The internet has a long and varied history, but one of the most important aspects is that it has been part of the drive behind technological advancement. We all use domain names to navigate our way around the internet, but where did domain names come from and why do we rely on them to take us from website to website across the vast ocean of information the internet provides?
What was the first domain registered?
Getting a domain name that explains what your business or site is about is key. A domain name provides an identity, similar to a bricks and mortar address. The first domain, which was registered on 15 March 1985, was symbolics.com. This has since been transformed into a site highlighting the importance of technological innovation. This site was followed by nine domains that became registered within a year. In May 1985, think.com was born, followed by mcc.com in July. In September, dec.com came to life, with northrop.com established in November. The beginning of 1986 saw xerox.com, followed by sri.com, hp.com and bellcore.com. Thereafter, many of the top American companies spent the next few years snapping up their domain names to ensure they secured the main keywords.
A valuable domain meets various criteria, such as short, simple to spell, and how easy it is to recognise. There are plenty of web hosting opportunities offered by a range of companies, such as https://www.names.co.uk/web-hosting.
Domain name is the business identity, so first impressions count
According to The Future of Things, your domain name is your business identity on the web; therefore, the first impression is key. The website address is what people will type in first and it is important that this is on brand and easy to find.
The right domain name can generate traffic and direct users to your website, ultimately helping you to rank higher in search engines. A domain name can vary widely in price, as there are quite a few factors that determine the cost. These include SEO viability, the present market trends and the web extension, such dot com, dot net and dot org.
It is possible to pay for multiple years upfront to ensure the immediate viability of the website. With some domain registrars, you can secure the domain for up to 10 years.