A domain is like a street address, it tells the world where to find your website. Websites cannot exist without a Domain, also called a URL or website address.
Domains are rented from a domain registrar, and ICANN, the “Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers”, looks after the domain name system and IP Addresses. The ownership of a domain is the ownership of the rental. Domains are rented as a method of trying to ensure domains are used and not bought once and never available again. Like preventing derelict houses in a street.
Different domain endings mean different things. For example:
- .com.au or .au can only be bought by Australian businesses with a reason to by the domain, such as the name is like your trading name. This is enforced in Australia at the time the domain is bought
- .com means a commercial site, international or American.
- .org is for organisations, like clubs or non-profits
- Each country has it’s own ending, eg .au for Australia, .nz for New Zealand
- Newer generation endings, like .net, .rocks, .online, .mobi, .education are also available