Domain Name
What is a domain name? The short answer is it is simply an address. To understand why you need a domain name for your website, you must first understand a little about how the Internet works. Every computer connected to the Web is provided with a unique address composed of a set of four numbers separated by periods. Each number is between 0 and 255 and looks like this - 192.244.0.64. This is called an Internet Protocol (IP) address. When you use your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to connect to the Web your computer is given an IP address.

Every website resides on a computer called a Web server or sometimes just called a server. Each web address or domain name has to be registered and an IP address (the computer that will host your website) has to be specified before your website can be visited. The domain name for this website looks like this, www.gywd.us.

When you type a web address such as www.gywd.us in your internet browser's address window and press return your brower then makes a request of one of several special computers known as Domain Name Servers (DNS or name servers for short). The DNS looks up the IP address for www.gywd.us and returns its unique set of four numbers to your browser. Your browser then knows the IP address of the website you want to visit and goes out onto the Internet and requests the home page of the website using the IP address. This process is similar to going to the telephone directory and looking up the name of a person or business to get their telephone number. Domain names make it easier to remember how to visit a website than trying to remember a set of four numbers.

Before setting up a website on a web server you must have your domain name. In choosing a domain name there are a few things you must consider. First what will you use for the first part of your domain name? The name should be as descriptive as possible without being too long. Remember you will sometimes have to give out the domain name over the phone and it will be a part of your email address and you want one that is easy to say and spell out. Try to make it as easy to remember as possible. I can help you with choosing a domain name. You also have to decide which suffix to use, ie. .com, .org, .net or one of several others which are available. It is a good idea to come up with at least three domain names since your first or second choice may not be available. This website is named Go Ye Web Design and Hosting. Now I could have used goyewebdesignandhosting.com for my domain name. But I opted for gywd for the prefix of my domain name as it is short, easy to remember, easy to spell out and easy to say.

Next we will have to register your chosen domain name which brings up the question of for how long do you want to register your web address. You can purchase registration for any number of years you desire. We recommend you obtain your domain name for at least three years to start. If you have us obtain your domain name for you we will ensure it is renewed when due and your web presence will not be interrupted due to an expired domain name. Once you have your domain name you are ready to establish your site on the web.


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