In this article, we will tell you what a first-level domain is. This will help you in the future to come up with a good domain name for the site.
To understand what a level 1 domain is, you need to understand how domains work.
Domains are arranged according to a hierarchical principle and contain levels. The levels consist of words or symbols that are separated by dots. Each next level in the domain structure is "subordinate" to the previous one. So, the fourth-level domain is created on the basis of the third, the third — level domain is created on the basis of the second, and the second — level domain is created on the basis of the first-level domain. On the Internet, two - or three-level domains are most often found.
As an example, let's take a four-level domain mega.blog.site.com. Let's start from left to right: mega is a fourth-level domain, blog is a third-level domain, site is a second-level domain, and com is a first-level domain name, or otherwise a domain zone. The set of levels makes up the full domain name — the unique address of the site on the network.
There is also a zero (or root) level domain — this is the point before the domain zone. For convenience, the dot is not entered and is not displayed in the browser's address bar, but is part of the domain structure.
Domain names are registered in specific domain zones. To register a domain, we first come up with the main name of the site-the second-level domain, and then choose the first-level domain. A first-level domain name cannot be invented, because the domain zones are determined by the international organization ICANN.
So, the first-level domain is the rightmost part of the domain up to the point: mega. blog.site.com. Without a domain zone, the other levels of the domain will not "work". Let's see what domain zones are.
At the beginning of the development of the Internet, domain zones were created for the web resources of government organizations or companies of international significance. Then domain names were limited to the second level, for example: symbolics.com.
Then new zones appeared, which were distributed according to the geopolitical principle. Each country was assigned a specific domain zone of two Latin letters. For example, in 1990, the first domain zone in the USSR was registered — .SU (Soviet Union).
But with the increase in the number of sites on the network, a problem arose — interesting, bright and catchy second-level domains were rapidly running out. Because of this, subdomains began to appear — domains of the following levels of the hierarchy (the third and higher), as well as new domain zones.
Domain zones are divided into three main types: national, international and thematic.
A national domain zone is a zone allocated for a specific country. These domain zones are chosen for sites focused on a specific region or local market segment.
Such zones are allocated for almost all countries. For example, top-level domains for the UK — .UK, for Germany — .DE, for Russia — .RU, .SU and. RF., for Ukraine — .UA et al.
Some national zones consist of non-Latin characters: for example,. kaz (Kazakhstan),. electrolux (China),. RF (Russia). They are focused on native speakers of the same language and contribute to the promotion of the site on a specific Internet territory.
Among the national domains, regional and sub-regional ones are separately distinguished.
Regional domain zones appeared in 2014, they can be considered relatively new. They cover a specific region (.EU — EU,. US-America) or a city (. BERLIN Berlin,.LONDON — London and. MOSCOW — Moscow).
Sub-regional domain zones are arranged a little more complicated: on the left, another domain zone joins the national domain zone, denoting a specific region of the country. For example:. KIEV.UA, .SPB.RU or .BERLIN.DE.
International domain zones are well suited for an international project or a site aimed at a wide audience.
There are few such domain zones. Let's look at the most popular international zones:
Previously, each international zone was strictly assigned to a specific type of activity. Now the borders have blurred and the zones are used without restrictions. For example, in 2011, more than 100 million domains were registered in the zone .COM. However, not all of them are related to commerce.
International zones are suitable for a project of any orientation, since they do not have a rigid territorial or thematic binding. Due to the wide coverage of the audience, these zones contribute to the promotion of the site.
Among the international domain names there is a subcategory-administrative domains. They are intended for organizations of certain structures. Administrative domains include:
.GOV, .EDU and .MIL ― closed zones. To register these administrative domains, you need documents that confirm that the organization belongs to one of these areas. For other zones, documents are not required, but if the site does not correspond to the declared topic, the use of the domain can be challenged.
Thematic domain zones (or New gTLDzones ) help to emphasize the theme of the site. They focus on the field of activity or focus of the web resource: .CAFE, .CLUB,. HEALTH or .BABY.
Thematic zones appeared in 2016 due to the growing shortage of interesting domains in existing zones. New gTLDs give room for creating unusual options and combinations. For example, the first-level domain can be used as a continuation of a phrase or part of a word: spa. salon.