What is a Domain Name? A Beginner’s Guide to Website Domains

A domain name is what you type into your browser address bar to access a website. It usually consists of the name of the website or business and a domain extension like .com or .net.

Domains make the internet as we know it possible and are an important piece of your website’s overall branding. But you may be asking yourself:

• How do domain names actually work? 
• Why do they matter?
• How do I get one?

We’ll answer all of that (and more) in this beginner’s guide to website domains.

What is a domain name?

A domain name (or simply “domain”) is your website’s address on the web. google.com, wikipedia.com, and wordpress.com are all domains.
A domain can have many pages and URLs—such as https://wordpress.com/blog/—but the domain name itself is only the name plus its ending.

Besides hosting, domains are the second-most important element to make a website available online.

But did you know that domains are only placeholders? They are stand-ins for IP addresses, which look something like this: 192.0.2.1.

IP addresses are like home addresses for devices on a network, helping them find and communicate with each other. On the internet, this usually means a server—a computer that stores and shares websites so people can visit them.

In theory, you can also access a website if you know its server’s IP address, but those numbers are much harder to remember, and the IP address can also change over time. That’s why we use domain names—they’re a more human-friendly way to access information across the internet.

Domains work because of the Domain Name System or DNS—a network of specialized servers that function as the internet’s phone directory.

So when you type a domain name into your browser, here’s what’s actually happening:

1. Your browser asks a DNS service to find the website’s IP address.
2. The DNS service looks it up and sends the IP address back.
3. Your browser connects to that server and requests the website files.
4. The server sends the files, and your browser displays the website.

All of that happens automatically in the background and makes the web so much easier to use and explore.

What are domain names used for?

While domains mostly exist to allow visitors to reach your site, they also fulfill other roles.

For one, a domain name gives you ownership. With your own domain, you can stake a claim on your part of the World Wide Web and display whatever you want at that location.

A domain name is also part of your site’s and company’s branding. It makes your website more recognizable and memorable. Your domain is what people will know you by and what differentiates you from the competition. 

If the domain aligns with your business name and purpose, it provides consistency and reassures visitors that they are in the right place when they’re looking for information about you, your company, or your products.

Besides that, a domain name often describes what your website is offering, what it is about, and where it’s located. For example, if you see a domain name like gluten-free-gutenberg.com, you can safely guess that its content will have something to do with gluten free foods, cooking, or recipes. The website learntocodewith.me is another example where the domain name sets clear expectations for the intended audience.

Finally, having your own domain name is an important sign of credibility. Customers take a business with its own domain more seriously than one using a subdomain of another service. This establishes trust and makes it more likely that visitors will use your site and do business with you.

It’s like the difference between using a Gmail address as your corporate email address and one with your business name in it—one simply appears more legitimate.

Plus, once you have your own domain name, you can use it in your email address and send branded messages.

What’s the difference between a domain name and a URL?

A URL or “Uniform Resource Locator” often includes a domain but can have many more elements. Have a look at this example:

https://wordpress.com/blog/2025/01/29/how-to-make-a-website/#give-your-website-a-voice

Let’s break down each element, the domain being only a small part of the full URL:

Let’s break down each element, the domain being only a small part of the full URL:

• Protocol: https://
• Domain: wordpress.com
• Path: /blog/2025/01/29/how-to-make-a-website
• HTML anchor: #give-your-website-a-voice

URLs can contain even more components, and you can read Mozilla’s guide to URLs for details.

What are the parts of a domain name?

So you understand parts of a URL, but how about parts of a domain?

Domains consist of several components, typically separated by periods. They range from general to more specific identifiers.

Let’s discuss each part in detail:

Top-level domain

The top-level domain (TLD) is commonly referred to as the domain name extension. In the case of wordpress.com, the TLD is .com.

It’s one of the most important parts of a site’s domain because it can tell a lot about a website. For example, .com points to commercial sites, and .org points to sites belonging to an organization. 

Common domain endings are called “generic top-level domains” or gTLDs, but there are now hundreds to choose from. Some are industry-specific, like .agency, .pizza, .club, .design, .blog, or .business. They even exist for brands (e.g., .google), types of businesses (e.g., .realestate), and geographic locations (e.g., .nyc or .paris). 

That said, .com is by far the most popular gTLD:

There are also country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), such as .de for Germany, .mx for Mexico, or .se for Sweden. They signify which country a business or organization serves or resides in. Global brands also use ccTLD for a country-specific web presence.

