It’s easy to confuse domain names with URLs and just assume they’re the same thing. After all, both appear in the same place (at the search bar on the top of your webpage) and serve as some marker of a website’s virtual address.
But they’re actually two different things, as this short guide explains.
What is a URL?
The letters ‘URL’ stand for Uniform Resource Locator. In simpler terms, it’s the whole link that directs you to a webpage, image, video, database or document. For example, the URL for our homepage would be https://www.brannans.com/.
As we can see, this link is broken down into several different components. We have the ‘https://’ which is called the protocol, the subdomain (www) and finally, the domain.
What is a Domain?
A domain is therefore part of what forms a URL. It usually refers to the ‘name’ of the website followed by an extension like .com, .org, .gov, .co.uk – and so on. So, “Brannans.com” would be our website’s domain.
Think of it like digital real estate – it’s a home for your business on the Internet. The best locations (and by default the best domains) are usually very valuable and already taken. But, just like real estate, assets go on sale every day.
At Brannans, our team of domain experts can work with you to help you acquire the domain of your dreams or sell an existing domain. The domain is easily the most valuable part of the URL, with many of the ultra-premium domain names we specialize in selling for upwards of six or seven figures.
Main Differences Between Domains and URLs
→ Specificity – One thing worth mentioning is that URLs only direct you to a specific webpage or file on the Internet. In comparison, a domain refers to the whole collection of pages tied to a particular website. If we want someone to visit our website, we’d tell them to go to Brannans.com. But if they want to find something specific, like the domains we have for sale currently, then we can redirect them to the URL that links back to this specific page.
→ Value – Usually when we talk about the buying and selling of domain names, we mean just that – only the main word (or group of words) and the .com (or other extension) that follows it. This is the most distinct and recognizable part of the URL, and what your eyes naturally gravitate to at the top of the search bar.
→ Variability – One of the most fun parts of domain names is that they can be, quite literally, anything! A business name, a family name, a location, a portmanteau or something entirely made up – it’s up to you. We focus exclusively on buying and selling ultra-premium domain names. These are usually one-word, .com domains that hold immense power for branding and identity for a business, such as Ice.com or Batteries.com. In contrast, the protocol and subdomains of URLs are usually fixed or invariable. That’s why every website begins with “http” or “https” followed by “www.”
→ SEO – Although both the domain and URL have an impact on your website’s URL, the domain portion of the URL holds significantly more weight in how search engines index and treat your website. Google’s sophisticated algorithms are capable of honing in on a domain and seeing if it’s a good match for a user’s search query, so it’s always a good idea to have a domain that matches up to what you want your website to be known for.
Overall, domains are just one part of the URL, but the part where all of the value and most of the action is held.
If you have a domain you want to buy or sell, reach out to us today – nobody will work harder for you than us to secure the best outcome in your domain transaction.
