About 20 years ago, the Internet became a part of our lives, but most users still have no idea what criteria they use to choose it. The most popular misconception is that a 3rd level domain is poorly valued and is used in extremely rare cases. Is it really indecent to use it, for example, by online stores, and what should be guided by when choosing? And also what is the difference between the concepts - domain, domain name, domain zone?

Concept and classification

So first, a little about definitions. A domain name, or domain, is a symbolic name for a website to identify it on the Internet. For example, yandex.ru is a second-level domain name. The domain zone is the ending following the dot, in this example it is.ru, meaning that the site belongs to the Runet.

Most often, domain zones are divided into groups based on territorial characteristics:

• national (if you need to link to a specific country - .by, .ru, .ua, etc.);
• international (if there is no such link - .com, .info, .biz, etc.).

Another classification involves dividing them by topic:

• .info - for news and information portals;
• .am and .fm - for radio stations;
• .tv - for television channels;
• .biz - for commercial sites;
• .name - for resources associated with a person, etc.

Some use organizational domain zones:

• .net - for Internet companies;
• .com - for business;
• .org - for non-profit enterprises;
• .edu - for educational programs.

These domain zones belong to first-level domains. If you add a word before the dot, you get a 2nd level domain (for example, yandex.ru), and if you add another dot and a word in front, then you get a 3rd level domain (news.yandex.ru).

How's the zone?

Of course, first of all you should decide who the site will be aimed at.

For the Russian-speaking audience, the domain zone .ru is suitable, for the Belarusian audience - .by, for the Ukrainian one.ua, etc. If binding to a specific country is not needed, then it is better to choose the international zone .com. Large companies with an extensive Internet trading structure prefer to have a website with the same name in several domain zones at once. For example, dom.ua - for Ukrainian buyers, dom.ru - for Russian, dom.com - for international payments.

To clarify a specific country or region, use the list of domain zones.

Russian domains

A feature of the domestic Internet is the use in the website address not only of Latin letters, but also of Cyrillic alphabet - these are the domain zones .рф, . moskva, . online (for live broadcasts), . children (for sites with a children's audience), . org (for public organizations ), .site (for personal portals, blogs, etc.) and some others.

You can often find domain names associated with certain cities and regions - spb.ru (St. Petersburg), msk.ru (Moscow), nov.ru (Novgorod region), etc.

How to choose a site name?

There are more and more Internet resources, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to choose a unique site name. Therefore, options with two or three words separated by a hyphen are gaining popularity. For example, simple-domain-name.ru. An abbreviation can be used, but provided that it is generally known, for example, the National Bank of Belarus - nbrb.by. Incomprehensible gobbledygook consisting of several letters is not the best option, since the user is unlikely to remember it and will not be able to type it in the future from memory.

The main thing is that the domain zone is easy to remember and subsequently reproduce. Do not use misspelled words - cofe.ru or cofie.ru. Ask your friends to write down the address by ear. If a person was able to enter it correctly when pronouncing it, then other users will be able to find you.

If the name of the company is not important to you, try using a keyword (phrase) in Latin letters in the name, for example, computer.ru.

What are third level domains for?

In some situations, it is more appropriate to use it, for example, if we are talking about a blog or portfolio. In this case, the domain zone can be .name. Example - ivan.ivanov.name. In this case, the second-level domain will be available to all other Ivanovs.

But of course, most often they resort to third-level domains when they don’t want to pay for a website. For example, if this is not a commercial resource, if the administrator thus wants to practice the basics of web programming, if this is a trial version of the site. How to get a domain for free is described below, but for now let’s look at what is required to open a 2nd level domain.

How to get a domain?

So, the name of the site has been invented, all that remains is to check it for uniqueness and register it so that the site can start functioning. To do this, first you go to the WHOIS information service and check if the domain is free.

If the name is unique, go to the website of the accredited registrar Rucenter - nic.ru. Here, registering a domain zone will require the following steps:

1. Familiarization with the rules for the provision of services and the conclusion of an offer agreement in electronic form. If you wish, you can sign a paper version by coming to the main office of RU-CENTER or sending a printed version by mail in duplicate (the second copy will be returned to you after signing).
2. Filling out an application form (as an individual, legal entity or individual entrepreneur), submitting documents. This stage should be treated with special responsibility, since if there is the slightest error or data mismatch, you will not be able to transfer the rights to the domain to another person in the future and you may lose the ability to manage it yourself.
3. Creating an order for a domain and related services.
4. Formation of cost and payment in various ways - cash, non-cash, online payment, etc.

For those who for some reason do not want to pay money for a website or are taking their first steps in website building, there are free domain zones. What are they and how do they work?

How to get a free domain?

It’s worth mentioning right away that it’s almost impossible to get a 2nd level domain for free. And if you come across such an offer, then, most likely, in a year you will still have to pay for the place, and a lot.

Free 3rd level domains are much more common. How to find them?

One option is to turn to free hosting and website builders - ucoz.com, narod.ru.

The second option is to enter free domains in a search engine to get to English-language resources, where there are more chances to get a high-quality domain. Among the first, you will find the site freenom.com, where you can not only register a second-level domain in the GA, TK, CF, ML zones for free, but also link your DNS, and in the future manage your own website completely for a fee. You can find a huge variety of similar resources here, for example, registry.cu.cc, codotvu.com, freedomain.co.nr and many others.

New domain zones are gaining great popularity - .cu.cc, .uni.me, .cz.cc, .eu.org .de.cc, .at.cc, .ch.cc and others.

As for domestic services, .pp.ua (private person) offers good conditions for obtaining a free domain. Here you can conveniently place a personal website or personal blog.

