More about domain names

Fundamentals knowledge is necessary before you can start hosting any websites. Knowing the basics of web hosting, the difference between a domain and web host, and how to choose the right web host are the essential skills that much be learned. Those who already read thru Web Hosting 101 Classroom should have learned these all; now, I’m going to touch various concerns of dark areas involved domain names.

Multi Domain Hosting

Multiple domain hosting means hosting multiple websites (or domain names) in the same hosting account. Most web hosting services nowadays provides you with at least six domain names – this means you get to host one primary domain names and five addon domains in your account.

Subdomains

In the Domain Name System (DNS) hierarchy, a subdomain is a domain that is part of a larger domain. Sometimes, a subdomain is also known as a third level domain. For example, http://webhostingsecretrevealed.com is a regular URL; while http://review.webhostingsecretrevealed.com is an URL with subdomain with “.com” as the first level domain, “webhostingsecretrevealed” as the second level; and finally “review” as the third level.

Some would says subdomains are ‘third level’ domains in the sense that they are simply “sub folders” under the root directory, normally used to organize your website content in different languages or different categories. However this is not the case to many SEOs as subdomains are often treated as a different domain independent from the primary domain.

Domain Parking

A parked domain is a domain name that has not been associated with any website or e-mail services. Domain parking refers to the act of reserving the domain name for future development. Generally, all web host will have an option for ‘Domain Parking’ in your web host where visitors of the domain will be redirected to a specified webpage.

WhoIs

WhoIs is a domain name program/database where Internet users can query for domain registration information. By performing a WhoIs search you can determine who/when/where a domain name was registered. Searching WhoIs also reveals information on a website’s numerical IP address as well as DNS records.

Searching WhoIs info nowadays is very easy as there are plenty of web tools available online. DomainTools.com or Who.is for example, is a website I often visit to retrive WhoIs information.