Compatibility:

WebSite X5 Evo and Pro

What is a domain?

The domain name, shortly domain, is the address to be used to visit a specific website.

It's the part of the web address you find after the // , as well as after @ in the e-mail addresses. For instance, given the URL https://www.websitex5.com/en/tutorial.php, the domain name is "websitex5.com".

As you can see from the example, domain names and URLs are correlated, but not the same thing. For instance, if your website were a house, the domain would be the address (house number and street), and the URL the directions necessary to get to it, or even to a particular room.


How do domain work?

Internet connects services and devices worldwide to one another. To put it simple, each computer, mobile device and web service available online is connected to a univocal IP address (such as, 93.183.216.34), which the TPC/IP protocol uses to identify and reach it. The Domain Name System (DNS) translates these IP addresses into domains, which are easier for us to read and remember, for instance www.example.org. This process is known as "name resolution".


What is the composition of a web address?

Let's analyze an example URL so to identify its parts:


https://www.websitex5.com/index.html


  • HTTP or HTTPS: the protocol used to transfer the information to this website. "S" stands for "secure", which means that an SSL certificate is active for this website.
  • www: the subdomain, which you could consider as a folder on your PC. www is a subdomain too.
  • websitex5:  a second level domain, which is the kind of domain you get when you buy one, for instance "yourdomain.com".
  • .com: the first level domain, a generic one in this case (abbreviation gTLD).
  • index: the page or file name.
  • .html: the page extension, such as .html, .aspx, .php, ecc.


As you can see from the example, the domain is organized in levels: there are 3 and are read from right to left.


What is a first level domain, and why is it important? 

First level domains, also Top-Level Domain (TLD), are the highest name resolution level within the domain name system. They represent the last part of the address and are also known as domain extensions.


First level domains can be:

  • Generic first level domains (gTLD, Generic Top-Level Domain): in the beginning of Internet there were 7 (.com, .org, .net, .int, .edu, .gov, .mil), while today we have my other extensions, such as  .coffee or .design, which have been becoming more and more popular. Some of these extensions present some restrictions: for instance .edu is conceived for  professional institutes and universities.
  • National first level domains (ccTLD, Country Code Top-Level Domain): they refer to a particular Country. For instance .it stands for Italy, .ca for Canada. Usually, in order to use this kind of domain, you need to prove that you are resident, or  your business is registered to the country you want to register the ccTLD for.


Firs level domains then define the kind of product or service by providing a geographical (for instance, .co.uk for a British company) or organizational connotation (for instance, .com for a business activity).


What is a second level domain, and why is it important?

Second level domain (SLD) correspond to the name chosen to be associated to the extension and, as we mentioned above, are also known as "domain names". For instance, given the domain www.websitex5.com, "websitex5" corresponds to the second level domain.


Second level domains are then customized domains, and, even if they are is hierarchically inferior to the first level ones, they are extremely important for the SEO than the domain extensions. In fact, second level domains can better describe the contents of your website, and, moreover, you can create it by using the keywords you selected for your business.


What are third level domains or subdomains?

Third level domains, also known as subdomains, are used to create sections for the main project, so to structure its contents more logically. For instance, in blog.websitex5.com, "blog" is a subdomain. They are generally often used to refer to the language of a website. For instance, in it.websitex5.com, en.websitex5.com and de.websitex5.com, the subdomains "it", "en" and "de" represent the contents in Italian, English and German for the same "websitex5" domain.


How to buy a domain

As you probably know, with your WebSite X5 license you can have access to an included website and automatic third level domain, such as username.websitex5.me: in this way, once your website is ready, you can bring it online right away without any extra costs. 


If, on the other hand, you decide to invest in your website, especially if you use it for your business, you may want to consider buying a customized second level domain. In this way, your website will look more professional, and you will have more freedom of action: with this solution, you will be able to activate some mailboxes for the domain you chose. 


Find out right away if the domain you want is still free >>


If the customized domain you chose is available, we will register it for you, so that anyone will be able to visit your website simply by typing the URL which better suits your activity.


If, in the other hand, your domain is already registered with another Provider and you want to  use the WebSite X5 Hosting, you have two possibilities:

  1. You can leave the domain on the old service  Provider and set up a redirect to the webspace offered with the WebSite X5 Hosting service included with your licence  (see: Web Domain- How to set up a domain registered to another Registrar so it redirects to your webspace).
  2. You can also transfer the domain so to use Incomedia as your webspace and domain provider (see: Web Domain -  How to transfer a domain).