A domain name consists of a top-level and a second-level domain. A top-level domain (TLD) is the part of the domain name located to the right of the dot (godaddy.com). The most common top-level domains are .COM, .NET, and .ORG. Some other popular top-level domains are .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME and .WS. These TLDs have certain guidelines but are, for the most part, available to any registrant, anywhere in the world.

The part of the domain name located to the left of the dot — “godaddy,” in this case — is called the second-level domain (SLD) name. The second-level domain name is the “readable” part of the address and refers to the organization or entity behind the Internet address. Second-level domain names must be registered with an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)-accredited registrar.

Once you decide on the name, one of the first things you need to do is claim your domain name. If you are anything like me, I had a list of several names that I wanted and soon discovered that many of them were taken. One of the features available at the “World’s Largest Registrar – GoDaddy.com” is the ability to put in multiple names and check their availability all at once.

Another is a great tool is, Instant Domain Search.  Just go to the site and start typing.  As you type your name the tool lets you know if the name has already been claimed.  Instantaneously.  The only disadvantage is that you can only check one domain at a time. Still, if you like instant gratification this is the tool for you.

.com .us .biz .info .net .org .ws .mobi .me .CO.UK .IN .at .asia .com .us .biz .info .net .org .ws .mobi .me .co.uk .in .at .asia