To keep things simple we will only cover what a domain name is in reference to the public internet. A web domain name is a name that can consist of letters and/or numbers/hyphens separated by periods ("."). These names are human readable but actually, translate, with the help of DNS Servers to unique IP (Internet Protocol) address on the internet.
Web domain names always have a suffix extension consisting of 2 or 3 characters (example ".com").
For more details and information about domain names, you can view What types of domain names are there?
Yes, FullSail Systems does sell domain names. You can access this system via tools.fullsailsystems.com. This system is temporary as FullSail Systems is undergoing some infrastructure changes and soon will have domain name registration capabilities via the my.fullsailsystems.com system in the future. If you have any questions during this transition phase please contact our sales department.
Yes, FullSail Systems can accept transfers of domain names. Contact our sales department at sales department for additional support.
A Top Level Domain (or TLD) Name is the highest level in the DNS hierarchy of the Internet and include:
The best known generic TLD's include .com, .net, .biz, .org and .info - these can be registered by anyone, anywhere in the world. However, some of the new gTLD's more recently released have various restrictions.
Two letter domains established for geographical locations such as countries or territories (example: Germany = .de). The code for territories typically match its two-letter ISO 3166 code.
This is simular to the "ccTLD". It is a top-level domain name with a specially encoded format that allows it to be displayed in a non-Latin character set. A good example would be China's ccTLD is .CN and its IDN ccTLD is .中国, which translates to "China" in Chinese.
These domains are managed under official ICANN accredited registrars.
These domains are proposed and sponsored by private agencies or organizations that establish and enforce rules restricting the eligibility to use the TLD. These domains are managed under official ICANN accredited registrars. An example of this domain would be "something.edu"
These domains were installed under .test for testing purposes in the IDN development process; these domains are not present in the root zone.
This group consists of one domain, the Address and Routing Parameter Area. It is managed by IANA on behalf of the Internet Engineering Task Force for various purposes specified in the Request for Comments publications.
There are over 800+ TLD's available for purchase, however, they all aren't created equal. Thanks to Verisign and a study they did in 2016 here is the list of extension popularity.
source - https://www.verisign.com/assets/domain-name-report-Q42016.pdf
The owner of a domain name is the "Registrant" of the domain name. This can be found using ICANN's Whois System
Every Whois Record has the Domain Name, Registrant Contact, Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, and Billing Contact listed.
The most important for you is the Registrant. The Registrant is the legal owner of the domain and will include a mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address. This do not always so if you have domain privacy enabled.
There are multiple levels of TLDs. You have the second level, third level, and subdomains.
Second Level (2LD)
.------------ 2LD - Second Level - "example" | .---- TLD - Top Level Domain - ".com" | | example.com
Third level (3LD)
Complex example: for agencies of the U.S. federal government
.---------------- 3LD - Third Level - "example" | .-------- 2LD - Second Level - ".fed" | | .---- TLD - Top Level Domain - ".us" | | | example.fed.us
Simplistic Third Level Domain Example:
.---------------- 3LD - Third Level - "mail" | .----------- 2LD - Second Level - ".example" | | .--- TLD - Top Level Domain - ".com" | | | mail.example.com
As you can see in the complex example there is a difference but in most cases, this will not affect you as a domain owner. The real question comes to the simplistic example "mail.example.com" is this a subdomain or third level domain and the answer is both.
Here is a real world example of a 3LD/Subdomain:
.--------------- 3LD - Third Level - "www" | .----------- 2LD - Second Level - ".example" | | .--- TLD - Top Level Domain - ".com" | | | www.example.com
Therefore it is important to select what your actual domain name is. Your URL with "www" or without. Our suggestion to direct traffic from "www" to "non-www" would be with a 301 redirect via your .htaccess file.
.htaccess Example - Force 301 Redirect for www to non-www with or without SSL "https"
RewriteEngine On
#Force non-www:
##301 Redirection without SSL
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://%1/$1 [R=301,L]
##301 Redirection with SSL
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [R=301,L]
A subdomain is a domain that is part of a larger domain.
The best way to think of a sub domain is that it shares your domain name but is treated like an entirely different website.
This is a complex question and has many answers depending on your web application strucuture, seo asperations, and overall user flow.
You might want to separate client data:
Your client account data needs to be seperated from service based main web application.
mainwebapp.com ==> Main Sales Site (follow "search engine should index", Landing page for advertizing efforts) accounts.mainwebapp.com ==> Client Account Data (nofollow "do not index", no advertizing)
You might want to separate systems:
Your email system should be seperated from your service based main web application.
mainwebapp.com ==> Main Sales Site (follow "search engine should index", Landing page for advertizing efforts) mail.mainwebapp.com ==> Mail Server (nofollow "do not index", no advertizing)