What is a domain name?

Every website on the internet has an IP address. These addresses point to a website’s location—think of them like GPS coordinates. The IP address, which is generally a set of numbers, usually resembles something like this:

216.27.61.137

Unfortunately, trying to remember all of those numbers in order to navigate to a website can be challenging. That’s where domain names step in and lend a hand.

A structure called the Domain Name System (DNS) translates those IP addresses into names that are (hopefully) simple to remember. Those names are called domain names.

Your website's domain is what people enter into the address bar on their browsers to point it toward your website. In the simplest terms, if an IP address is your website’s GPS coordinates, the domain is its street address. Some examples are mailchimp.com and google.com.

When someone types a domain into a browser, it gets routed through a DNS server. That server translates the name to figure out which IP address it points to. Then it grabs the data for that website and delivers it to the browser. This process happens in a matter of seconds, letting you find and view a website fast.

Types of domains

The types you can buy vary greatly. To make the best choice, you need to first understand the anatomy of a domain, which is made of two main parts—a second-level domain (SLD) and a top-level domain (TLD).

Second-level domains (SLDs)

A second-level domain is what most people think of when they think of the name of a website. It’s the unique name that you choose to represent your brand because it’s the part that people will remember the most.

In a web address, an SLD appears just to the left of the extension, or top-level domain. It can contain as many letters, numbers, and special characters as you want, but it’s best to keep them short and easy.

Top-level domains (TLDs)

Top-level domains (TLDs) are also referred to as domain extensions. They’re the series of letters that appear at the right of your SLD, after the dot. The most popular ones include:

• .com: Short for “commercial,” this was the first TLD launched, initially meant for business and commercial use. It’s still the most popular.

• .net: Short for “network,” this was created for technology organizations, but it has become another common option for business website owners of all types.

• .edu: Short for “education,” this TLD was created for universities, colleges, and other educational institutions. Today, it’s mostly associated with U.S. schools.

• .org: Short for “organization,” this was developed for non-profit organizations but soon became popular among schools, communities, and for-profit enterprises.

• .gov: Short for “government,” this was created strictly for U.S. government agency use.

• .mil: Short for “military,” this TLD was developed solely for use by branches of the U.S. military.

There are also TLDs for different countries (.ca for Canada, for example) as well as niche domains like .coffee or .cheap. In all, there are more than 1,500 different TLDs to choose from, and the list continues to grow. But the cost for different TLDs vary. Some carry more "weight" than others, which should impact your decision when buying a domain.

Note: Country code domains, along with some other top-level domains, are unavailable to register or transfer into Mailchimp at this time. See all our domain extensions and top-level domains.