Combinations of general and country-code top-level domains also exist, such as .co.uk and .com.au. Some TLDs have requirements for use, like requiring a specific language on the site. 

Finally, some top-level domains are reserved for institutions like US government agencies (.gov), schools (.edu), or military organizations (.mil).

Tip: We offer over 350 top-level domains on WordPress.com! Find your new domain name here.

Second-level domain

The word or phrase to the left of the TLD is called a second-level domain (or SLD). The SLD usually contains your brand name and is the first point of association potential visitors have with your brand or blog’s name.

For example, if your domain name is open-sauce.store, visitors will probably expect to be able to buy sauces from an online or brick-and-mortar storefront.

Your SLD can have anywhere from one to sixty-three characters and can contain only the letters A through Z, digits 0 through 9, and the - character (which may not be first or last).

Picking a good name for your website is a science in itself, which is why we have a separate article on how to choose a domain name you can refer to for help.

Third-level domain

As you can probably guess, you have to go one step further to the left to find a third-level domain. Most of the time, if there is one, it will be a subdomain, the most common being www. You also frequently see third-level domains like developer.wordpress.com.

Tip: If you sign up for a free WordPress.com plan, your website will be located on a domain like example.wordpress.com.

There are also third-level domains, such as ftp or mail, that let you reach an FTP or email server. Some websites also use subdomains for different language versions of their site, like es.wikipedia.org.

All of that being said: You don’t have to have a third level to have a functional domain.

You could theoretically continue like this, and it is possible to create a 45th-level domain—but it’s very hard to imagine a use case for a domain name like that.

Who manages domain name registrations?

Several organizations are in charge of organizing how domains are used.

At the top are the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). They are non-profit organizations that create and implement domain name policies. 

Their job is to decide what domain endings are available and to maintain the technical infrastructure that makes the domain system possible.

That said, these organizations are not who you interact with when you want to get a domain name for yourself; you’d turn to a domain registrar instead.

Where can you get a domain name?

Domain registrars are businesses that have contracts with ICANN and IANA and are allowed to register domains on their behalf. They also handle records and renewals, provide customer support, and transfer domains to other registrars.

There are many domain registrars, and WordPress.com is one of them! You can use our services to register your desired domain, even if you don’t host your website with us.

Here’s how to find your perfect domain name on WordPress.com:

• Start by using our domain finder tool. Type in your desired domain name to check its availability and price.

• If the name you typed is already registered to someone else, the tool will make recommendations for alternative options.

• Once you choose a domain, simply add it to your shopping cart and go through the buying process.

If you sign up for an annual hosting plan on WordPress.com, most domains are free for the first year. 

Regardless of which WordPress.com hosting plan you choose to go along with your domain, you’ll love that everything—security, backups, performance, and support—is included for one price. There are no hidden fees or visitor limits; it’s just WordPress hosting done right.

How much do domains cost?

Most domains cost less than $30 per year, and your domain payment will renew each year unless you cancel. The most commonly used extensions—like .com, .net, and .org—average just $13 per year on WordPress.com.

How can you keep your domain name secure?

Since a domain name carries a lot of business value, keeping it secure is an absolute priority. Ensure you’re setting yourself up for success as you choose your new domain by:

• Selecting a reputable registrar, such as WordPress.com.
• Keeping your contact information and personal details for the registered domain as private as possible. At WordPress.com, your domain comes with free privacy protection.
• Never sharing your domain registration login information.
• Watching out for phishing emails requesting login credentials. Most domain registrars never ask for this information.
• Enabling two-factor authentication, ensuring that a code is sent to you via phone or email for additional login protection.

One final thing to remember is that if your domain payment doesn’t renew, your access to it will expire. 

You can’t own a domain forever (but you can buy one for the next 100 years). When you purchase a domain, you acquire the exclusive usage rights to use it for a certain period of time. Extending your registration is possible as long as you want, but if you ever let it expire, your domain will go back on the market.

To prevent that from happening by accident:

• Set your domain to renew automatically.
• Ensure your payment information is up to date.
• Keep your current email address on file so you don’t miss email notices from your domain registrar about expiring domains.

If you accidentally let your domain expire, registrars are obliged to offer a grace period of at least 30 days to allow you to recover it before it is offered for sale to a new owner.

Final thoughts on domains

A domain is a core part of owning a website. It represents your site and business and gives you a slice of the internet where others can find and interact with you.

For that reason, take your time to decide on your domain name. Once you are ready to claim it, make sure you go with a domain registrar you trust. We’d be happy to help you register your domain name today.