The Difference Between Website & A Domain.
Websites and Domains are two important sides of the same coin. To have a fully functioning online site you will need both. Below are a few examples to help you discern the difference.
Domain name
Simply put, a domain name (or just a domain) is the name of a website. It’s what comes after “@” in an email address, or after “www.” in a web address. If someone asks how to find you online, what you tell them is usually your domain name.
Examples of domain names are:
google.com
wikipedia.org
youtube.com
The first step in creating an online presence is purchasing a domain name. Anyone can purchase a domain name by going to a domain host or registrar (see below), finding a name no one else is using, and paying an annual fee to own it. You can also choose from various domain name endings (or “TLDs”), like .com, .coffee, or .photography.
URL
A URL (aka “Universal Resource Locator”) is a complete web address used to find a particular web page. While the domain is the name of the website, a URL will lead to any one of the pages within the website. Every URL contains a domain name, as well as other components needed to locate the specific page or piece of content.
Examples of URLs:
http://www.google.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/umami
https://www.youtube.com/feed/trending
Website
Though one leads to the other, buying a domain name doesn’t mean you have a website. A domain is the name of a website, a URL is how to find a website, and a website is what people see and interact with when they get there. In other words, when you buy a domain, you have purchased the name for your site, but you still need to build the site.
In digital terms, a website is a collection of content, often on multiple pages, that is grouped together under the same domain. You can think of it like a store, where the domain is the store name, the URL is the store address, and the website is the actual store, with shelves full of products and a cash register.
