How crucial can an top domain be?

One of the most important requirements for setting up a successful Internet presence is the domain name. It is what people will see first when they come across your web site and what they will identify you with. The domain name should be easy to memorize, but should also be something that informs your web site's visitors what the site is about.

Generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs)

A domain name traditionally consists of two parts - a Top-Level Domain (TLD) and a Second-Level Domain (SLD). If you have domain.com, for example, ".com" is the Top-Level Domain and "domain" is the SLD. There are several groups of Top-Level Domains that you should examine prior to picking the domain you want. Your decision should depend on the intention of your website and on its target audience. Let's check out the gTLDs, or generic Top-Level Domains - these are the most typical Top-Level Domain Names aimed to designate a specific function - .com (commercial entities), .net (networks), .biz (companies), .info (informational web pages), .org (non-profit organizations), .mobi (mobile devices), .asia (the Asia-Pacific), .name (individuals or families), .pro (particular professions), and so on. As you can see, these Top-Level Domain Names encompass most fields of life, so you should select the one that would explain the objective of your web site best. There is no limitation as to who can register such domain names, but some of them include additional steps to verify that you qualify to register such a TLD (.mobi and .pro, for instance).

Country-code Top-Level Domain Names (ccTLDs)

The ccTLDs, or country-code Top-Level Domains, are country-specific Top-Level Domains. Each country has its own ccTLD. Picking such a Top-Level Domain Name is good if your target group of web site visitors is from a specific country. Many individuals would rather purchase goods or services from a local site, and if your target is Canada, for instance, opting for a .ca Top-Level Domain Name could increase the visits to your web page.

Domain Name Redirects

You can register several Top-Level Domain Names, which can forward your web page's visitors to a particular website such as domain.com, for example. This would raise the traffic and reduce the likelihood of someone pilfering your site visitors by using the same SLD with another TLD - if you are not utilizing a trademark.

Name Servers (NSs)

Each and every Top-Level Domain Name has domain name records. The name server records (NS records, aka DNS records) show where the domain name is hosted, i.e. they point to the web hosting company whose name servers (NSs, a.k.a. DNSs) it is using now. You can swap the NSs of your domain at any time. You can have your domain registered with one firm and get the hosting service itself from another. Hence, if you register your domain and discover good website hosting packages somewhere else at a later time, you can point your domain name to the current provider's DNSs instantaneously.

Name Server Records (NS Records)

In general, as long as your domain uses a certain pair of name servers, all its records will direct to the same hosting firm. Some web site hosting vendors, however, permit you to edit specific name server records, like the A records and the MX records of your domain. The A record is an IP address, which discloses on which web server your web page is located, while the MX records exhibit which web hosting server handles the e-mail accounts related to your domain name. For example, if you hire a new site designer and he creates an .ASP website that will be accommodated on his own Windows web server, you may desire to alter only the IP address (the A record) but not the MX records of your domain. So, www.domain.com will point to the Windows server, but your email mailboxes or any sub-domain names such as forum.domain.com or shop.domain.com will still be in your current Linux web page hosting account. The .ASP environment is devised by Microsoft and calls for a Windows server, although a Linux web hosting server would be far more secure.

Low-Priced Domains Delivered by 'Exclusive Hosting'

Only a few web hosting companies allow you to edit particular NS records and very often this an additional paid service. With Exclusive Hosting , you have a big array of Top-Level Domain Names to choose from and you can modify all domain name records or forward the domain names through a redirection tool at no added cost. Because of that, 'Exclusive Hosting' would be your best choice when it comes to handling your domain and to establishing a successful presence on the Internet.