All computers connected to the Internet have unique numerical addresses, a bit like international phone numbers. These are called IP addresses.
When you set up a website, a brand new IP address will be created. It’s a lot easier to remember names than a long string of numbers, so people will register a domain name which can act as an online address in the form of a URL. This can be used in place of your IP address.
For example, our domain name is theukdomain.uk
The Domain Name System (DNS) will store your IP address and domain name, so that anyone who searches for your domain name on the Internet will be sent to your URL.
Our URL is https://theukdomain.uk
Domain names are also used in email addresses so customers can easily contact you through a professional, trusted and recognised address that matches your website.
We’ve explained what a domain name is in more detail in our blog here.