For those unfamiliar with the world of domains, purchasing your first one can sometimes feel overly complex. Not only do you have to choose a name that reflects your business and is easy to remember, but you’ll also come across numerous terms that perhaps you’re not familiar with.
A domain glossary can help you make sense of it all.
By the time you’ve finished reading this comprehensive domain glossary, you’ll be equipped to understand all things domain-related.
It’s easier than you think to start investing in domains. Get started with domain investing here.
Related What is a domain name?
Domain terms glossary
Get familiar with these key terms before you start your journey into the world of domain names.
ACPA
A law in the United States to prevent the practice of cybersquatting. The unabbreviated name is the Anti-Cybersquatting Protection Act.
Administrative contact
The person overseeing any maintenance related to a domain name, such as keeping the WHOIS directory updated.
Aftermarket
A domain resale market, where interested buyers can either bid or negotiate a price for an existing domain name.
Backorder
A service that registers a domain name on behalf of its clients as soon as the domain expires.
Backordering is not an automated process, meaning it’s a practice that doesn’t have to rely on the use of robots or computer systems.
These services are often available through auctions or your domain name registrar. Backordering is sometimes available free of charge via a registrar.
Bidding
The process of placing a monetary offer for a domain name, usually done via auction.
Billing contact
Person invoiced for any registration costs connected with the domain name and for any ongoing fees, such as web hosting.
Cybersquatting
When someone purchases and registers a domain name that is trademarked. Often, the domain name registered will be that of a high-profile brand.
There are multiple reasons why someone might engage in cybersquatting. The first is purely for financial gain.
For example, they will attempt to sell the domain name for a profit or sell it for more than it’s worth.
Other reasons for cybersquatting can be to cause reputational damage to a brand or individual.
There is anti-cybersquatting legislation in place in the United States (see ACPA).
Deleted domain
A domain that had a previous registrar, but has been canceled. A registrar might delete a domain for multiple reasons. Sometimes it can be due to legal issues regarding the domain name itself, or a business/organization might change its name.
Domain alias
A second domain name that directs users to a primary domain. This is commonly used when changing over to a new primary domain, but can also be utilized when operating a business under varied brand/domain names.
Domain appraisal
A tool for finding the value of your domains.
Domain appraisal tools analyze data such as the keywords used and the site’s ranking.
There are several tools available, and GoDaddy has its own free appraisal tool.
Domain broker
A person or entity that buys and sells domains. If a domain name is already in use, a broker can act on the buyer’s behalf to negotiate with the owner to purchase the domain at the best price possible.
Domain contact
Domain name registrants are obliged to provide their contact details. The details will then be listed in the WHOIS directory.
Domainer
A person who invests in or buys and sells multiple domain names.
Domain extensions
The last portion of a domain name following the dot. Also known as the top-level domain (TLD).
There are multiple domain extensions:
gTLD
Generic top-level domains. These extensions are the most widely used on the internet, including .com, .org, and .info.
A new wave of gTLDs was launched in 2014, allowing a much greater range of extensions. These are often generic terms; however, they can also be customized to indicate the nature of the business.
ccTLD
Country code top-level domains are extensions that indicate the country where the website is based. For instance, .au for Australia, .ca for Canada, .es for Spain, and .fr for France. These are commonly used, although there are sometimes restrictions placed on them.
sTLD
Sponsored top-level domains (sTLDs) are controlled by an agency. For example, .edu is reserved for post-secondary institutions accredited by an agency on the U.S. Department of Education's list of Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies.
If you're looking to learn more about what a domain extension is, our resources can guide you and help you find the best option.
Domain flipping
Selling domain names for profit. Methods of investment include buying on established platforms, buying a domain name that the buyer hopes will be profitable sometime in the future, or setting up a domain, making it profitable, and then selling it later on.
Domaining
The act of people or organizations seeking to profit from speculating in the domain aftermarket.
Domain kiting
Describes when an individual continually registers and deletes a domain name in quick succession while avoiding making payment for it. Domain kiting was possible due to the Add Grace Period (AGP) that allowed domain registrars to cancel within a five-day registration period.
Domain kiting can be used to profit from any advertising or affiliate products that are sold on the site.
Domain marketplace
A website or service where domain names are sold and purchased. Sometimes referred to alternatively as a domain aftermarket or domain auctions. GoDaddy offers a robust domain auction service for both sellers and buyers.
Domain monitoring
A service that tracks changes to a domain name’s status, including ownership or registrar changes, nameserver updates, and expiration dates. This service is generally used with the goal of allowing an interested party to purchase a domain if it fails to renew.
Domain name
A unique and memorable name used to access websites online. Domain names translate IP addresses into human-friendly names. Without domain names, internet users would be required to use IP addresses to access websites. Domain names are registered through domain registrars.
Related: How to buy a domain name
Domain name hack
Sometimes simply known as a domain hack, the term was first used by Matthew Doucette in 2004. According to Doucette, a domain hack is "an unconventional domain name that uses parts other than the SLD (second-level domain) or third-level domain to create the title of the domain name." In other words, it’s using the domain’s extension to create a readable word or phrase.
Domain portfolio
A list of domain names that have been purchased as an investment. These can be managed by one of the many domain portfolio services available.
Domain resellers
Resellers provide domain name registrations to individuals, businesses, and organizations.
