What are Domain Name Extensions?

What are Domain Name Extensions?

Domain Name Extensions are 1 of the 3 parts that make a up a domain name (a domain name is what is commonly referred to as a website address, like bbc.co.uk or bemoreonline.co.uk)

The three parts of a domain name are shown below and they are all equally important ie you must type them correctly in to a browser (like Internet Explorer) to get to the right website;

• Protocol – eg HTTP or HTTPS
• Domain Name – eg bemoreonline
• Domain extensions (the bit after the dot) – eg .co.uk or .com

As an example mywonderfulnewwebsite.com and mywonderfulnewwebsite.net could be two completely different sites.

When you register a domain name through a hosting company like bemoreonline you will be given a choice of available domain name extensions for that domain name.

We would always recommend you think about your domain name and domain name extension before you register for hosting.  While you can change almost anything about your website, it can be a lot of effort to change your company name, domain name and extension once you have started to develop your marketing and brand.

While there are 1591 possible domain name most websites use only a small portion of these, with .com being used by over 50% of sites.

Most customers will have more confidence in sites that use one of the recognised domain name extensions eg .com, .net, .co.uk

So there it is, domain name extensions are important are a key component of the web address that your customers and the search engines will use to find your site.  They are the bit “after the dot” in the web address.  There are 100’s to choose from, but for most sites we would recommend using a recognised common domain name.

If you have any questions and not sure which domain extension to use, please get in touch over social media, through our live chat or through our contact form on the website.