How vital can an affordable domain name be?

One of the most essential requirements for setting up a successful web presence is the domain name. It is what visitors will spot first when they come across your web site and what they will relate you with. The domain name should be easy to memorize, but should also be something that notifies your site's visitors what the web page is about.

Generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs)

A domain traditionally contains two parts - a Top-Level Domain (TLD) and a Second-Level Domain (SLD). If you have domain.com, for instance, ".com" is the TLD and "domain" is the SLD. There are a few sets of Top-Level Domains that you should consider before you choose the domain you want. Your decision should rest on the goal of your web site and on its target viewers. Let's have a gaze at the gTLDs, or generic Top-Level Domains - these are the most common Top-Level Domain Names aimed to designate a given intention - .com (commercial organizations), .net (network infrastructures), .biz (firms), .info (informative resources), .org (not-for-profit organizations), .mobi (handheld devices), .asia (the Asia-Pacific), .name (persons or families), .pro (qualified professionals), and so on. As you can perceive, these TLDs cover most spheres of life, so you should choose the one that would illustrate the objective of your website best. There is no restriction as to who can register such domain names, but some of them contain additional steps to demonstrate that you qualify to register such a domain (.mobi and .pro, for example).

Country-code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs)

The ccTLDs, or country-code Top-Level Domains, are country-specific domains. Each country has its own ccTLD. Picking such a Top-Level Domain is good if your target group of site visitors is from a given country. Many people would elect to buy commodities or services from a local website, and if your target is Canada, for instance, choosing a .ca Top-Level Domain Name could boost the visits to your site.

URL Redirection

You can register a number of Top-Level Domain Names, which can send your web page's visitors to a specific web page such as domain.com, for example. This would raise the traffic and decrease the chance of someone snatching your website visitors by using the same Second-Level Domain with a different TLD - if you are not using a trademark.

Name Servers (NSs)

Each and every TLD has domain records. The name server records (NS records, also known as DNS records) reveal where the domain is hosted, i.e. they point to the web hosting company whose name servers (NSs, aka DNSs) it is using at present. You can replace the DNSs of your domain name whenever you wish. You can have your domain registered with one provider and get the web hosting service itself from another. Therefore, if you register your domain name and find decent website hosting services somewhere else later, you can point your domain name to the current company's name servers at once.

Name Server Records (NS Records)

In general, as long as your domain uses a specific set of DNSs, all its domain records will lead to the same hosting supplier. Some website hosting providers, however, permit you to modify given domain name server records, like the A records and the MX records of your domain. The A record is an IP address, which reveals on which hosting server your site is located, whereas the MX records designate which web server handles the email accounts related to your domain name. For example, if you appoint a new site designer and he creates an .ASP site that will be situated on his own Windows server, you may want to alter only the IP address (the A record) but not the MX records of your domain name. Thus, www.domain.com will direct to the Windows web hosting server, but your email box accounts or any sub-domain names like forum.domain.com or shop.domain.com will still be in your current Linux website hosting account. The .ASP platform is built by Microsoft and calls for a Windows web server, although a Linux server would be way more reliable.

Inexpensive Domains Courtesy of 'The Hosting Cell'

Only a number of web hosting distributors permit you to edit specific records and very often this an additional paid service. With The Hosting Cell , you get a vast collection of Top-Level Domains to pick from and you can modify all domain name server records or forward the domains using a redirection tool at no added cost. For that reason, 'The Hosting Cell' would be your finest choice when it comes to managing your domain and to creating a successful presence on the World Wide Web.