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When
you're ready to launch your web site, you'll need to make two very
important decisions: what your domain name will be and where you will
host your new site.
A domain name is used to locate a particular
web site on the Internet. It is a part of the Uniform Resource Locator
(URL) and instructs the browser as to where to find a particular web
page.
When a web
address (http://www.domain.com) is typed into the browser, the web
server will look for a page called index. This page may have different
extensions, such as .htm, .html, or .shtml and will be displayed when
the URL is called.
Additional
pages within the site are called by including the URL followed by a
forward slash and the page name. http://www.domain.com/page.htm
Selecting a
quality domain name is of the utmost of importance. Not only will it
tell your potential customers what your business is all about, but it
will also play a role in branding.
A good
domain name is one that will be immediately remembered by your
visitors, as it connects with something they're interested in.
A great
domain name is one that can be guessed by a potential visitor looking
for something in particular. For example, if someone is looking for
information on dog grooming, they might type in:
http://www.doggrooming.com. A great domain name will enable a potential
visitor to guess the web address and will contain your most relevant
keyword phrase.
Here are some basic guidelines to assist you in selecting a great domain name:
1. Select a domain name that contains your most relevant keyword phrase.
2. Your domain name should be easily remembered.
3.
Avoid using abbreviations or anything that will be difficult for your
visitors to remember.
4. Keep your domain name as short as possible.
5. Select a quality domain name that will grow with your business.
Although there are many new domain extensions available, dot.com is still the best choice.
There
are many companies online that will enable you to register a domain
name. There are now many less expensive options available to purchase a
domain name. You may want to do some research to find a registrant that
meets your needs. We recommend godaddy.com
If
you're just starting out, you may want to select a hosting company
prior to registering your domain name, as many hosting companies will
register the name for you free when you set up your hosting account.
Web Hosts
A Web Host is a company that provides you with
server space for your web site. This includes all of your web pages,
graphics, scripts and files.
When your web address is typed into a browser,
your web host is being contacted to locate and display the requested
page.
Free verses Professional Web Hosts
All Web Hosts are not created equally. There
are a number of free hosting services available on the Internet.
However, if you're designing a web site for business purposes, you
should NEVER host your web site with a free host.
In order to establish credibility, you must be
willing to invest in your own domain name and professional web hosting.
Web sites hosted on free servers are not taken seriously and will
suffer a serious loss of business.
Your visitors may feel that if you don't have
your own domain, you may not be a credible company. They'll simply take
their business elsewhere.
Not only is professional credibility a great
reason not to host with a free service, but many Search Engines won't
even index a site hosted on a free server.
If you're serious about your business and you
have a sincere desire to succeed, having your own domain name and
professional hosting is a must.
Selecting a Web Host
When selecting a professional web host, your
first consideration should be the company. Check out their background.
Talk with some of their customers and ask them if they've been
satisfied with their service.
Do some research:
• How many customers do they serve?
• What is their uptime percentage?
• Do they require you to make payments in advance?
• Do they charge set up fees?
• How is their customer support? Test them.
• Do they offer fast connections?
• How much daily transfer do they allow?
• Will you be charged additional fees if you exceed your daily transfer?
• Do they offer shopping cart software to process your orders?
• Do they offer secure servers?
• Will you be provided with your own CGI-bin?
• Can you upgrade free of charge?
Web hosting prices vary greatly. When selecting a host, make sure
you're getting exactly what you're paying for. Keep in mind, a lower
monthly rate will not benefit you if your site is down a lot, slow, or
customer service is poor. Selecting a professional web host is a very
important decision. Make sure you do your homework and ensure the host
you select offers exactly what you need.
Here are some basic features you should look for when selecting a web host:
1) 24/7 reliable tech support
2) Your own domain name (www.yourname.com)
3) At least 10GB of monthly transfer (traffic)
4) A minimum of 20MB - 50MB of server space
5) Unlimited true POP email accounts - name@yourdomain.com
6) Unlimited email aliases
7) Email forwarding
8) Unlimited autoresponders
9) Your own unrestricted CGI-Bin
10) Access to SSL Encryption for secure transactions
11) MySQL Database
12) PHP
13) Perl
14) htaccess password protection
15) Server Side Includes (SSI) support
16) Design (and upload to) your site using Netscape or other HTML editing software
17) Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions for those utilizing FrontPage
18) Unlimited free access to your server via FTP/Telnet
19) Easy access to your log files
20) Statistics on visits to your site
Some additional features you may want are:
• Web control panel
• Custom error pages
• Ability to run Cron events
• Sub-domains
• Mailing list/newsletter support
• URL redirect
• Web mail
• Shopping cart
• Referral program
If you want to know further points about how to choose a web hosting provider, please visit www.residualhost.com where this point is discussed from a third party angle.
Although
there are many web hosting companies online, we recommend only the best
deals which give you value for money. They are:
1. Blue Host: You can read review of blue host at
www.residualhost.com/webhostingreview/webhostingreview3.html
2. Hostmonster: You can read review of Hostmonster at www.residualhost.com/webhostingreview/webhostingreview2.html
3. Hostgator: Hostgator reviews are found at www.residualhost.com/webhostingreview/webhostingreview2.html
4. Fastdomain: Read review at www.residualhost.com/webhostingreview/webhostingreview2.html
All the above web hosts offer loads of disk space, lot of bandwidth and at a reasonable monthly commitment.
When selecting a domain name and hosting
company, take your time and do some research before making a decision.
It will be well worth your time and effort in the long run.
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