Before you can have a website, you need a domain with a name.

You could think of your domain name as the place where your website lives: your website address.

In more technical terms, your domain is known as an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which is a series of numbers assigned to each computer on the internet.

An IP address looks like this: 192.168.0.255.

There are a few billion computers linked together to form the internet, and for them all to communicate with each other, each needs its own unique domain identity.

So, what the IP address numbers do is find and identify every single computer on the Internet.

For simplicity, rather than typing in a string of numbers, we can just type a domain name into a browser URL bar to visit a website.

Although a domain can have any combination of letters and numbers, it’s usually best to keep it simple. Firmushosting.com for example. The .com is known as a domain name extension. The most common domain name extensions are .com, .co.uk, .uk and .net.

.com was originally created for commercial organisations, but there are now no restrictions on who can use this extension. .io is also an extension which is being more commonly used for tech start ups.

When you register your domain, you’ll see which domain name extensions are available.

You have to register your domain name before you can use it, and no two websites can have the same domain name. So, when someone types in www.mydomain.com, they’ll go to your website rather than someone else’s.

But registering your domain name is only one step to getting online. You’ll also need to create your website. Then you’ll need a web hosting service to store your files so they can be accessed on the internet.

We can help you every step of the way to getting your business online. From website creation and help with choosing a domain, to a complete web hosting service.

Get in touch with our team today!