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SWeCS NEWSLETTER - 19 September 2005


In this issue...

- What Is Web Hosting? - by Matt Bacak
- This Fortnight's Question
- Battle Of The Browsers
- Resources For Small Business


 


WHAT IS WEB HOSTING?

By Matt Bacak

Many businesses, from one-man-bands to multi-national corporations, have a web-presence these days. i.e. They have a website telling their customers about their companies: what they do, where they're based, their company history, how they're different from their competitors, etc. Many of these businesses also sell products and/or services online.

If you own a business and wish to have a presence in cyberspace, then you need to consider buying a package from a web hosting company.

Web hosting refers to the process of renting computer space and bandwidth (data transfer capacity) from a company so that you can make your website visible to the outside world.

Put simply, you buy an allocated space on a computer from a hosting company, then transfer the files of your website to this computer. Your website then becomes available to users around the world, and this enables them to browse your website, as well as download files and buy products and services from you.

Domain Name

First of all, you need to choose a domain name for your website. A domain name is simply an address for your website. Examples are www.microsoft.com and www.yahoo.com. Avoid choosing a domain name which is too long or too complicated for users to remember.

Design Your Website

There are three ways to get your website designed:

1. You can do it yourself. There are many website authoring software packages available on the market. Two popular packages are Microsoft Frontpage and Macromedia Dreamweaver. With these programs, you can design and edit your web pages easily and see instantly how they will look to the users.

2. Some companies offer an easy way for you to create your website by providing templates for you to choose from. With this type of service, all you have to do is choose a layout from a number of pre-defined templates, select some color, font and graphics options, enter some text, and you'll end up with a decent-looking website.

3. Get a web design company to do it for you. This is the most expensive option but you will end up with a more professional and stylish website, looking exactly the way you want it to look.

Getting a web host

Now that you have chosen your domain name and have designed your website, you need to find a web hosting company.

There are thousands of hosting companies out there. Search the web for a company with a good reputation and offers the kind of services you need. Friends may be able to recommend a reputable company. We recommend .

Next, select a web hosting package to suit your needs and sign up for an account. Usually you'll pay for the hosting service by credit card online. If you have not already registered your domain name elsewhere, you'll have the option to do so with your hosting company.

Once payment has been processed, you'll receive a confirmation email with details about your hosting package. Take some time to read this email carefully as it contains information on how to log on to your hosting account.

Next you'll have to upload all the HTML pages, graphics and other files on to your web space. This can be done via the control panel on your website, or by using an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program such as CuteFTP.

Now that your website is online, users from around the world will be able to view it, so make sure that the information it contains (such as your email address and telephone number) is up-to-date. This is particularly important if you will be using your website to sell products and services.

Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine’s e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories. Discover The Secrets To Unleash The Powerful Promoter In You! Sign up for Matt Bacak's Promoting Tips Ezine ($100 value) just visit his website at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or http://promotingtips.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

 


THIS FORTNIGHT'S QUESTION

This fortnight's question comes Marlene:

"I'm interested in buying a particular .com.au domain name. How can I stop others from getting it?"

Under the .com.au domain rules, any business with a genuine link to a domain name can purchase it. The registrar doesn't normally check if any other businesses may have an entitlement to the name, it's just first in first served.

Although you may be able to prevent someone from actually using the name if it breaches any trademark, copyright, etc, the best way to stop someone from buying the name in the first place is to buy it yourself.


Got a question? Send it to us at admin@southwestecommerce.com and we'll do our best to answer it, as well as publish one every fortnight for everyone to see.

 


BATTLE OF THE BROWSERS


Ever wonder what Internet Browser people are using to view your site?

A recent survey by www.hitslinks.com showed that the break-down of browser use was as follows:

86.31% - Internet Explorer
8.27% - Firefox
2.20% - Safari
2.02% - Netscape
0.62% - Opera
0.51% - Mozilla

Another way of checking is to look at your website traffic logs.

Why is this important? Because sometimes different browsers display sites in different ways, and as Microsoft Internet Explorer slowly loses it's dominance, you need to start thinking about how the other 15% of Internet users will see your site.

 

 


RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESS


Ecommerce Library

Browse through the SWeCS Ecommerce Library, full of FREE information about getting more out of the Internet. Sections include Web Site Development, Web Site Promotion & Internet Marketing, Online Commerce, Computer & Technical Issues, and Miscellaneous.


Newsletter Archives

The SWeCS Newsletter archives provides a wealth of FREE information on small business and the Internet. Browse through the main topics or search for your particular query.


SWeCS Affiliate Program

Start up another income stream, by earning commissions for each referral who signs up for one of our services.


Affiliate Directory

Browse through a list of reviewed Affiliate programs. Let us do the work of testing it out for you!



Do you know of a resource that should be added here? Email us and let us know. There is only one condition - it must be free.


 


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http://derekstockley.com/newsletters/news-index.html


 
 

This newsletter is produced by South West eCommerce Strategies - © 2005
Email: admin@southwestecommerce.com
Web Site: www.southwestecommerce.com

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