A domain name is human readable name that corresponds to the numeric IP address of a computer on the Internet.

Internet users will access your web site using your domain name. Domain names are sometimes colloquially (and incorrectly) referred to by marketers as "web addresses".

For example, the IP address of http://66.102.9.104/ will take you to the same as web site as the domain name http://www.google.co.uk. Most people who use the internet will have heard of the leading search engine Google but I doubt anyone would be able to find Google's web site if they had to remember a series of numbers.

Each Domain Name will be unique

Domain names are unique. One domain name cannot direct an internet user to two different web sites.

If you buy the name www.myname.com no one else in the world will be able to buy and operate a web site using that name. Only one person at any one time can register a given domain name. If someone already has the domain name you want then the chances are you will have to think of the next best thing. See later in this guide for advice on finding an alternative.

Choosing and registering a domain name is a relatively simple and inexpensive marketing action. A little bit of thought and research should be undertaken before choosing your name because this choice can have profound consequences on your online presence.

For further information on domain names visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name

UK Based Domain Names

UK domain names are Secondary Level Domains (SLD). This means that UK domain names will end with 2 suffixes (2 sets of letters that are preceded by a period). These suffixes are uses to indicate the type of organisation and/or the country code.

UK names will therefore end with the Top level Domain (TLD) of .uk which will be preceded by an indicator for that type of organisation. For example, .sch.uk for schools and .ltd.uk for limited company's.

Some of the main UK domains are as follows: -

• co.uk for commercial enterprises (the largest SLD in the UK)
• me.uk for personal domains
• org.uk for non-commercial organisations
• ltd.uk and .plc.uk for registered company names only
• net.uk for Internet Service Providers
• sch.uk for schools