FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a URL?
URL is short for Uniform Resource Locator (for you trivia addicts out there). A URL is the string of text designated for your website. http://www.YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME.COM would be your URL.
[back]

How do I get a domain name?
You need to purchase your domain name and pay for it annually. If you let your domain name expire, you will have a small window of time to re-activate your name, as the cost increases drastically if you wait too long. If you have someone else purchase your domain name, make sure they have your info in the Registrant's name, that determines who owns the name. Keep the information on your domain name current, if you change your email address - make sure you log into your account and change it.
[back]

How do I choose the right domain name?
The shorter the better. We suggest you always use your company name when purchasing a domain name - your clients will try and type that in first. Since domain names are inexpensive, you can always purchase another domain name and have it pointed to the same website. Think of something that will be easy to remember and easy to type.
[back]

Email: What's the POP3 and SMTP? Are they 2 different things?
The POP3 setting is incoming mail, SMTP is outgoing mail.
[back]

Keywords - What are they, do I need them on my site? Can people that visit my site see my keywords?
Keywords are used on the backend of the website. Your customers cannot see these words. It's what the search engines pick up on to index your site. Keywords should be words or short phrases that you think that your potential visitors would use to look for your site in a search.
[back]

How long does it take to put together a website?
That's determined by many different factors - the size of the site, the complexity, the response time from the client and how long it takes to get the information needed to complete a site. It's not good to post a site to the internet incomplete or with "coming soon" pages. The search engines like to see content on all pages of the site, when placing it in their directories.
[back]

Is there a way for me to see who's visiting my website?
Yes. Most hosting companies will offer some sort of stat's program - so you can view how many people are visiting your site, where they're going. Each stats program offers different types of information.
[back]

Why is there such a vast difference in the price of hosting?
Each hosting company offers different amounts of bandwith, email accounts, and different types of "programs" and features that a customer can use. A lot of times when you see extremely cheap hosting - you're sharing your server with lots of other websites, which could possibly slow down your site. There are so many factors in choosing the proper web hosting companies, ask us, and we'll do our best to guide you in the right direction.
[back]

What's the difference between free hosting and paid for hosting?
Free hosting will have ads running on your site - whereas hosting that you pay for does not have ads, unless you chose to put them there. Free hosting providers pack the servers with websites, whereas most paid for hosting is cautious with how many sites they have on 1 server.
[back]

I got FrontPage and/or my neighbor's son can build web sites, so why should I hire a professional to build my site?
You need to determine where your time is better spent. A professional web developer knows the latest technologies and keeps up with the newest trends. If you needed your appendix taken out, you wouldn't go to a hairdresser.... just as if you needed a haircut, you wouldn't go to doctor. You've worked hard at your business - your website should reflect that in a professional manner.
[back]