Domains (domain names) are friendly names used to identify websites and services on the Internet.
The DNS (Domain Name System) is used to translate friendly names (.e.g. google.com) to machine readable IP addresses (e.g. 31.22.1.98), to make the use of the Internet and other services easier.
Is this not the same as a website? Why do I need both?
Your domain and website/website hosting service are separate things.
Though you may purchase them both from the same provider, like Virgo Networks, you don't have to purchase your domain and web hosting in the same place, and any domain purchased with any company will work with Virgo Networks.
A company who you purchase a domain from is known as a registrar, and a company who you purchase web hosting from is known as a web host.
The domain name I want is already taken!
Domain names have to be unique worldwide. Therefore it's entirely possible someone might have registered the name you want already!
Generally speaking, there is not much you can do about this. If the person who has registered the domain you want is interested, they may sell it to you - but this price just covers the cost of them releasing it for you to register, and will usually be very expensive.
In most cases, if the domain name you want is already taken, your best option is to see if there are any other extensions available - for example fish.com may be taken, but fish.net or fish.co.uk may still be available. Otherwise, have a think about how you can vary or change the name - you may actually be able to better represent your website or business with an alternative name anyway!
Why do I have to keep paying?
When you register a domain, you do so for a limited period of time - typically a year or more. After this period you need to renew it, or it will be returned to the pool of available names for other people to register.
