Web sites have a unique identity or address on the internet known as a URL (Universal Resource Locator) which browsers use to find the site web pages and retrieve and display them
e.g. http://www.microsoft.com
the middle part "microsoft" is called the Domain Name - not only does it provide an important part of the internet address for the browser, it also provides a friendly and familiar name for people to remember.
To do any business web-site properly, you will need your own domain names so that your business acquires its own identity and prestige on the internet
e.g. http://www.myhotel.co.uk
The phrase domain name refers to the address a user would type to go to the home page of your web site. For example, www.decagon.co.uk is our domain name. Sometimes the "www" may be dropped when referring to the domain name. A name server is a computer that keeps track of other machines and their numeric IP addresses. When you refer to a machine by name, your name server translates that information appropriately into the numeric IP address necessary to make the connection. A name system is the system that makes it possible for you to think in terms of names such as Internet Protocol Address (IP) There are more than four billion possible Internet IP addresses that are represented in dotted notation - four numbers separated by periods, such as 208.43.182.13 and every machine on the internet must have a unique number. You need to make sure that yours is not the same as someone else's. Ask your Internet service provider how to assign an Internet address to your computer. He'll probably tell you one of two ways - static or dynamic. Dynamic addressing is by far the most common mechanism for dialup users. If an internet provider were to assign permanent or static IP addresses to everyone, he would probably run out of them very quickly. So each time you dial up, the host computer will assign you an IP address. You'll probably never get the same IP address twice in a row. In less common circumstances, your Internet service provider will assign you a static IP address each time you connect. Unless you enjoy memorising IP addresses, ask your Internet service provider for the IP addresses of some name servers (DNS). DNS servers can translate names into numbers and sometimes, numbers into names. Then you can enter things like decagon.co.uk instead of numbers. Ask for backup servers as well - in case the primary DNS server is down. So each time you dial up, the host computer will assign you an IP address. You'll probably never get the same IP address twice in a row. In less common circumstances, your Internet service provider will assign you a static IP address each time you connect. Unless you enjoy memorising IP addresses, ask your Internet service provider for the IP addresses of some name servers (DNS). DNS servers can translate names into numbers and sometimes, numbers into names. Then you can enter things like decagon.co.uk instead of numbers. Ask for backup servers as well - in case the primary DNS server is down.