A domain name, often referred to as a web address, is the name associated with a website, such as myname.com or mybook.net. Authorsguild.org, for example, is the domain name associated with the main Authors Guild website. Domain Names, like social security numbers, are unique. Once you register a name for your site, no one else will be able to use it.

Sometimes the terms “domain name” and “web address” are used interchangeably with the acronym URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Domain names are used in URL. For example, http://www.authorsguild.org/ is a URL that uses the domain name, authorsguild.org.

While websites don't have to have domain names assigned to them, most people choose to assign a domain name to their website because it makes their website must easier to find. When you type a domain name into your browser’s address bar, the Internet Domain Name System translates that domain name into a set of numbers called an IP address (for example: 192.168.1.2) which it uses to retrieve the correct site. Having a domain name assigned to your site allows you to tell people to visit myname.com instead of a series of numbers or a long impersonal URL.

For more information about domain names, please contact us at domains@authorsguild.org.