How important can an top domain be?
One of the most important prerequisites for running a successful Internet presence is the domain name. It is what visitors will notice first when they visit your web site and what they will associate you with. The domain should be easy to remember, but should also be something that notifies your web page's visitors what the web site is about.
Generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs)
A domain name usually consists of 2 fragments - a Top-Level Domain (TLD) and a Second-Level Domain Name (SLD). If you have domain.com, for instance, ".com" is the Top-Level Domain and "domain" is the Second-Level Domain. There are several sets of TLDs that you should consider prior to selecting the domain you wish. Your decision should be based on the goal of your web site and on its target spectators. Let's scrutinize the gTLDs, or generic TLDs - these are the most widespread Top-Level Domain Names intended to express a specific function - .com (business entities), .net (networks), .biz (corporations), .info (informational web pages), .org (non-profit organizations), .mobi (mobile devices), .asia (the Asia Pacific region), .name (persons or families), .pro (specific professions), etc. As you can perceive, these Top-Level Domain Names encompass most realms of life, so you should select the one that would signify the purpose of your web page best. There is no limitation as to who can register such TLDs, but some of them include extra procedures to show that you are eligible to have such a Top-Level Domain (.mobi and .pro, for example).
Country-code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs)
The ccTLDs, or country-code Top-Level Domain Names, are country-specific TLDs. Each country has its own ccTLD. Selecting such a TLD is good if your target group of web site visitors is from a certain country. Many people would rather purchase goods or services from a local web site, and if your target is Canada, for example, choosing a .ca TLD could increase the visits to your web site.
URL Redirection
You can register a number of domain names, which can send your site's visitors to a certain website such as domain.com, for example. This would increase the traffic and reduce the possibility of somebody swiping your website visitors by registering the same name with another Top-Level Domain - if you are not availing of a trademark.
Name Servers (NSs)
Each TLD has domain records. The name server records (NS records, aka DNS records) show where the domain name is hosted, in other words they point to the web hosting vendor whose name servers (NSs, a.k.a. DNSs) it is utilizing now. You can substitute the NSs of your domain at any moment. You can have your domain registered with one company and get the web space hosting service itself from another. In this way, if you register your domain and encounter good website hosting solutions someplace else later, you can point your domain to the new company's NSs instantly.
Name Server Records (NS Records)
In general, as long as your domain name uses a specific pair of NSs, all its NS records will direct to the same site hosting provider. Some site hosting suppliers, however, allow you to modify certain domain name records, like the A records and the MX records of your domain. The A record is an Internet Protocol address, which indicates on which hosting server your website is situated, while the MX records show which web server tackles the e-mail box accounts associated with your domain name. For instance, if you appoint a new website designer and he develops an .ASP web page that will be accommodated on his own Windows web hosting server, you may want to change solely the Internet Protocol address (the A record) but not the MX records of your domain. Thus, www.domain.com will direct to the Windows web server, but your email mailbox accounts or any sub-domain names such as forum.domain.com or shop.domain.com will still be in your current Linux webspace hosting account. The .ASP environment is invented by Microsoft and calls for a Windows web server, even though a Linux web server would be far more secure.
Reasonably Priced Domain Names Delivered by 'Duty Free Hosting'
Just a few web hosting distributors allow you to edit particular NS records and quite often this an extra paid service. With Duty Free Hosting , you get an enormous collection of Top-Level Domain Names to choose from and you can edit all domain name server records or redirect the domains using a redirection tool at no additional charge. Because of that, 'Duty Free Hosting' would be your best choice when it comes to administering your domain name and to establishing a successful presence on the World Wide Web.