There are several levels of domain names. A top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of the complete domain name. For example, in www.sabrinasabino.com, the TLD here is ‘.com’.
A second-level domain (SLD) is the middle part, and which identifies your brand, company name or domain name even. In this case, it’s ‘sabrinasabino’.
A third-level domain name or lower-level domain name would normally be a subdomain. This is located before the ‘dot’ of your SLD. You know how some domains look like: http://portfolio.sabrinasabino.com? In this case ‘portfolio’ would be considered the third-level domain.
On an earlier post I mentioned that Co.cc is offering free domain names. What you are actually getting is a free subdomain that looks like an SLD. For example, if you sign-up with them you’ll get http://yoursite.co.cc, with ‘yoursite’ being the third-level domain, ‘co’ being the SLD and ‘cc’ being the TLD. Makes sense?
When should you choose a free subdomain over a second-level domain? Well the rule of thumb is that the biggest advantage of free subdomains is that they are FREE. In most cases they also offer free web hosting. So if you’re building a personal website for a few friends to check out, then a subdomain is the way to go.
Always choose a service provider that has been online for several years; one that is reputable. Read reviews from different sources just to make sure. Also, always keep an offline backup on your computer in case the site goes down for a while (which is the disadvantage of FREE services; they are not obliged to provide quality service).
One of my oldest free subdomain is sabrina.moved.in. I registered for it over 5 years ago. I was given an account when I asked for it in their forums. Back then registrations were by invitation only, I don’t really know if they’ve changed the rules. 5 years is quite a lot…I’ve had so many domain names, so many different web host providers. Moved.in is actually where I first started learning about uploading content into the ‘public_html’ or ‘www’ folder to publish HTML files online.
Another disadvantage of subdomains is SEO through web directories. Some websites filter subdomains and consider them spam. But if you can really work on the functionality of your website, people will link to it and give you backlinks. You can then move to your own .com when ads are enough to cover the cost of maintenance, hosting and all kinds of other expenses.
So if you don’t want to spend a single cent while you develop your webmastering skills, subdomains is the way to go. You’ll even get to transfer files through FTP and whatnot, so when you move to your own hosting and have your own registered SLD domain name, backend issues won’t be a problem for you because you would have had some experience already.
Related posts:
WYSIWYG! I'm a simple person trying to live the simplest life possible - it seems to be the most difficult thing to achieve! I'm an internet enthusiast and I've been a webmaster since early 2007. I like: blogging, developing sites using open source software, social media, computer games, '80s music, comedy & horror, animals, crunching on M&Ms peanut and Smarties!
