April 25, 2023

The 3 Types of Domain Names and Common Domain Extensions

written by

Joe Uddeme

Joe Uddeme

The 3 Types of Domain Names and Common Domain Extensions

Domain Buying Guides

Name Experts provides premium
domain service to:

MAX
MAX
MAX
Hope Channel
MAX
MAX

When you buy a domain name, you purchase a piece of digital real estate. But what, exactly, are you getting for your money? NameExperts.com Director Joe Uddeme unravels the elements of a domain name – so you’ll have a clearer understanding of the architecture behind them.

 

A domain name is an address you type into your web browser whenever you want to visit a website. It is arguably one of the most important assets any business can own.

While ‘domain name’ is an all-encompassing term, a domain is actually made up of multiple parts. Understanding these elements can give you a clearer picture of the domain name investing world and ensure you’re well-informed before buying a domain name or asking a skilled domain broker to negotiate the purchase of one on your behalf.

Key Takeaways

  • Domain names – an introduction
  • The 3 types of domain name
  • Domain TLDs for beginners

Why not check out our article about why choosing a .com domain name still makes sense for most businesses?

What are domains?

A domain name is a human-readable address that directs you to a particular website available on the internet. It’s akin to the address for your official residence or workplace. When someone wants to visit you, they come to your address. Similarly, when someone wants to visit a website, they type in the domain address in their web browser.

Any domain name has four main components;

  1. Domain name: The name of the domain itself.
  2. Top-Level domain (TLD): The suffix that appears after the domain name, e.g., .COM and .NET.
  3. Subdomain: A domain that is part of another primary domain. It is also known as a third-level domain.
  4. Protocol: The system that specifies how information from the domain is transferred to your web browser. It is either HTTP (insecure) or HTTPS (secure).

Take https://www.nameexperts.com/, for example.

  • NameExperts is the domain name
  • .COM is the top-level domain
  • WWW is the subdomain
  • HTTPS is the protocol

The 3 Types of Domain Names

There are three main types of domains, including:

1. Top-Level Domains

A top-level domain (TLD) is the final section of a domain name. It is the last segment of text appearing after the dot symbol. For example, in Google.com, .COM is the top-level domain.

Ever since the world wide web’s inception, .COM has been the most common top-level domain. It was originally used to designate commercial businesses but has become the de-facto TLD for most websites.

Another popular TLD is .NET. It was initially meant for internet service providers and networks but is now available to anyone who wants it. Because NET signifies network and technology, this is an ideal option for technology companies.

Yet another well-known TLD is .ORG, which was originally used to designate not-for-profit organizations. Till today, most people associate this TLD with non-profit organizations and social causes rather than commercial businesses. The .ai TLD is another popular one today – especially for tech firms.

There are two main types of top-level domains;

Generic TLD

A generic top-level domain refers to domain name endings with three or more characters, the type that you’d most likely recognize. .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, and other common domain endings fall under this category.

Before 2011, there were barely two dozen domain extensions classified as generic. That year, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) expanded the number of generic domain extensions from 22 to over 1,200, opening up more opportunities for individuals and businesses to acquire domain names.

Country-Code TLD

As the name implies, these are domain extensions associated with specific countries. ICANN assigns country domain endings to each formally recognized nation and sovereign state, and these nations collect a royalty on every sale of their assigned TLD. For example, Tuvalu, a small island nation, earns 1/12th of its annual income from its .TV domain extension.

Other popular examples of country domain endings include

  • .US for the United States of America
  • .AU for Australia
  • .DE for Germany
  • .CA for Canada
  • .CC for Cocos Islands
  • .AE for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), etc.

2. Second-Level Domains

A second-level domain is directly below a top-level domain in the domain hierarchy. It is the part of the domain name that comes right before the top-level domain. For example, in NameExperts.com, NameExperts is the second-level domain.

The second-level domain is usually a combination of words describing the business or service of the domain name owner – and it pays to match this to the name of your business whenever possible to strengthen your brand. In the above example, NameExperts describes the business of a professional domain name broker that helps customers to acquire valuable domains.

A second-level domain can include letters, numbers, and hyphens. Symbols are not allowed.

Top of a building with a sign saying 'Your name here' to illustrate an article about domain names

3. Third-Level Domains

The third-level domain, or subdomain, is the part of the URL that comes before the second-level domain. The most common subdomain is www., which refers to the world wide web. Third-level domains are not mandatory, so you can have a fully functional domain name without the www part.

Some website owners create third-level domains to represent a different section of their website. Examples include:

  • Shop.mywebsite.com refers to the e-commerce section of a website.
  • Blog.mywebsite.com refers to a blog attached to the website.
  • Support.mywebsite.com leads to the customer support section of a website.

Understanding Domain TLDs

A domain name is the most important property for anyone who conducts business online. Hence, it’s crucial to understand what they are and the different types of domain name extensions to use for a website.

The information above should help you figure out how to structure your domain, but if you need help, we’re experts at domain selection and helping you buy the perfect domain.

