Second Level Domain
SLD is the acronym for Second Level Domain and represents the portion of the URL that identifies the specific and unique owner. The SLD is the actual website's domain name.[1]
Overview
The second domain level is the data directly before the top-level domain TLD. In the same way, the SLD represents the portion which is located exactly in the right part of the domain name extension. The SLD includes the TLD and helps during the identification process of a the owning organization of a specific URL.[2] For example, in www.domainname.com, “domainname” represents the second level domain. Whereas the suffix "(dot)-com" represents the TLD
Usually, the SLD is determined and defined upon registration of a domain name. More than one SLD can function on the same IP Address.[3]
Furthermore, a TLD can be separated into more SLDs; that is, second-level domains are being divided into sub-domains which could represent different computers within an organization or different aliases.
Choosing the SLD
In order to choose and determine the right domain name, besides choosing the TLD it is also important to carefully choose the SLD because this portion is the actual website domain name. Having this in mind, when choosing the SLD the following choices are available:
- Choosing a brandable name: either as an acronym or a synonym of a famous brand.
- Choosing a domain name based on a well rated keyword: the keywords represent the best description of a specific product or a business.
- Choosing a domain names based on an already existent company or organization: a great solution for businesses which want to achieve and enjoy an Internet presence. Nowadays, a business success also depends on its Internet presence.
Valid Domain Names and SLDs
In order to register a domain name, the validity requirements must be met. In this way, a domain name is valid if it contains up to 67 characters including the domain name extension (such as .com). Valid characters are those between 0-9, letters a-z and dashes, but the dash "-" cannot be used at the beginning or at the end of a domain name. [4]