Domain Name is the identity of a web site, just like street address of a house or identification card for a people.  People use domain name to uniquely locate the web site on Internet.

To set up a web site, the first step would be register domain name.  Domain name can be registered from registration company with a small amount of fee (around $5 ~ $30 per year).  Domain owner thinks of a domain name and if that name is not chosen by other people yet, then the owner can register it.  Please check How to Register a Domain Name for instructions.

After the owner register the domain name, he/she can set up the web site and domain related emails now.  The set up for the web site and email address normally need another amount of cost (details in Web Hosting page).  It can also be free with some limitations and restrictions (details in Free Web Hosting page).

To sum it up, the term Domain Name has multiple related meanings:

• A hostname that identifies a computer or computers on the Internet. These names appear as a component of a Web site's URL, e.g. www.OrbitTechnology.com.
• Domain names can be obtained from domain name registrars.
• Domain names are used for other purposes, like in the Domain Name System (DNS), and also the part following the @ sign in an email address.