Good domain names are easy to read. But, how do they get that way ?
Web pages are "served" or sent to your web browser by a computer called a Web Server. That web server doesn't really have a name. It just has a number. For example, the web server that is sending you this page is called 209.20.249.182. That's it's real name on the internet. This name is called an Internet Protocol Address (IP Address).
But, IP Adresses are not easy for humans to read or remember. So, a Domain Name system was invented. It's purpose is to give us humans meaningful names for all those web servers out there. After all, www.amazon.com is something we have a chance of remembering, where 207.171.182.16 is just not going to work for us.
You can use either the Domain Name www.squakmt.com or the IP address to get to a web site. You can try this yourself by entering http://209.20.249.182 into your browser address bar and seeing that the Squak Mountain web site appears.
So, how does this cryptic number get changed into a name ? The IP Address of your web server is stored along with your domain name in a computer called a Domain Name Server. When you register your domain name, the registrar will ask you for the Domain Name Server (DNS) that contains the entry for your web site. The DNS entry could be provided by your registrar, your hosting company, or some other service. If you're a true geek, you could even provide the DNS yourself.
Every time you ask for a web page by Domain Name, your web browser goes to the DNS system on the Internet and asks: What is the IP address for this Domain Name ? It uses the answer it gets to request the page you are looking for.
If your hosting and domain registration are set up correctly, you'll see your web page. If not, you'll get a web page with a message like: "Cannot find server or DNS Error" or "The page cannot be displayed".
The important thing for most people to know is that Domain Name Registration, DNS and Hosting are all separate services. Just because you're buying one, doesn't mean you're getting all three, and you *must* have all three to have a working web site.
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