I’m sure there are many people who say, “I often hear the word
domain
, but I don’t really understand what it actually is.” As you become a member of society and use various Internet tools more and more, you may not be familiar with the term “domain.”
Therefore, this time I will explain the following topics regarding “domain”.
- What is a domain?
- About domain types
- 4 benefits of acquiring your own domain
- Things to note about your own domain
- Flow of acquiring your own domain
In this article, we will explain the overview of domains and the types of domains. Even if you don’t have much knowledge about domains, read this article to deepen your understanding.
What is a domain?
A domain is a name used to identify a computer or network on the Internet, and in short, it is an address on the Internet. A company’s
homepage
or personal website is a “house” built at that address. Usually, an “IP address” is an address on the Internet, but a domain is an easy-to-understand string of IP addresses.
It is no exaggeration to say that we are able to access websites thanks to this domain. Domains are also used for email addresses. The part of the email address after the @ (at sign) is the domain.
Domains are designed to be unique, so once you obtain one, it will be unique in the world. Even if you have a domain that you want to use, be aware that if someone else is using that domain, you will not be able to use it.
About domain types
Domains are the backbone of all modern Internet services, but there are actually two types of domains. “Original domain” and ”
subdomain
“. The domain you should use will change depending on your purpose for using the Internet, so be sure to check carefully.
own domain
A unique domain is an original domain that is only one in the world, and many people and companies generally acquire their own domains. For example, when creating an email address, have you ever created a domain that is easy to remember? Many other companies and people all over the world have acquired their own domains and often use them to demonstrate authority, name recognition, and trustworthiness.
Obtaining your own domain costs money, but you can use it permanently. Acquisition costs vary depending on the type, such as “.com” or “.net,” so consider your own costs before acquiring your own domain.
subdomain
A subdomain is a domain that is needed when managing your own domain or using it for various purposes. For example, when you write multiple blog articles on your company’s website, you will be able to further divide the domains and assign individual domains. At this time, the domain that is assigned individually to each page is a subdomain.
4 benefits of acquiring your own domain
Basically, using your own domain will incur management and maintenance costs, but if you want to have and operate your own web pages, we recommend acquiring your own domain. A unique domain brings great benefits to businesses, such as corporate homepages and personal business websites. Here we will explain four advantages of acquiring your own domain.
Easy to gain trust
The advantage of acquiring your own domain is that it is easy to gain trust. When a customer is interested in a company and is doing research, they will naturally feel distrustful if the domain belongs to a different company. Furthermore, domains sometimes have a meaning of proof; for example, a domain with an address ending in “.co.jp” proves that the company is registered in Japan.
In addition, “.go.jp” is a Japanese government agency, and “.ac.jp” is a Japanese higher education institution, so they have a large impact on whether or not you can gain trust. It is a great advantage to be able to gain the trust of interested customers to put their minds at ease.
Allows users to remember
A unique domain for a company is unique to that company, so it has the advantage of being easier for users to remember. Generally, the company name is included in the domain and used as
an address
, but many companies also include puns in the company name domain to make it easier to remember.
In this way, a unique domain can easily leave an impact on users, making it easier for them to remember it. A unique domain has a great impact on increasing your popularity.
available permanently
With your own domain, you can continue to use the same email address and URL permanently. If you use a rental server or the initial domain of a free blog service because setting up your company’s internet is troublesome, your email address and URL will no longer be usable when the service ends. In addition, when you transfer your contracted
server
company to another company, you will no longer be able to use the free domain you originally used.
Therefore, if you are thinking about running a website or expanding your company over the long term, it is safer to use your own domain that can be used permanently. If you use your own domain, you don’t have to worry about changing your domain or losing your pages even if you transfer your contracted server company to another company.
Easy to implement SEO measures
Running a site with your own domain has the advantage of making it easier to implement
SEO
measures. Continuing to use your own domain for a long time will lead to search engine evaluations and affect the effectiveness of SEO measures. If you want to effectively implement SEO measures and aim to attract customers from your web page, it is better to acquire your own domain.
If you are using an initial domain or a free domain and the URL changes midway through, your reputation will be reset, even if you have accumulated articles and gained trust from Google. There is a risk that all your efforts will be wasted, so please obtain your own domain when implementing SEO measures.
Things to note about your own domain
Although there are great benefits to using your own domain, there are some caveats. In order to use your own domain comfortably, please be aware of the following points.
Domain acquisition/renewal cost
Obtaining and renewing your own domain is expensive. The average price for acquiring a unique domain is around 100 yen to 2000 yen. There is a way to save money by acquiring a cheap domain, but be aware that renewal costs may be high in that case.
The typical domain renewal cost is around 1,000 yen to 5,000 yen. Domains have an expiration date, and if you do not renew your domain, your website and email address will no longer be available. Generally, the expiration date is one year, but be sure to check how long the expiration date is.
Need to configure by yourself
When you get your own domain, you have to configure various things by yourself. For example, you will need to perform tasks such as server settings and homepage registration. It’s a very time-consuming task if you don’t have the knowledge, but some server companies have services that will set up your domain for you. If you find it difficult to configure by yourself or don’t want to spend too much time, consider using a server company that provides domain configuration services.
Flow of acquiring your own domain
There are four main steps to acquiring your own domain:
1. Decide the domain at the end of the URL
2. Decide on your own domain name
3. Make a domain contract
4. Apply for a name server
First, you need to decide on a domain that corresponds to “.com” or “.jp”. Next, you need to freely set up your own domain name. Once you have made your decision, you are ready to apply for a contract with a domain company.
Once the contract is completed, you will need to link the domain information to the name server in order to use the last acquired domain. It’s not a very difficult task and is easy to obtain. Please try it yourself.
Recommended original domain
When trying to obtain your own domain, there are many types, so many people are confused about which one to choose. If you don’t know what to choose, we recommend choosing from the three main options: “.com”, “.net”, and “.jp”. These domains are often used for corporate websites, so both users and customers will feel comfortable using them. There are some cheap domains that cost about 100 yen to acquire, but there are also domains that have high renewal costs and are not cost effective when used over a long period of time. Let’s consider the domain that suits your purpose of use.
summary
A unique domain has various benefits for companies such as name recognition, trust, and SEO. By entering keywords related to your company or the name of your company, you can obtain a domain that is easy for anyone to understand. You can get your own unique domain, one and only in the world, just by registering on a rental server, so please try getting your own domain too.