/hardware/ or something like that.

If you are setting up your own site, keeping it organized like this can help Google figure out what your site is about, and help you get the visitors you want.

Now lastly, what is a web host?

If you think of buying a domain name as being kind of like registering a business name, well a web host is like a landlord who rents out space for you (known as a hosting package) so you have a place to put your store.

It's not too complicated an idea to grasp when you think of it that way.

Now here's the thing: there are a lot of cheap web hosts out there, but if you are thinking about setting up a website, you want to go with a hosting company who will provide reliable service and who you will be able to get in touch with if you need help with something.

A lot of the cheap hosts are very flakey and unreliable, and their tech support staff leave a lot to be desired. Here is a link to one I'm recommending, and who I am in the process of switching to.

They are not cheap, but are still very reasonably priced, and offer a lot of great features other companies don't provide.

Because of some of these extra features, I'm actually going to be able to cancel accounts with at least two other companies I am currently paying for, and so I'm actually going to spend a lot less each month and have the convenience of getting everything in one place.

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If you've been thinking about setting up a website, I'd recommend signing up with them using the link. I am so pleased with everything they're doing, I'm going to be making lessons soon specifically on how to use their service, although they also provide a ton of training themselves!

One thing I should mention is that the company is an MLM company, although this had really nothing to do with why I decided to start using them.

I've never that interested in MLM myself, but a lot of people love it. So you can ignore the MLM aspect of it, or you can refer a couple of people you know to them and make enough to pay for your hosting costs, or you could refer more and make some extra cash in the process.

And yes, if you use the link I'm providing, I will make a small commission if you choose to order from them.

Entirely up to you, but I've been happy with them so far (unlike the company I was using) and there is a very impressive list of people I know of who are using them too, which says a lot.

Anyway, I hope that all made sense, and keep your eyes on your inbox for a new video lesson I'll be adding to my site soon.

until next time, take care, and enjoy,

Worth Godwin
Plain English Simplicity for This Complex Modern World


P.S. Here's that link again, in case you missed it above:
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