Everyone wants a website, and every day it's becoming
easier and cheaper to own one. Yet it can still be a daunting process
for the beginner - what do all these terms mean? What's the difference
between buying a domain name and hosting space? What do you do first?
This guide will get you on your feet.
DOMAIN NAMES:
What it is
A domain name is also known as a URL (Universal Resource Locator) - it is the 'address' of a website.
How it works
Your
URL is simply how people connect with your website. Think of it as your
website's phone number - people can't call you without first looking up
your number, and people can't browse to your website unless they first
look up your URL.
However, owning a URL is not the same as owning
a website. By registering a domain name, you have purchased the right
to use that domain to identify your site. You typically renew your
registration annually for a small fee. However, you still need to have
web hosting in order to actually get your site online. We'll cover that
in the next part.
Selecting a domain
Your
domain name, or URL, is quite possibly the most important part of your
website, especially if your site is meant for a business. Here are some
tips for selecting a good domain name:
Keep it concise
- The
fewer words you can use, the better - joestotallyawesomewebsite.com is
much harder to remember (and type!) than joesmith.com. You want to
communicate what your website is about in the fewest,
easiest-to-remember words possible.
Make it descriptive
- You
don't want a lot of words, but you do want people to know what you're
about. nashvillefurniture.com says a lot with two easy-to-remember
words. Business websites should always try to use their name as their
URL - everybody knows how to find Wal-Mart's website, and it should be
that simple for your clients, too!
No funny business!
- A
good, simple domain is hard to find these days. It might take some
creative thinking to find something that will work for you - but resist
the temptation to use odd abbreviations or spelling, unless it's
already part of your business name. After all, you still want it to be
easy to remember, and most people won't think to type kustomkarz.com
when your business name is Custom Cars. Try using other characteristics
instead - such as atlantacustomcars.com
WEB HOSTING
Once you've selected a domain name, you'll need to sign up with a web hosting service.
What it is
Your
web host is the company that your website lives on. The web host has
computers (called servers) that are online all day, every day so that
internet users can access their content. When you purchase a hosting
package, you're purchasing a certain amount of their hard drive space,
which you then put your webpage on.
How it works
Once
you've purchased your hosting package, it's up to you to put your
website online. This is very easily achieved using FTP (File Transfer
Protocol). There are many free FTP programs available for download, and
what they do is transfer the files you want from your computer's hard
drive onto your web host.
That's it - once your pages are online, the web host does the rest!
What you need
So you're ready to sign up with a web host - but there are so many options! What does it all mean?
Storage:
This is the amount of hard drive space you're permitted. Currently,
most hosting plans offer far more storage than the average person will
ever need. However, if you're planning a large site, or a site that
hosts lots of images or downloads, you'll want to choose a plan with
adequate storage.
Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the term for the
amount of data transferred when someone accesses your webpage. When a
visitor downloads a 1MB video from your site, they've used 1MB of your
allotted bandwidth. Bandwidth is an especially important consideration
if you'll have a graphics-heavy or media-heavy website. Type, on the
other hand, uses very little bandwidth.
mySQL Database:
mySQL is a database management program that is becoming more and more
important. Many kinds of software utilize mySQL databases, such as
bulletin boards, shopping carts, blogging software, and content
management systems.
Add-On Domains: This is an option that
allows you to register more than one domain on your hosting account.
This is particularly useful if you're running several smaller sites
which don't require all the resources of your hosting package. With
multiple add-on domains, you can have several different websites, but
only one hosting package - which means saving money!
Fantastico:
This is a script library that many hosting companies offer. It contains
many free scripts that you can easily install on your website, such as
blogging software, shopping carts, bulletin boards, and other useful
features.
E-Mail Accounts: The number of email accounts
allowed to you determine how many customized email addresses you can
create. With e-mail included on your hosting program, you can have that
custom email that never has to change - [email protected].
There
are a multitude of other options available with different hosting
programs. However, the ones listed here are the most essential. In all
likelihood, if you don't know what the other options mean, you probably
don't need them!
Now that you understand the basics of starting your own website, you can go out and build your own! Visit my website for a step-by-step guide to registering a domain name and purchasing web hosting