 

 

About the author

Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s leading domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains. Contact the NameExperts team at: [email protected]

Subscribe for More Domain Buying & Selling Advice

Related posts

Close up of hands at a computer keyboard
The Complete Guide to Buying Short Domain Names

Unlock the branding power of ultra-short domain names with help from industry expert Joe Uddeme. Discover why they matter, how to buy them, and what makes them valuable. When it comes to domain names, less is most definitely more. Most of the time, the shorter the name, the higher the price tag – because short domain names represent prime online real estate. Some of the most expensive domain names ever sold were four letters or less. These concise, memorable web addresses garner immense interest from businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors eager to build recognizable brands and carve out a market edge. Over recent years, most of the world’s shortest, most meaningful domains – especially those made up of just two or three characters – have been registered and are now labeled as “premium domain names.” If you want to buy a domain name that fits this bracket, their scarcity has driven demand and prices sky-high, turning the quest for short domains into a battleground for major brands and agile startups alike. In this post, we’ll look at great short names (and why some are less great), and we’ll delve into how buying one that has been registered for decades (and is even being used) might not be impossible. We’ll also look at the stories behind some of the largest deals – and, trust me, the sums involved will make your eyes water! Key Takeaways Short domains remain highly coveted assets for businesses seeking brand authority and a memorable web presence. Most premium short domains are already registered, but expert brokers can unlock rare buying opportunities through negotiation or connections. The real value of a short domain hinges on global usability, inherent meaning, and extension – some “short” names are more valuable than others. High-profile, big-money sales prove the ROI for companies investing in ultra-short web addresses. If you own a short domain, strategic sale planning and the right partners can help you capture maximum value.
Image looking over a person's shoulder to indicate anonymity when securing a domain name
Domain Privacy and Protection: How and Why to Hide WHOIS Information

If you don’t tread carefully, anyone in the world can find out who bought the web address you just snapped up. Domain name expert Joe Uddeme shares his top tips for staying out of the limelight.   In the rush of excitement that comes with securing a name – especially a desirable, premium domain name you’ve been after – it’s easy to overlook one of the most basic elements of name registration: shielding your identity. Millions of people before you have forgotten to do it – precisely because it is so easy to overlook. Or perhaps you spotted the option to stay anonymous but didn’t quite understand what it meant – or felt it wasn’t worth the cost. Here’s how to stay out of the WHOIS database when buying a domain name – and why you might want to. Key takeaways: Understanding your Domain Privacy options Discover which countries keep your name secret by default The benefits of keeping your information private How to ensure your name stays out of the picture Discover Domain Privacy FAQs   What Is Domain Privacy? Domain privacy is a service domain registrars offer customers to hide their information from the public WHOIS database. Customers pay for privacy from their registrar, which replaces their contact information in the WHOIS database with a forwarding address.   What Does Domain Privacy and Protection Do? It removes a domain owner’s information from the public WHOIS database and preserves their privacy. The WHOIS database is a vast database operated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN is the agency that oversees domain names, and every individual or company that buys a domain name must provide their contact information to this agency. ICANN, in turn, lists all contact information in a public database called WHOIS. Anyone can search the WHOIS database to get the contact information of a domain’s owner. Many owners are uncomfortable with their contact information being listed publicly, so they pay their domain registrars for domain privacy and protection. The registrar replaces the customer’s contact information with a forwarding or proxy address on the WHOIS database, so people can’t look up the real contact details.   Do I Need Domain Privacy? You need to pay for privacy protection if you’re uncomfortable with your email address or phone number being posted online. Many spammers and telemarketers scour the WHOIS database for the contact information of domain owners to sell them products. Domain name privacy protection prevents this from happening. People residing within the European Union (EU) don’t need to pay for domain privacy because they get it by default. On 25 May 2018, the EU passed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ruling. This ruling mandated companies serving EU residents to give customers control over their data. EU customers were granted strict data privacy under this law, so domain registrars began hiding their information from the WHOIS database by default. Many other countries have passed laws similar to GDPR, such as Turkey, South Korea, Argentina, and Brazil. The United Kingdom (UK), a former EU member, also passed a similar law. You may not need to purchase a domain name private registration if you reside in these countries. However, customers in other countries need domain privacy and protection to hide their contact information.   How Important Is Domain Protection? It is important because it lets you hide your contact information from the public view. Without this protection, your personal information will be available to anyone who wishes to find it, and malicious actors may take advantage of this freedom to target you with cyberattacks and domain name scams.   Benefits Of Privacy Protection 1. Protects Personal Information Buying privacy protection when registering a domain removes your personal information from the public eye. People won’t be able to find your contact information by looking up your domain name on the WHOIS database. Instead, they’ll see the contact information of your domain registrar, which they can’t trace back to you. 2. Minimizes and Prevents Spam Spam is the biggest problem on the internet. It refers to any irrelevant and solicited message sent over the internet, usually to advertise products or steal information via phishing. Spammers search every possible medium to harvest emails and phone numbers, including the WHOIS database. Domain protection hides your details from this database so spammers can not target you with unsolicited messages. 3. Anonymity Many people are uncomfortable with their personal information being on the internet for whatever reason. Domain privacy and protection grants you anonymity even when you control many domain names. 4. Prevents Competitive Data Mining Businesses often mine public databases for information about their competitors. For example, if you run a popular blog anonymously, rival blogs may want to discover your identity and research potentially damaging information about you. Domain privacy and protection ensures that competitors can’t trace your identity through your domain name. 5. Prevents Domain Theft Hackers often target owners of valuable domain names with phishing messages to steal their registrar login details. They do this by sending a link to a website that looks exactly like your domain registrar’s page but is actually a different web address. The end game is to log into the owner’s registrar with the stolen details and transfer their domain name to another account. Purchasing domain privacy means that hackers won’t find your contact information in the first place. You can hold onto your valuable domain names without fear of being targeted by sophisticated cybercriminals. (Check out our post about what to do if you lose your domain name). How To Get Domain Privacy And Protection When Buying a Domain Most registrars display the option to add privacy protection to your cart when you choose to buy a domain name. It’s an effective method of upselling because they know many customers want privacy. Look for “hide WHOIS information,” “domain privacy,” “domain protection,” or a similar phrase on the domain registration box and select it. Head to the checkout page and pay for the registration, privacy protection, and any other item you selected. After paying, you’ll automatically have WHOIS protection for your new domain. Add To An Existing Domain You can always buy privacy protection for a domain name you already own. Follow these steps; Log into your domain registrar account. Head to the domain management section. Click on the specific domain name you need privacy for. Open the Security tab, and you’ll likely find a button that prompts you to buy WHOIS protection. Click on the button and proceed to your checkout page to pay. Wait for some time after the payment confirmation for your registrar to update the WHOIS database information. There are dozens of domain registrars, and the steps to add privacy protection to an existing domain are similar to what we explained above for each of them.   FAQs on Domain Privacy Should I add privacy protection when buying and selling domains? Yes, you should add the option to hide domain registration info because it has many benefits. It prevents spam, competitive data mining, and potential domain theft. It also guarantees anonymity on the WHOIS database, which is desirable for privacy-conscious customers. If you are working with multiple domain names, especially high-value ones, an experienced domain consultant can ensure all of this is taken care of on your behalf. How Do You Buy A Domain With Privacy Protection You’ll usually see an option to buy privacy protection on the page where you search for an available domain. Add the privacy protection item to your cart alongside the domain name and pay, and you have successfully acquired privacy protection for your new domain. Is privacy protection available on all domains? It’s available for most domains, but there are some exceptions due to government rules. These include .US., .CA, and .FR, among others. Is there a cost to domain privacy and protection? Most registrars charge between $10 and $20 annually for privacy protection while registering a domain. However, a few offer it for free, e.g., NameCheap.   About the author Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s leading domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains. Need help? Contact us at: [email protected]
Default alt text
Domain Name Availability – Everything You Need to Know

