A domain name is very similar to an address forwarding service. The domain name is the address people type in their browser to get to your Web site.

    The domain name points to the "real" address of the server that contains your Web site content. The "real" address is called the IP address and is a series of numbers, such as 123.23.234.45. This IP address then points to the location on the server where your Web site files are located.

   Domain names are used instead of IP addresses because most people find it much easier to remember a name rather than a series of numbers. So, your domain name points to your IP address, which is the location of your Web site files on a server, and allows users all across the Internet to view your Web pages.