Think of your domain name as a postal address. If people search for your domain name, they will be able to find your website. Every website on the Internet is assigned a unique IP address, which is made up of a series of numbers. These numbers tell the domain name system (DNS) to locate the corresponding website. Since we are humans and not computers, IP addresses are difficult to remember and therefore words are used. These words are known as domain or URL. The DNS looks at the domain name and translates it into an IP address.
When it comes to picking a top-level domain for your website, there are plenty of options. Yes, .com domain extensions are popular, but due to their popularity, you may find that your dream domain has already been taken.
Yes, you can keep registration data private with Domain Privacy. When you register a domain, certain personal information is taken from you that you may not wish to be publicly searchable. Domain privacy helps to minimize spam and protect against domain hijacking.
To check the availability of the domain name, first, use the search bar at the top of the page to check if your domain exists. The name of your website will be available or in use. If your domain is taken, this means that it is reserved by the Registry or registered by someone else.
Normally, DNS changes propagate within a few hours or even minutes, but it can take up to 48 hours to propagate throughout the Internet. The propagation time can be affected by many factors, such as your TTL, your ISP and the NS servers you use.