In the internet world, the domain is an important aspect of a website. Its function is as an address that makes it easier for visitors to find the information they want. The word domain itself has been widely spread on the internet. However, do you really understand what a domain is? In short, a domain is a website address. The address you write in the URL bar of your favorite browser ending in .com, .co.id, .id, .ac.id is what is called a domain name. Here are the difference between .com and .id
The development of the domain is currently increasing from year to year. Initially, the domain began to be used in 1985 by a computer company from Massachusetts, United States called Symbolics.com.
At the end of 1985 there were only six registered domains. However, currently there are hundreds of millions of registered domains worldwide, although according to Slashdot, around 50,000 of them are no longer active.
What is a domain? Domain is the address that will take you to the website you are going to. Basically, a domain is a simple form of IP address which is a complex combination of numbers. With so many websites scattered on the internet, memorizing the combination of numbers is certainly very difficult.
To have your own domain name, you need to register the domain name you want. The domain will be registered with an organization called ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) which determines which domain extensions can be used.
When registering a domain name, you can choose your website name and domain extension according to your wishes.
But keep in mind, you cannot register a domain name that is already registered. Each domain name is a unique name, which means that no two active domain names will be the same.
How Domains Work
Now that you understand what a domain is, it’s time to know how a domain works.
Still fresh in mind, that the domain serves as an address to take you to a certain website. You need to know, in this world there are millions of domains. Even though they are unique, it will still be difficult to find them if these addresses are scattered erratically.
Therefore, these domains are collected into a contact list. Think of it like a phone book. Now, this phonebook is called a DNS Server. It is your web hosting service that manages this phonebook.
When the domain you are looking for is found in the DNS Server, the browser will display the page you want. However, if the address has not been found, it will be searched for on another DNS server.
Difference between Domain and Hosting
We often mention hosting in the domain description above. You need to know that hosting and domain are two different things. Then, what is domain and hosting?
As already explained, the domain is the address that will take you to a website. Well, while hosting is a place to store all the files on the website.
Still confused? Okay, to make it easier, we’re going to use the housing analogy. In real estate, the domain is your home address. Meanwhile, hosting is the house you live in and is a place to store various furniture.
Without an address, no one can visit your home. Same with hosting. Without a domain, netizens will not be able to visit the website.
Vice versa, without a house, people will only find empty land when visiting your address. Without hosting, netizens will only find blank web pages with no content.
What are Domains and Subdomains?
Domains and subdomains cannot be separated. Subdomains can be used to separate other domains that are still children of the primary domain you own. At Niagahoster, you can get a free subdomain if you have a domain registered here.
A subdomain is an alias of your domain. Typically, a subdomain will contain a word or name that is more specific to your entire website. blog.domain.com is a subdomain of www.domain.com. The word “blog” in front of “domain.com” is what is called a subdomain.
Subdomains are usually used so that the content in them is not mixed with the main content of the user’s website. If you have an online store but you also want to provide education about the items you market, you can create a “blog” subdomain. With this subdomain, you won’t be confused about placing articles without destroying the aesthetics of your online store.
Not only is it useful for separating custom content from your main domain, subdomains have other benefits. The uses for subdomains include:
- Search engines see subdomains as unique websites that are not linked to your main domain. This means, your subdomain rankings can also go up and gain ground on the main domain. Of course, this means you can shift down competitor websites.
- If used properly, they can also get indexed quickly and benefit from the primary domain.
Types or Domain Types
Apart from subdomains, domains are also generally divided into three categories, namely Top Level Domains, Second Level Domains, and Third Level Domains.
1. TLD or Top Level Domain
In fact, a Top Level Domain is a domain extension that is behind the name of the website. TLD itself is a very popular extension. Among them, .com, .net, .gov, .org and others.
Many prefer to use Top Level Domains for various reasons. One of them is because it is easier to remember and more common. This reason is usually used by websites that are more personal in nature or do not refer to a particular organization. Top Level Domains also make hosting / client websites rank superior on Google search engines.
2. SLD or Second Level Domain
SLD is the domain name that you register. The way to read a domain is from the very back, then to the front. Well, in the idstar.co.id domain, the name “idstar” is what is called SLD. More easily, you can interpret SLD as the name of your website.
3. Third Level Domain
Or what is often referred to as a subdomain. It is located at the very front of the entire domain name URL that you have. For example, “www.idstar.co.id”, then “www” is categorized as a Third Level Domain.
Difference between .Com and .Id domains
.com and .id are two of the most popular domain name extensions in Indonesia. If the .com domain name extension of your choice isn’t available, you might consider using .id instead.
The .com domain name is by far the most common extension, and one that still holds the most significant value for most companies.
Why? Because most of your customers will usually only assume that your company website is “[your business name] .com”
The word “com” in the .com domain name denotes a generally accepted “commercial” site around the world. This can include business websites, websites that aim to make money online, personal websites, blogs, portfolios, and much more.
Now talk about .id domains. A website with a .id domain is easier for Indonesian consumers to find from search engines because the .id domain is the official domain specifically for Indonesian websites. The official term is Country-Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
By directly using ccTLDs, the website has a specific geographic target. If the targeted consumers come from Indonesia, .id will help search engines match websites with consumers who perform searches.
Which is Better for SEO?
The .com domain extension is by far the most common. So from a branding perspective, these extensions are sometimes preferred because there is a sense of trust that is built up when someone looks at “.com”.
But Google or any other search engine doesn’t use this extension as a ranking factor that increases or breaks your potential to attract organic traffic.
If you use .com or .id, it makes no difference which one you choose from an SEO perspective. Search engines will treat both domain extensions in the same way.
However, .id domains are relatively more SEO friendly because Google prioritizes local domains for local search results.
Just focus on SEO best practices and create targeted content that is useful to rank higher.
The important part is your own domain name, not the extension.
For example, jasareparasilaptop.com or jasareparasilaptop.id will rank better than jasareparasi.com or jasareparasi.id because they contain specific keywords (laptop repair services) that people will likely search for.
IDStar is always hiring! If you want to join our team, you can submit your CV here
