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TEXT / Understanding websites
This article is for people who are new to websites. I will endeavour to clarify the process of setting one up and who must be involved to keep it ticking. During the design and development process I perform all of the activities necessary to get your website up and running online. In an effort to keep you informed I feel it is important to give you some background on website design, development, costs and maintenance. In particular, advice on the necessary third-party service providers. Don't forget that I'm always available for a chat on this issue, just drop me a line.
THE BASICS Creating a website can be like building a new house. Designing it and imagining how you might fill it is the fun part. But there's a few hurdles to get over between the dream and stepping across the threshold. Just remember it's all worth it in the end. Better still, think of your new website as a letterbox. To make a letterbox worth building it needs to be filled with letters, and for that we rely on the service of the Post Office. In a similar way, for your website to exist on the internet you require the service of a Website Host, and Domain Name Registrar. These two entities provide you with, a) a presence on the internet, and b) an address showing where to find it. When it comes to creating your new letterbox, I'm the architect and builder, and yours will be the best in the street. As a part of a consultation I offer impartial advice on finding the necessary service providers and then set up the service and make your site live for all to see and use. If required I will also set up email. That's not it for your website. A website is unique in that it can be constantly updated, kept fresh with new products and information, as your business changes over time. If you can send an email you have the technical skills required to update your website using your own Content Management System (CMS). During consultation we can discuss the options available to make this work best for you.
WHAT IS THE COST OF HAVING A WEBSITE? It could also be asked, 'How long is a piece of string?' As I mentioned above, building a website is like building a house (although it is a lot cheaper!). There are a lot of options during design so tying down a price requires some consultation. This way your website will be tailor made to your sales and marketing needs. No "Hot Packages" here, rather everything in place by design. There are set up and on-going costs for websites. Once-off initial costs are design, development and putting it online. These are the services I provide. My fees for these are very competitive because I'm running a small show. To discuss a price for your website or for more information get in touch. The on-going costs are paying a company to 'host' the site (effectively renting space on a Web Server), and registration of a Domain Name. Updates to your site can be performed by me as needed, or by you via a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS involves an initial set up cost.
Read on for more information about Domain Name's and website hosting service providers. / www.YourDomain.com.au ... / What to look for in a website host ... / Website hosting plans ...
www.YourDomainName.com.au Owning your own domain name gives your website a professional and marketing advantage. As part of my service I offer advice on choosing the right domain name for your business - the best solution may not be as simple as using your business name. Registration of a domain name involves paying a fee to a Registrar company such as a website host. The fee covers periods of 1 to 2 years and varies depending on the 'domain' (about $30 per year). The 'domain' refers to the part that comes after the name such as .com, .net, .com.au, etc. Each domain is governed by an independent administrator. There are different rules governing different domains. More information on the Australian '.com.au' domain can be found at this website, which has been created by the administrator AusRegistry. To find out if the domain name you want is available and to register it, try one of these list of registrars.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A WEBSITE HOST Web hosting is your biggest consideration because this will be an ongoing cost of either a monthly or annual fee. There's a few cowboys out there so you have to be careful. There are two types of hosting companies, those who have their own servers and 'resellers' of bigger, usually US based servers. The geographical location of the server is a consideration in choosing a web server. A Brisbane based host will deliver your website faster to Brisbane based visitors. A US based host will be a good option if you've got your sights set on international exposure. The quality of a web host can be measured by a number of things. Web hosts publish the 'up time' of their servers, basically the time it's not broken down. Good ones will publish ratings of "99.5% uptime" and above, which they achieve by running back-up servers. Another thing to look for is their 'connectivity' to the 'back-bone' of the internet. Basically, the fewer connections between them and say, Telstra's main line, will mean a faster delivery of your site over the internet. Some big names in Australian hosting are OzEmail, WebCity and Digital Pacific, or try here for a list of Australian hosts.
WEBSITE HOSTING PLANS Website hosts offer different 'plans' to suit different needs. The basic differences between plans are the amount of space you get on their server, and the bandwidth (volume of outgoing data) that will be used by visitors to your site. In addition, you pay for features such as email accounts, the ability to assign a domain name and shopping capabilities. Most hosts are flexible and will allow you to add new features to your hosting plan as you need them. EXAMPLE:- For a small 6 page site you will be looking for a fairly basic plan. Allow at least 1GB of bandwidth per month and 20MB of space on the server will be ample. Something like this costs about $90-$120 per year, and at this price should include up to 10 email accounts. Be wary of free web hosting - it usually comes with advertising and poor performance - you get what you pay for. Some Internet Service Providers (ISP - for your business or home internet connection) include web hosting with their service.
Get in touch for an estimate on your website ...
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© Duncan Grant, 2006
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