A domain name is an 'Internet address' in the form of a unique text name.

Domain names make it easy for people to find and contact you on the Internet. A typical example of a domain name is: www.owencateringservices.co.uk

The www. prefix

All domain names have the www. prefix which is simply to identify that it is an Internet address (www refers to the Internet which is also know as the World Wide Web).

The descriptor

This is the part that gives the domain name a unique identity or meaning. It may describe a particular business, product or service or it may be the name of a business or organisation. The descriptor is an important part of the domain name. For more information click here.

The domain extension

The domain extension specifies the country designation of the name and in many cases the status or type of the name. The domain extension is an important part of the domain name. For more information click here.

From a technical viewpoint a domain name is a way to identify and locate computers connected to the Internet.

A domain name must be unique, no two organizations on the Internet can have the same domain name. A typical domain name consists of a second-level and a top-level domain, such as "yourcompany.com".

Each domain name corresponds to numeric IP addresses which are used by the Internet to transmit data.

The Domain Name System matches domain names to IP addresses so that users of the Internet only have to remember domain names, not numbers. For example "yourcompany.com" might correspond to the IP address 205.127.13.25