If you're getting a website built for the first time, you'll quickly run into terms like "domain name," "hosting," "DNS," and "registrar." They sound technical, but the basics are actually pretty simple. Let's start with the most fundamental one: the domain name.
The simple version
A domain name is the address people type into a browser to get to your website. For Webspansion, the domain is getwebspansion.org. If someone types that into their browser, they land on this site.
That's it. A domain name is an address for a website.
Why "domain name" instead of just "address"?
Technically, websites live at numerical IP addresses — something like 192.0.2.1. Those numbers aren't easy to remember, so the internet uses domain names as human-readable labels that map to those numbers. When you type a domain into your browser, it looks up the corresponding IP address behind the scenes and takes you there. You never see the numbers.
Domain names were invented to make the internet easier to use. They worked.
What the parts of a domain name mean
A domain name has a few parts. Take getwebspansion.org as an example:
- getwebspansion — this is the unique part you choose. It's the name of your site.
- .org — this is the "top-level domain" or TLD. Common ones are .com, .org, .net, .co, and increasingly many others like .io, .shop, .studio, and so on.
The domain name as a whole — everything including the dot and extension — is what you register and own.
Do you own a domain name forever?
No — you rent it, usually annually. You register a domain through a registrar (companies like Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, Cloudflare) and pay a fee every year to keep it. If you stop paying, the domain can expire and someone else can register it. Most registrars offer automatic renewal so you don't accidentally lose your domain.
Typical domain costs range from about $10–$20 per year for common extensions like .com or .org. Some extensions cost more.
Does Webspansion register a domain for me?
Webspansion focuses on design, code, and launch — we build the website itself. Domain registration is a small cost (usually $10–15/year) that clients handle themselves, though we can walk you through exactly how to do it. If you already have a domain, we work with that. If you don't, we help you figure out what to get.
What makes a good domain name?
Short, easy to spell, and easy to say out loud. If you have to explain the spelling every time someone asks for your website address, it's too complicated. Your business name or a close variation of it usually works best. Avoid hyphens if you can — they're easy to forget and look less professional.
Read more: What is SEO in normal words?
Getting a website built and not sure where to start? Start here — we'll walk you through it.