Essentially, a domain name is the address of the website, the place where it is located on the Internet. Domains are divided into levels: first (top), second, third, etc. As part of a domain name, domains are read from right to left.

The first or top level domain is, for example, com, or uk, or info, etc.

Domain levels are separated by dots, for example centersmarttourism.world is a second level domain (two words separated by dots).

centersmarttourism.business.site – third level domain name (three words separated by dots) More than three levels are used less often.

Top-level domains are territorial and thematic.

Territorial ones directly indicate the country or region, for example .ua or .ru or .de. Usually, top-level domains are also called national domains and they directly indicate the state affiliation of the company.

Thematic domains may indicate international activity and the fact that this company is not tied to any particular country. These are .travel .aero or .com and the like.

For example, https://izi.travel/ is a second-level domain that is located in the top-level domain .travel – it is clear that the site is related to travel. Or https://www.svo.aero/ – also a second-level domain, but the top-level domain .aero makes it clear that the site is related to aviation. In fact, there are many topical top-level domains, there is even a domain for museums – .museum.

Here is a more or less complete list of domains.

Registration of top-level domain names is managed by special organizations – registrars. But they do not register anyone themselves, they only maintain a register of second-level domain names in their territorial zone. Registration is carried out by accredited registrars.

A domain name cannot be bought. You can only pay for the right to use it for one or more years and periodically renew this right. The cost depends on the top-level domain. Let’s say .com is more expensive, .ru is cheaper, and so on. Usually, the hosting provider is the registrar, which is quite convenient, because you can immediately register a domain name and connect it to the hosting. In addition, it promptly reminds the site owner of the impending registration delay. We will not recommend a hosting provider, in order to avoid advertising, but you can use different ratings and reviews.

When it comes to recommendations for choosing a domain name, let’s turn to the most reliable source – the recommendations of the Google search engine.

In order to determine whether the selected domain name is free or not, you need to use the WHOIS service of one of the domain name registrars. For example, here. If the service does not find the requested domain name, then it is free.

A domain name can be transferred from owner to owner. This process is not particularly difficult. It is enough to apply to the domain registrar on behalf of the owner with a request to re-register the domain to a new owner.

Extract from the rules: “If the registrant intends to transfer the domain name for use to another individual or legal entity, the registrant shall notify the registrar of the transfer of rights to the used domain name, indicating information about the person to whom the rights to use the domain name are supposed to be transferred.”

If you want to change your domain name, but your customers are used to the old name, or you have already printed some kind of catalog or business cards with the old website address, then it makes sense to redirect. Redirection is configured very easily in the domain control panel. Or you can contact the hosting provider – they will help with the settings.