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How to Establish Your Web Presence
Part of the success of most home-based businesses is their
web presence.
After all, you want to benefit from the global exposure, reduced
marketing expenses, and low entry costs. But to receive those benefits,
you must first get your web site off the ground which means you need to
select an effective domain name and find reliable web hosting.
The tips below can help you accomplish both goals successfully.
PICKING A DOMAIN NAME
When it comes to choosing your web site's domain name, you need to keep
a few things in mind:
1) Your domain name should relate directly to the product or service you
provide. Avoid picking a name that is vague or misrepresents your
company.
2) Your domain name should be easy to remember. Keep the name as short
as possible, but do not use unconventional spellings or add hyphens just
to secure a version of the name you want.
3) Your domain name should be simplistic. Do not pick words which may be
difficult to spell or which have multiple spellings. Also, select words
and phrases that are common and easy to pronounce, especially if you are
aiming your business toward the general public.
4) Your domain name should be a .com address whenever possible. Avoid
selecting the less common extensions which cost more to register and
which will be largely unfamiliar to your clients.
Once you do select a domain name, you should consider registering other
variations of the name. That way if someone uses the wrong extension or
adds a hyphen, he or she still end up right where you want them.
Here are some good places to register your domain:
GoDaddy.com
(Recommended)
NetWork
Solutions
CHOOSING WEB HOSTING
You could literally go crazy trying to compare all of the hundreds
of hosting plans and providers on the market. To narrow down your
options, talk to friends and business associates who have professional
web sites. Also review our Testimonials
to see what our clients say about the
web hosting we provide.
Ask them which providers they use or recommend. A number of Internet
sites, such as CNET and Epinions, allow users to share their thoughts
about web hosting companies, so their input could be valuable in your
search also.
Once you've found a manageable number of potential providers, you can
begin to compare plans. Here are a few things you should focus on:
* Money Back Guarantee - Many providers offer a 30-Day money back
guarantee so that you can try their service risk free. Always look for
this option so you don't get stuck with a service you're unhappy with.
* Storage Space - This is the amount of room you will have for
your site. Of course, you don't want to pay for room you don't need, but
you also want room to grow. If you've a small site in mind 10-15 MB
should be sufficient to begin with.
* Bandwidth/Data Transfer - Data transfer (bandwidth usage)
refers to how much data/information is sent to or received from your
hosting account on the server over a specified period of time. Usually
it is measured monthly.
The more visitors to your site, the more bandwidth you'll require. Small
sites can usually get by with 1 GB/month.
* Site Speed - This is a very important factor when considering a
hosting service and will determine how fast your site loads when someone
visits. Online surfers are extremely busy, so you need a fast server to
keep them from leaving your site before it even gets loaded!
Ask your hosting provider to provide you with a list of their clients'
sites (if they can) so you can check their speed. Here's a good tool to
check a site's speed:
Website Speed Test
* Customer Service - You strive to provide exceptional service
and you should expect nothing less from your web hosting company. Look
for multiple methods of receiving service, such as a toll-free phone
number or live chat. You may also want to consider testing their
response time in advance.
* Uptime Guarantee - Your web site is like your store. If your
store is closed, you aren't making any money. The same is true if your
web site is down. You should only choose a plan that provides at least a
99% uptime guarantee.
* Cost - Price should also be a deciding factor. Cheaper is not
always better, but there are reasonable rates for quality hosting
available if you do your research.
Never pay for a full year of service upfront, though you are likely to
pay less in the long run. You have to take into consideration their
after sales service too.
Also, as far as possible, try to choose a hosting company that allows
easy upgrade/downgrade between plans. This way you can trim down your
costs to the maximum.
Using these tips and suggestions, you should easily be on your way to
establishing a successful web presence and to reaping all the benefits
the Internet has to offer.
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