Domains and Web Hosting …
Now that you have an idea of what your web site is going to be about, what content you need, and what type of web pages you’ll have, it’s time to register a suitable domain name and find a web host.
- Register your domain name
One of the first things you need to do is to register a domain name. What’s a domain name? See the www.webbriefcase.com.au in your browser’s address box above? That’s my domain name. A domain name, in the online world, is pretty much like a business name in the traditional business world. These days, you can get a domain name for as little as $8.88 a year. Getting your own domain name is one of the most important investment you’ll ever make for your web site. If you’re not thinking of getting one, you can forget about building a site. Come on, it’s only $8.88 a year. You can purchase your domain from any registrar on the net. If you’re not familiar with any, check out this domain name registration company.
If you already have a name in mind, great! All you have to do is check to see if your desired domain name is still available. If you’re having trouble coming up with a domain name, just hop over to NameBoy to brainstorm some names.
Your domain name should reflect what your web site is all about. Having your keywords in your domain name is great but trying to fit all your keywords in a 6 word domain name is a big no no. Make it relevant, memorable, short and easy to spell, and if you can fit your keyword in at the same time … excellent. If not, don’t lose sleep over it.
If you have a choice of a .com and any other extensions (ie. .net, .biz, etc) than choose the .COM. If, like me, your desired name in a .com is taken and you have no other alternate names then pick a .net.
- Find a Web Host
When you’ve registered for a domain name, you need to find a good web host. What’s a web host? A web host is a company that will give you space on the internet to host your web site. This space is similar to a physical business venue, where you associate your business name (domain name) to and where you set up your store (web site). There are just soooo many web hosts. Where do you begin?
I don’t want to put any pressure on you but, from experience, it is essential that you do enough homework and start off on the right foot with the right web host. The bigger your site grows, the harder it is to switch web hosts. Here are just some things to look for in a web host:
- First class support system. I can’t even begin to emphasize how important this is. You need a web host that offers support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you’re doing business online, you don’t really take days off. You need to know that help is just a phone call away, if anything happens to your site. Call them or e-mail them and see how fast they reply. If they’re hopeless before you sign up with them, they’ll be a disaster after you sign up.
And if you can, make sure that support knows what they’re doing. I hate it when a support personnel just replies with some template message which has no relevance to my unique problem.
- Fast connection speed. You don’t want your site to take forever to download. Test web sites that are already using that particular web host.
- Storage space. Make sure that the web host account you choose has enough space allocated to it to store your whole web site. Choose an account that offers more space than you actually need. Check the total size of your files and times that by 3. It would be even better if you could sign up to an account that will allow you to upgrade to an account with more storage space without too much hassle.
- Data transfer limit. Everytime someone visits your site, data is being transferred. When someone downloads your digital products, data is being transferred. Make sure you do your calculations before choosing your web host. The average account would normally use about 2GB a month. Make sure you check your monthly web stats to see how much bandwidth you use.
- Web stats. Most web hosts now offer free web stats where you can check your log files and server statistics in a visually appealing interface. This comes in really handy as we’ll see in coming lessons.
- E-mail. It would be ideal to have a catchall e-mail address. This means that you can have an unlimited number of e-mail addresses at your domain. Ex: tech@you.com , support@you.com , subscribe@you.com , small business web hosting service. Only if you’re thinking of running a business web site. They’re not the cheapest host out there but they provide many extras that are huge time savers. Their hosting features are geared towards helping netrepreneurs and internet marketers make the most of their web sites.
If you’re after something cheaper or if you’re not going to build a business web site, then perhaps you’d like to try out this affordable web site hosting plan.
- Link your Domain Name to Your Web Host
The next thing you have to do is to point your domain name to your web host’s server. You do this by changing your current DNS (domain name server) to that of your web host. When you signed up for your domain name, you should have received instructions on how to access your account area. In this area, there should be a place where you can set or change your DNS .
If you can’t find this feature, have a quick look at your registrar’s FAQs. Or write them a quick e-mail.
Use this feature to set the DNS to your web host’s server. You should have received this DNS when you signed up for your web host account. The DNS will look something like this: NS3.MEWEBDNS.COM
It normally takes between 24-48 hours before this change is “resolved”. While waiting, you can start building your web site.
- First class support system. I can’t even begin to emphasize how important this is. You need a web host that offers support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you’re doing business online, you don’t really take days off. You need to know that help is just a phone call away, if anything happens to your site. Call them or e-mail them and see how fast they reply. If they’re hopeless before you sign up with them, they’ll be a disaster after you sign up.
Okay! That’s it for now on domains and web hosting. See you in the next lesson.
Note: If you choose to use SBI (which I will cover in later lessons), you will not need to register a domain or sign up for hosting since it’s all included.
