Domain name
Domain name utility
The domain name is a sort of address allowing you to find your website within the vast network that is the Internet. This address is constituted of two parts: the name itself – it must not include spaces or special typefaces (especially accented letters) – and an extension (.com .fr .net .gov .org .eu .info .biz and much more).
The second part is as much important than the first one. In fact, the name may be already taken by another website, then you have to distinguish yourself thanks to the extension. It should be noted that some website extensions are not accessible for particulars or even companies, with some exceptions: especially the .gouv extension, reserved to websites related to different government ministries.
Domain names examples:
- www.yoctown.com is a domain name.
- www.yourwebsite.com is a domain name.
Acquire a domain name
How to get a domain name?
When you choose a domain name suiting for you – and on condition that the name is available – you can file it near by a domain-name recording company (registrar). If it is not available, the rule is simple: first-come first-served… It is useless to fight to get back at any price the name you dreamed about, most of the time you will just have to slightly modify it (separate two words with a dash instead of all one word…)
Recording costs can be very variable according to the registar and the chosen extension. Be careful, a registar can only sell a domain name if it is certified to the ICANN (organization in charge of managing the list of “Top Level Domain”: .com .org .fr…) Most used and known registars in France are OVH, Gandi and 1and1.
Select a domain name
In case you create your website on Yoctown, for example, you will have two possibilities for your website’s address. First, in the free version it will be: yourwebsite.yoctown.com(sub-domain of Yoctown’s domain). Secondly, in the charged version it will be yourwebsite.comthe name of Yoctown does not appear anymore. In this case, Yoctown takes in charge the purchase of a domain name near by a certified registar. In both cases, the website hosting is made on Yoctown.
The charged version allows you having your own address, it is recommended for websites designed for professionals. In fact, it is better for such website to not have the platform’s mention in the URL address.