{"id":5447,"date":"2020-09-28T10:35:33","date_gmt":"2020-09-28T10:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colibriwp.com\/blog\/?p=5447"},"modified":"2021-03-31T12:40:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T12:40:50","slug":"domain-vs-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colibriwp.com\/blog\/domain-vs-website\/","title":{"rendered":"Domain vs Website: the What, the Why, the How?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Domain vs website – the eternal question. We wanna settle this once and for all in this article.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Web<\/p>\n

Starting your own website requires you to understand the fundamentals of how the web works. This includes distinguishing the difference between various technical terms and knowing how to apply them in real life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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When getting started on the web, people often confuse domains and websites. If you\u2019re not particularly sure how the two differ from each other, no worries, we\u2019ve got you covered!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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This guide includes everything you need to know about the difference between a domain and a website. So, let\u2019s get started with the basics!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is a website?<\/span><\/h2>\n

To make sense of what a website is, it\u2019s important to understand how web pages work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A web page is a text file displayed to users in a web browser. These web pages can be used for various purposes. For example, you can create web pages to sell your product or service. Alternatively, you can create a web page to explain the difference between a domain and a website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A web page can be accessed through a special application, called a browser. A browser takes all of the code from the text file of a web page, analyzes it, and \u201cdraws\u201d a web page on the users\u2019 screens. Here\u2019s an example of how a browser makes it possible for you to view web pages without having to see the source code.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"website<\/p>\n

Screenshot source: <\/span><\/i>https:\/\/colibriwp.com<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Multiple web pages that are linked together make up a website. A website depends on the site files (that contain code which dictates how web pages look and act), web host, and a domain name. If these three components aren\u2019t in place, a website will fail to display properly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is the website domain?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Once in the browser, users can open web pages by entering a uniform resource locator (URL) in the address bar, like so:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When users don\u2019t know the URL of a website, they can use a search engine, like Google, to find it. Computers communicate using unique number strings called IP addresses, which look like this:\u00a0<\/span>172.17.234.8.<\/b><\/p>\n

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If you type in an IP associated with your website, you\u2019ll end up seeing your website in the web browser. Now, imagine that you would have to memorize countless IP addresses to access websites daily. It\u2019s highly unlikely that users will memorize all of this information. So, this is where domains come in place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A\u00a0 website domain is a user-friendly version of your IP address. It\u2019s an easy-to-remember way for users to access your website. Google.com, Amazon.com, and Youtube.com are some of the most popular domains on the web.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oftentimes, users confuse domains and URLs. So, let\u2019s make it clear. A URL (a.k.a. a link) is a complete web address used for locating files on the web.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Whereas, a domain name is a form of web address located in a URL. For example, Colibri\u2019s URL looks like this: <\/span>https:\/\/colibriwp.com\/\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A domain name inside this URL looks like this:\u00a0<\/span>colibriwp.com<\/b><\/p>\n

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Understanding domain organization<\/span><\/h2>\n

Now, as you understand the difference between websites and domains, let\u2019s dig a bit deeper. Just as this image suggests, most URLs contain a protocol, subdomain, domain name, and top-level domain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"URL\"<\/p>\n

Image Source: <\/span><\/i>https:\/\/static.javatpoint.com\/seo\/images\/what-is-domain1.png<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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A subdomain is a prefix added to your original domain. Your URL doesn\u2019t have to include subdomains, but they are commonly used to ease navigation. Here are some examples of subdomains:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

play.<\/b>google.com<\/span><\/p>\n

developers.<\/b>facebook.com<\/span><\/p>\n

help.<\/b>netflix.com<\/span><\/p>\n

en<\/b>.wikiedia.org<\/span><\/p>\n

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A website domain name is a part of a URL that identifies its belonging to a particular domain. Here are some examples of domain names:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

google<\/b>.com\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

twitter<\/b>.com<\/span><\/p>\n

craigslist<\/b>.org<\/span><\/p>\n

reddit<\/b>.com<\/span><\/p>\n

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A top-level domain (TLD) is the last segment of a domain located after the domain name. Here are some examples of TDLs:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

google<\/span>.com<\/b><\/p>\n

harvard<\/span>.edu<\/b><\/p>\n

ca<\/span>.gov<\/b><\/p>\n

npr<\/span>.org<\/b><\/p>\n

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Choosing the right TDL is crucial for the overall success of your website. If you choose to use a domain extension other than a TDL, you\u2019re risking to be perceived as not reliable on the web.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Therefore, choosing TDLs like .com and .org is among the best domain practices. To help you make sense of various TDLs out there, here are some of the most popular domain name extensions:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n