What Is Domain Name?
A domain name is a human-readable address for a website — like example.com or google.com. It's the text you type into a browser's address bar, which DNS translates into the IP address of the server hosting the website.
Why It Matters
Domain names are how people find you on the internet. They’re memorable, brandable, and a core part of your online identity. When you change your domain name — due to a rebrand, merger, or migration — you need domain forwarding to redirect traffic from the old name to the new one.
How Domain Names Are Structured
A domain name has three parts:
www.example.com
↑ ↑ ↑
subdomain SLD TLD- TLD (Top-Level Domain):
.com,.org,.net,.io - SLD (Second-Level Domain):
example— the part you register - Subdomain:
www,blog,shop— optional prefixes you create
The combination example.com (without subdomain) is called the apex domain or root domain.
Domain Names and Forwarding
Common reasons to forward a domain name:
- Rebrand —
old-brand.com→new-brand.com(brand migration) - Consolidation — redirect
mybrand.net,mybrand.org→mybrand.com - Shortcut —
myname.com→ LinkedIn, Notion, or portfolio page (vanity URL) - Typo protection —
exampel.com→example.com - Domain parking — Forward an unused domain instead of leaving it idle
How Domain Forward Handles This
Register or keep your domain at any registrar. Point the DNS to Domain Forward. We handle the redirect with HTTPS, 301 status codes, and analytics. No domain transfer required — see our DNS setup guide.
Related Terms
Related Features
Frequently
asked questions
A domain name is just the name part — example.com. A URL is the full address including protocol, path, and query string — https://example.com/page?ref=google. Domain forwarding typically redirects the entire domain, including all URL paths.
Yes — that's exactly what domain forwarding does. You configure old-domain.com to redirect visitors to new-domain.com. Domain Forward handles this with HTTPS support and 301 redirects.
Most .com domains cost $8-15/year through registrars like Namecheap, Porkbun, or Cloudflare. Premium or short domains can cost significantly more. Domain Forward's forwarding service is separate from registration.
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