A domain name is like the address of your website, like an identifier. It allows users and new customers to search not only your website, but also your professional email address and any other services you might associate with it. It is also the basis of the URL for links leading to your website.

Technically, a domain name links a human-readable name (your domain name) to a computer-readable address (a series of numbers known as an IP address).

A domain name is generally composed of 2 parts, for example in "gandi.net":

"gandi" corresponds to the domain name registered with a registrar, it is the basis of your online presence. This domain name, once completed with a web hosting, can become your website. It can be the name of your brand or a keyword related to your activity.

".net" is the top level domain extension of your domain name, it completes your identity and contributes to your online visibility. Indeed, the choice of the extension of a domain name is more important than it seems. Your online presence is measured by the referencing of your website on search engines, it will be impacted by your extension, it must therefore be adapted to your target to appear in its search results. For example, if you are targeting a particular country, it makes sense to choose the domain name extension related to that country. Choosing the right extension can greatly contribute to the visibility of your domain name and therefore of your website.

Then the protocol and the DNS system allows you to link your domain name to an IP address. DNS is a kind of global directory of correspondence between domain names and IP addresses.

In some cases, your domain name may have subdomains, they correspond to sites called annexes but nevertheless linked to your main domain name. "News.gandi.net" is for example a subdomain of gandi.net.

You need to choose a name and a TLD or top-level domain extension. The domain extension is listed in the domain name system. There are hundreds of TLDs, but .com, .org, and .net are the most widely used ones.

Need help choosing your domain name? Our domain name search tool suggests alternatives that we think will be the most relevant for you. And if you want to get an especially good deal on a cheap domain name, you can find the best deals available right now on our Promotions page.

Here is, generally, how domain registration works. Registries manage and sell domain names under the domain endings (.net, .fr; .com, .org, etc.) they are responsible for. Domain name registrars, like Gandi, are accredited by these registries to sell multiple domain names with each of these domain endings to end users (individuals, small businesses, large companies, associations, non profit organization etc.). An end user, then, will buy a domain name from a registrar, where they can do a domain name search of every domain ending. Once registered, a domain name is associated with an Owner Contact, who becomes the owner of the domain name for a specific period of time. If a domain name appears as "unavailable" in our search results, that's because it's already registered to someone else. You can check who owns it using our Whois serviceor look for alternatives using our domain name search tool.

The first thing you need to do when you start creating a website or online store is to choose a domain name, do a search on your domain name availability, and register it. How do domain names work? Every domain name is registered or "bought" for a period of 1 to 10 years from a domain registries, which manages domain endings (.net, .fr, .com, .org, etc.).

Check to see if the right domain is available for your business online using our domain name search tool. You'll immediately see a confirmation screen that shows the domain availability. If it is available, you can add it directly to your shopping cart and buy your domain name!