The Domain Name System, or DNS, is the backbone of the internet. It’s what makes it possible to type in a domain name like “example.com” instead of an IP address like 127.0.0.1 (which would be boring). The DNS is essential to running an online business, but its importance can sometimes be taken for granted. That’s why we want to help you understand what exactly this critical piece of infrastructure does and how it can benefit your business—from improving SEO rankings to helping with user experience and security concerns.

What is the Domain Name System?

To understand the domain name system, it’s important to know that DNS is a hierarchical system. This means that all of the information on the internet is divided into different levels and sublevels. For example, if you wanted to access Google’s website (www.google.com), your computer would first look up its own local IP address by using …