Web Basics - Getting started
If you are just getting started with your first website, there may be a lot of unfamiliar terms and processes. This is a quick guide to help point out some of the highlights in getting a website started.
DOMAIN NAME - First things first! Get your domain, this is the first step in getting your online identity, your domain name is your web address, www.yourdomainname.com. Ideally, you will register your business name, if it is not available, then you will have to come up with variations. Once you have found the domain name that you are happy with, you will register that domain name. Registering a domain is simply buying that domain name, or more accurately, renting that domain name. The fee is $9.99 per year plus $.20 per year ICANN fee to have rights over your domain name.
WEB HOSTING - Now that you have www.yourbusinessname.com as your domain name, you need to host it. Hosting is web space to store your web pages. This is where your domain will point to when somebody types www.yourbusinessname.com into their web browser.
Listed below a brief description of the different hosting options that are available, shared hosting is the most popular choice for most websites.
SHARED HOSTING - There are a wide variety of hosting options. The most common and most economical (as low as $5 per month) type of hosting that will apply to most websites is shared hosting, shared hosting is exactly what is sounds like, the hosting computer is being shared by several websites. This solution is fine for most businesses that don't generate a lot of traffic. Web traffic is a measure of how many visitors and how how much bandwidth is being used by your website.
DEDICATED SERVER - If your business is a large online business with thousands of visitors every day, you would be better served by 'dedicated server hosting'. Just like shared hosting, this is exactly as it sounds, dedicated hosting means that you have your own computer in a data facility that is completely dedicated to serving the pages of your website. This option is much more expensive too (from about $70 per month to several hundred).
VIRTUAL DEDICATED SERVER - There is one type of hosting that falls between shared hosting and dedicated hosting, it is called 'virtual dedicated server hosting'. Virtual servers are a dedicated server that is 'virtualized' into more than one computer. While there are more than one website on a virtual server, they each have their own OS instance running independently. ($40-$100 per month). This is a good option for those that want more control over the server, but don't need a dedicated server solution.
EMAIL SOLUTIONS - Most hosting companies tie email directly with the hosting plan. Ours is set up a little differently, the email is separated from the hosting. While there is email bundled with the hosting plans, there are several upgrade options that are available. You link your email account with your domain so that you have email addresses youremail@yourdomain.com. Purple Pine's email has a very nice web mail interface allowing you check your email from any web browser, You can also configure an email client such as outlook to access your email through a POP account if you prefer to do that.
WEB DESIGN - Web design is the actual creation of the web pages that will become your website.
SEO - Search Engine Optimization is the task of including search friendly content into the design of your website. You can register your website with search engines and add meta tags to help search engines find your site, but nothing is more successful in bringing your website to the first page of a search result than a well thought out and well linked website.
UPDATES AND MAINTENANCE - Website updates are an important factor in keeping your website fresh and keeping a 'lived in' look. Just adding a little content once in a while and keeping things current lets your customers know that you are still around.