 First things first, what’s the difference? A sub domain is the bit before the first dot in a URL, for example, the word ‘contact’ in the URL ‘contact.mywebsite.com’. The sub domain is primarily used for breaking up the website, by dividing it into separate domains for each page on the website, so there will be a ‘home.mywebsite.com’, ‘portfolio.mywebsite.com’, ‘contact.mywebsite.com’, and so on. Having a sub domain has its advantages, as you can easily send your web traffic to different parts of your website, but having your website hosted as a sub domain of a generic domain can often look unprofessional. |
A domain name can be thought of as the address of a web site. Every computer that is connected to the Internet is identified by its own unique string of twelve numbers, for example, 216.109.112.135. However names are easier for people to remember than a random string of numbers, and so the domain name system was invented. For example, a person wanting to visit yahoo.com just needs to type that into his web browser, instead of having to remember that 216.109.112.135 stands for yahoo.com. The web browser will access a special computer that is called a domain name server, where yahoo.com is translated to 216.109.112.135, and then the web browser will be able to access yahoo.com.
Regardless of your reasons for wanting to get a domain name, finding an appropriate name is incredibly important. Businesses especially need to consider their domain name as it represents their brand on the internet. It needs to be easy to remember and easy to type. Although imperative for businesses, personal web sites and those that are personal but are used to generate extra income will also benefit from being properly named and registered. The easier it is for people to surf to the site, the better.
Multiple domain web hosting is incredibly common. Web hosting companies encourage this and many people who use web hosting find that multiple domains not only makes sense but are in fact becoming more and more necessary. There are a number of reasons for having multiple domains and any web hosting company that wants to be considered competitive will allow hosting of multiple domains from one web hosting account.
You, or the company you represent, have decided that you need to establish a web site. Maybe you have a new product you want to promote, or maybe your company needs to sell to a wider audience. Whatever the reason, you want to get a web site. The first thing you will need to do is choose a domain name – your own address on the World Wide Web.