What is a domain name?
A domain name is the recognisable name in a website address, such as example.co.uk. It lets people reach a website without remembering the numerical addresses computers use. The same domain can also be used in business email addresses. Registering it reserves the name for a period; it does not create all the services behind it.
Useful context
- Look at your own website address and identify the part before the first slash after the name.
- Find which business account pays for the domain renewal.
How it works
The name is not the website
A shop can change premises without changing its business name. Similarly, you can keep a domain while moving a compatible website to another host. The connection settings have to be planned, but customers do not necessarily need a new address.
A page address contains more detail
In https://example.co.uk/menu, example.co.uk is the domain and /menu identifies a page. You normally register the domain once, not a separate domain for every page. Adding a menu page therefore does not usually require another domain purchase.
Email is a separate service
An address such as hello@example.co.uk uses the domain, but needs an email arrangement as well. Knowing your website password is not the same as controlling your mailboxes or the account that renews the name.
Control needs an account and a renewal
Keep the registrar account, current contact details and renewal date in your private business records. If a supplier registered the domain for you, ask whose details identify the registrant and how your business retains control when that relationship ends.
What to check
- You can identify your domain separately from an individual page.
- Your business knows who renews it and how to reach the account owner.
Sources and further reading
Platform features can change. Check the provider’s current guidance before changing a live service.