Industry specific language is one of the most complicated things to master in any industry. But it’s also indispensable and cannot be compromised upon. You can’t simply opt out of learning and understanding the jargon here, and in the world of ecommerce- this is more so complicated.

So, you’re trying to get a domain name for your business-  this domain name can ultimately mean the difference between a successful ecommerce business and a failed online presence that refuses to make any profit, and maybe even leads to loss. So is some jargon that you are likely to come across in the process of establishing a domain name for yourself or your business.

 

TLD

This is the most common jargon you’ll come across. TLD stands for Top Level Domain and refers to what is the last bit of your web address. An easier way to understand the TLD is to see the words that follow the last dot in your web address. There are different types of TLDs available.

For example, there is the Country Code TLD (CcTLD), which is specific to every country. These are the second most popular type of TLDs used in the world. They also tend to help identify where a business or domain owner is based. But they’re also a great way for a business to expand their reaches. For example- Amazon.com is a worldwide domain name (the TLD here is .com). However, they also have different CcTLD domains to represent their business in different countries- Amazon.in for example. (the TLD here is .in)

Some other types include those that describe the nature of the website- .org for example refers to ‘organizations’. Generic TLDs are some of the most common ones, as you’ve probably guessed- .com and .net .Naturally when you are looking to get a domain name you will have to decide on a TLD. Some TLDs are sponsored- .gov, .mil etc. This means that they cannot be used by you or your business.

A good domain name is something you must find to get started in ecommerce. Shopify is one such provider that will help you come up with a domain name for your business.

 

IP Address

Much like you have a residential address, your IP Address or Internet Protocol Address is a number assigned to various computers and different servers active on the internet. Think of it as an address for your computer. This number is important since it helps carry information to and from a device and the internet. The IP in the address basically refers to the various rules and protocols in place that govern the flow of data.

 

DNS

Another acronym- this one stands for Domain Name Server or Domain Name System. It converts various IP addresses into domain names- or rather assigns domain names to any given IP address. Now, if you’re asking yourself why this is important- then that’s normal. But would you rather remember the IP address for every website you visit, as opposed to just it’s domain name? Your website would be xyz.com but the IP address would be a string of random numbers, so what would you rather remember? Obviously, it is text that is far easier to recall.

 

Domain Hacks

These are unconventional and uncommon domain names which involve creative use of a domain extension. What this does is eliminate the need for a run of the mill TLD. This means you wouldn’t find TLDs such as .com or .net on any of these domain names.

Some common and popular examples of domain hacks are bit.ly or del.icio.us.

 

IDN

This might come in handy if you’re a local business in a non-English speaking community, town, city, or country. It stands for Internationalized Domain Names, and allows you to have a domain name in a host of non-English languages such as Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, or Chinese. This can be an indispensable tool when operating businesses based in regional areas.

 

Subdomains

These are especially useful if you have sub pages that you would like to direct the visitors specifically to. Essentially, this is a subdivision- a further division of your main domain name. This could also refer to different servers, but this is the simplest form of the main domain there is. However, remember that there is a distinction between creating a different page on your domain and creating a subdomain.

Typical representation of a subdomain: www.subdomain.domainname.com

 

Domain Hijacking

A domain hack is said to have taken place when a popular domain name or brand name is spelled out creatively in order to divert traffic- and ultimately cause loss or damage to the image of the actual brand and their domain name. The purpose varies but it is generally done to secure a financial settlement from the actual brand being affected. If you represent a brand that is looking to launch an ecommerce website, this is something you must keep an eye out for.