The main question associated with such domains is how relevant the search engine is to them and is it possible to promote the site to the top on such platforms? To do this, you need to enter the query site:ch.cc or site:at.cc (for Google) or url=»*.ch.cc in the search engine of interest and see if such domains are indexed in the search.

Summary

A zone is something without which no website can function. Summarizing all of the above, we can highlight 5 key stages of connecting a domain and creating a website:

1. Selecting a domain zone based on the principle most suitable for you - territorial or thematic.
2. Creating a domain name and checking it for uniqueness through a special WHOIS service.
3. Concluding an agreement for obtaining a domain with the Russian center RU-CENTER.
4. Connecting additional services.
5. Payment in a convenient way.

That's all there is to getting a paid domain. If you want to do this for free, there are only 2 steps - find a suitable service that will provide a 3rd level domain on terms convenient for you, and create a unique domain name.

The only thing is that in this case there may be a problem with website promotion, since search engines give preference to paid second-level domains, which means that your website is unlikely to appear on the first lines of a search query.

RU-CENTER is one of the largest registrars on the Russian market since 2001. We provide services for registration, renewal and transfer of support for information about domain names in more than: national, international and thematic.

To do this, enter the query you are interested in in the search bar and click “Check”. The list of results will show available names in domain zones with a price for the first year - all available, from the most to the most expensive. Our selection will allow you to check whether a specific domain is free if you enter it in its entirety in the search bar.

Select the appropriate option from the search results by category or the entire list, place and pay for your order. These are valid for the first year of registration and may differ from the cost of the domain upon renewal.

After the money is received, the domain name is registered in the central database (Register) - the administrator indicates the individual or organization that has entered into an agreement with RU-CENTER.

After registration, management and all information about the domain become available in the “For Clients” section.

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Domain levels

Domains are divided into first (top), second and third level. Moreover, if you look at the composition of a domain name, then the domains are read from right to left.

Root domain - root domain. The top-level domain is marked with a “dot” (zero level). In common usage, the "dot" is not displayed as part of the domain name.

Top (first level) domains.

Top-level domain names are also called domain zones.

First (top) level domains include domain names like .ru, .рф, .su, .com, .net, .club.

Top-level domains are divided into several groups:

1. Country code top level domains (cctld). On the territory of the Russian Federation, such domains include the domain zones .RU, .РФ, .SU. National domains also include domain zones: .ua (Ukraine), .de (Germany), .eu (European Union).
2. International (generic) top-level domains (generic Top Level Domain (gTLD). These are such domain zones as: .com, .info, .biz, .name, .org.
3. New international top-level domains ( new gTLD). These domain zones are thematically focused on various areas of life and business: hobbies and everyday life (.photography, .gallery, .garden), business and finance (.finance, .money, .business), sports and entertainment (.bike, .fitness, .bar), style and beauty (.style, .best, .fashion), professional activities (.guru, .expert, .lawyer).

Second level domains.

Second-level domains are registered on first-level domains. It is second-level domains that are common for commercial use. For example, second-level domains are sites hoster..com.

Third level domains.

Third-level domains can be created on second-level domains. Third-level domains include such domains as filanco.com.ua, datahouse.com.ru.

For commercial use on the territory of the Russian Federation, registration of geographic and industry domains in the domain zones: ru.net, com.ru, msk.ru, sbp.ru is common.

International gTLDs

Biz - websites for business
.com - websites of commercial organizations
.edu - educational resources
.gov - government websites
.info - information sites
.mil - websites of military organizations
.movie - official movie sites
.museum - museum websites
.net - providers and network organizations
.org - non-profit organizations
.pro - for professionals
.tv - websites of television companies

Name - personal domain

Club - domain for a club of common interests

Xyz - universal domain

Center - somewhat similar to the .club zone, but wider. The domain can be interpreted as both a “center for like-minded people” and a “shopping center.”

Domains from different countries

Am - Armenia

At - Austria
.az – Azerbaijan

Be - Belgium
.bg - Bulgaria

By – Belarus
.ch - Switzerland

Cn - China

Co - Colombia
.de - Germany

Dk - Denmark
.ee – Estonia

Eg - Egypt
.es - Spain

Eu - Europe
.fi - Finland

Fr - France
.gb - UK

Ge – Georgia
.gr - Greece

HR from Croatia
.hu - Hungary

Ie - Ireland
.il - Israel

In - India
.is - Iceland

It - Italy
.jp - Japan

Kg - Kyrgyzstan
.kz – Kazakhstan

Li - Liechtenstein
.lt – Lithuania

Lu from Luxembourg
.lv - Latvia

Ly - Libya
.md - Moldova

Mn - Mongolia
.nl - Netherlands

No - Norway
.nt - Neutral Zone

Pl - Poland
.pt - Portugal

Ro - Romania
.ru - Russia

SE - Sweden
.si - Slovenia

Sk - Slovakia
.su - Former USSR

Tj – Tajikistan
.tm - Turkmenistan

Tr – Türkiye
.ua - Ukraine

UK - United Kingdom
.us - USA

Uz - Uzbekistan
.va - Vatican

RU-CENTER is one of the largest registrars on the Russian market since 2001. We provide services for registration, renewal and transfer of support for information about domain names in more than: national, international and thematic.

To do this, enter the query you are interested in in the search bar and click “Check”. The list of results will show available names in domain zones with a price for the first year - all available, from the most to the most expensive. Our selection will allow you to check whether a specific domain is free if you enter it in its entirety in the search bar.

Select the appropriate option from the search results by category or the entire list, place and pay for your order. These are valid for the first year of registration and may differ from the cost of the domain upon renewal.

After the money is received, the domain name is registered in the central database (Register) - the administrator indicates the individual or organization that has entered into an agreement with RU-CENTER.

After registration, management and all information about the domain become available in the “For Clients” section.