Domain tasting
A similar practice to kiting, domain tasting allowed individuals to test out the profitability of a domain name during the AGP, without investing any money. Tasting was a method that was often favored by spammers. ICANN has successfully put measures in place to prevent domain tasting, and the practice rarely occurs now.
DNS or Domain Name Server
It might also be called a domain name service or system. The purpose of a DNS is to decode domain names and translate them into machine-readable IP addresses.
Related: DNS records — A beginner’s guide
DNS propagation
DNS propagation is the length of time that it takes for the internet to reflect changes made to a domain’s DNS settings.
Drop catching
A practice that occurs once a domain name has expired, which you might also hear referred to as “drop sniping.”
A domain name will be snapped up and registered the moment it becomes available.
Drop catching is an automated practice, and there are a number of drop catching services around. Some of the registrars will be ICANN registered, while others aren’t.
Drop listing
Detailed lists of domains that are about to be deleted by a registry. Domainers will make use of such lists so they can register a domain name once it gets deleted.
Dropped domain
When a domain name expires without being renewed. Domain registrars will usually give a short grace period once a domain name expires to allow the registrant to re-purchase it. If the domain name is still not renewed, it will become available for another person to register.
Escrow
A legal arrangement involving a third party to ensure that both the buyer and seller hold up their side of an agreement. When the agreed-upon domain purchase amount is paid into escrow, the domain name will be released to the buyer. The seller will then receive the funds once the domain has been signed over to the buyer.
Evaluator
A person who determines the monetary value of a domain name. The three elements — Initial Evaluation, Extended Evaluation, and Community Priority Evaluation — are overseen by domain evaluators.
Expired domain
A domain that has expired because the existing holder has failed to renew it.
Related: How to secure expired domains
ICANN
An abbreviation for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It’s a nonprofit organization that was established in the late 1990s and is headquartered in Los Angeles.
ICANN states that it’s “dedicated to keeping the internet secure, stable and interoperable.”
ICANN plays a crucial role in the expansion and infrastructure of the internet and is also responsible for managing root servers and allocating IP addresses.
IP address
An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique number assigned to any device used to connect on the internet. The typical IP address format will look something like this: 192.0.2.1. Domain names translate these numbers into human-friendly names using the DNS system.
Lease-to-own
A payment option generally reserved for premium domains that allows a buyer to pay for a domain over time. Buyers can cancel at any time if they do not wish to proceed, but the seller is not obligated to refund those paid funds.
Naked domain
A domain name without a prefix. For example, godaddy.com would be a naked domain, versus www.godaddy.com, which is not a naked domain name.
Parking
A registered domain name that isn't actively being used for a website. Sometimes a domain name is bought before a website is built, and the domain name is ready for use. The parked domain will not hold any content. However, some will carry advertising to earn revenue. Some parked domains will also be offered for sale.
Pending transfer
A term that applies to when a domain is awaiting transfer from one registrar to a new registrar.
Premium domain
A domain name that has a greater value than an ordinary domain and typically attracts more traffic. They do this partly by placing sought-after keywords or phrases in their domain name.
Privacy
A domain name service to prevent the display of a domain owner’s personal information in the WHOIS database. Instead, the details of a forwarding service will be listed. This is sometimes provided free with certain domain registrars and helps to protect against domain hacking. Free domain privacy and enhanced Domain Protection are both offered by GoDaddy.
Registrant
The individual, business, or other organization that owns the domain name. When a person or business buys a domain name, they then become the registrant.
Registrar
The company you bought the domain name from is the registrar. Registrars may also offer domain hosting. If you’re not clear who owns a domain name, you can use WHOIS to look it up.
Registry
The organization responsible for managing top-level domains. A registry will also create domain names and work in conjunction with registrars to make them available to buy. There are different registry domain bodies, including VeriSign and Nominet.
Renewal
The process of renewing a domain name before its expiration date, which is commonly set on an annual basis, but it can also be extended for much longer periods. Generally, there is a limited grace period where registrants can renew the domain after expiration. However, after the grace period has elapsed, the domain name will be available for registration by another party.
Subdomain
A prefix added to a domain name, generally intended to direct to a different part of a website or service. For example, auctions.godaddy.com directs users to GoDaddy’s domain auction website, while help.godaddy.com directs users to GoDaddy’s Help Center.
Technical contact
The person in charge of managing the technical side of the domain name.
Transfer
A domain name transfer will change the registrar for a specific domain name.
Typosquatting
A type of cybersquatting, typosquatting depends on internet searchers making basic typos when they input a URL or domain name into a browser. Typosquatting will take the user to an unintended URL, which can contain malicious content.
UDRP
The Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, or UDRP, is a process through ICANN to help resolve domain registration disputes. This process is typically used by trademark owners to gain control over trademarked domains registered by unauthorized parties.
WHOIS
A database that provides information on the owner of a specific domain name. Information that can be looked up includes contact info, ownership, and length of ownership. The database can also be used to discover domain availability. There are several WHOIS lookup tools available online. GoDaddy has a domain lookup tool here.
Conclusion
Domain investment doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing. Now that you’ve reviewed our detailed glossary, you’ll be familiar with many of the most common terms used in the world of domain investing, and you can feel confident about investing in your first domain name.
