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Domain Name: An Essential Element for Any Website

When considering the creation of a new website, its domain name is quite often the very first thing that comes to mind.

In the beginning, the Internet relied on IP addresses to identify web pages which were still relatively few and not accessible to a wide audience. The format we all know today was substituted to this system because strings of digits were complicated to memorise.

Nowadays, websites usually bear an address made up of three ‘w’ followed by a domain name and its domain name extension, or TLD – Top Level Domain (‘.com’, ‘.fr’, ‘.co.uk’, etc.)

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What is a Domain Name?

Used as a starting point to all website pages, a domain name often corresponds to the name of the company or brand which owns the site. It takes the shape of ‘example.com’, ‘example.fr’, etc. While there are no restrictions as to the name itself, this approach is the most widely observed.

When you purchase and register a domain name (such as ‘example.fr’), you create a unique and unalterable address. Modifying the slightest element in this domain name is indeed equivalent to creating a second one. Even a different extension leads to a unique domain name. Thus, ‘example.fr’ and ‘example.com’ may direct the users to two distinct websites belonging to two different people and dealing with completely unrelated topics.

What is the Role of a Domain Name?

Central to your website’s URL (or address), this element is used to identify your online presence and allows Internet users to find you within the worldwide web.
A domain name is the name you select to represent you on the Internet. Users can therefore continue to access your website by typing in the same address even if its hosting situation were to change.

Domain Name Availability

For all the many websites on the Internet to be identified, every single domain name must be unique and needs to be registered through a registrar. When you purchase a domain from Gandi, it will be considered ‘unavailable’ to anyone wishing to register the same domain name for a minimum of one year. This domain name is reserved for you and you are free to use it for your own site without running the risk of it no longer being available. Check your domain's availability.

Domain Name Renewal

It is possible to reserve a domain name before even beginning to use it. Similarly, renewing it when it is about to expire (usually after one year) is just as important. If you allow your domain to expire, it will become available to other Internet users once more. However, Gandi does offer automatic renewal.

Domain Name Transfer

Just as you may change your hosting service, it is also possible to opt for a different domain name registrar. If you already own a domain name, transfering it allows you to make Gandi your new registrar.

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