Domain name availability (or lack of it) is what keeps domain buyers up at night. In this guide, domain name expert Joe Uddeme explains exactly what it means when a domain appears unavailable – and what to do about it.   Choosing the perfect domain name for your business is like finding the ideal storefront location in Manhattan – everyone wants prime real estate, but most of the best spots are already taken. Securing an available domain name that matches your brand vision has become increasingly challenging, with an estimated 100,000 domains registered daily. But here’s the good news: just because your dream domain appears unavailable doesn’t mean it’s out of reach forever. Understanding domain name availability goes far beyond simply typing your desired name into a registrar’s search box. It involves mastering the ins and outs of the domain ecosystem, from DNS mechanics to aftermarket negotiations. You also need to know exactly what to do when that dreaded “domain not available” message appears. Whether you’re starting a business, rebranding an established firm, or expanding into new markets, you’ll need a comprehensive strategy for domain acquisition. It can make the difference between settling for www.yourcompanynameLLC2025.com (no thanks!) or securing the memorable, brandable domain you really need – something that will define your online presence for years to come. This guide will explore professional strategies that Fortune 500 companies use, reveal the hidden opportunities in expired domains, and show you why sometimes the best approach involves working with experts who know how to unlock doors that appear permanently closed. Key Takeaways Domain availability checking involves multiple tools and techniques beyond basic registrar searches. Strategic options include direct owner contact, broker negotiations, alternative extensions, and monitoring for expiration. Explore domain aftermarket opportunities through auctions, expired domains, and private sales. Professional domain brokers are well equipped to access off-market domain names and negotiate acquisitions that individual buyers may struggle to do alone. Understanding domain registration mechanics, renewal cycles, and legal considerations goes hand in hand with making informed decisions – and avoiding costly mistakes.

Why Work with Name Experts

Name Experts offers personalized domain brokerage services, assisting clients in buying or selling premium domain names with expert appraisal, negotiation, and complete transaction management while ensuring confidentiality.

Free Consultation

Some of our most
successful stealth acquisition and sales

Aid.com

Fit.com

Mine.com

GLD.com

Jeff.com

Fora.com

Nori.com

Secure.com

Guitar.com

F*ck.com

Radian.com

MetaData.com

Prize.com

Link.com

Loop.com

Programs.com

Claim.com

Quince.com

Hook.com

QXO.com

NQ.com

Rest.com

Humani.com

Max.com

Need help buying or selling premium domains?