The Birth of a
Professional Web Site Part Nine Launching Your Web Site on the Internet
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.
Domain Name
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
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. Although Network Solutions is the original domain name registrant,
there are now many less expensive options available. You may want to do some
research to find a registrant that meets your needs.
http://www.networksolutions.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 when you set up your hosting account.
Web Host
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 Quality 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
Although there are many web hosting companies online, there is only one that
I can personally recommend, and that company is Host4Profit. Not only do
they provide a good hosting package that includes everything you'll need,
but their customer support is excellent.
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=h4p
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.
(Continued in part
ten)
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design
Mastery.
http://www.webdesignmastery.com
And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book.
http://www.ebookstarter.com
Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips
and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing
Strategies."
http://www.web-source.net
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,
in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author
bylines are included.
Part Eight
Part Ten
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