Frequently-Asked Questions

A beginner's guide to starting a web-site

Hosting Questions

Q. " I don't know anything about publishing my own web site. Do I need to have a  web host for my site?"

A. "Yes, to get started publishing your site onto the world wide web  you will need to do two things.  You must first register a domain name and  also obtain a web host.  It is surprising how many domain names have already been taken so you will first need to find out if the name you have chosen is actually available.  You can do this by checking  your desired name at http://domaindirect.com.  You may have to come with a suitable variation on your desired name.  If you have problems we should be able to help you come with a suitable domain name.

Q: "Is it expensive to register a domain name?"

A: "Different companies charge different amounts for this service. Godaddy.com is the number one source for new registrations because they are the most reasonable.  A new domain costs about $9.99" 

Q. "What does a web host do?"  

A.  A web host or server offers you a place to store your web pages and other files, provides you with a web address (an IP number) and allows you to publish your site so that others may look at it.  Web hosts are mostly alike although some may give you added features such as the ability to see how many viewers are coming to your site and from where they are coming.

Q: "Do you provide web hosting?" 

A. No, we do not provide hosting services.  Some web design companies do offer hosting packages but they only do this to make extra money for themselves.  They generally open up a hosting account elsewhere from another server and then charge you 5x more per month than you would pay if you opened your own hosting account.

Q:  "Is it very difficult to open a hosting account?"

A.  No.  It is  very simple   Web hosts want your business and they do everything they can to simplify the process. It generally involves no more than giving them your contact information and a valid credit card number.

Q. How do I choose a web host? And how much does it cost?

A. If you want to do the research you can go to google and do a web search under "best web hosts." There are several sites devoted to ranking the best hosts according to the different features they offer.  However, we will be happy to recommend a good host for you  based on your particular needs.  Web hosts vary from about $4.00 a month to $25.00 a month.  For most sites the least expensive host will be the best bet as  the services offer really do not  differ that much from one host to the next .

                                      Site Hierarchy

Q. "Okay.  I have come up with a domain name and picked out  a web host what do I do next?

The first thing you will need to do is plan the structure of  your site.  You will need to figure out the number of different pages ( links) you require and what the content will be for each one. For example, you may want an about us page, a contact page, a mission statement page, a product or services page.  If you have any problems determining what type of pages you will need you can always find inspiration by looking  at other sites that offer the same kind of service or product as your's . 

                                        Contact Forms

Q: "I would like to add a contact form so that potential customers can contact me directly through my website.  Do you charge extra for this? "

A:  No , we include a free contact form with all our sites if desired."

Quantity Discount

Q. "I have decided that I will need many pages, do you offer any kind of discount for large sites?"

A. Yes, we are currently running a special and give you 2 free pages when you purchase 5.  After that we give you  a free pages for every 1 you purchase.

                                           Site Content

Q. "Okay,  I have figured out the basic navigation of my site,  what do I do next?"

A. Once you have figured out the navigation of your site, you will need to start thinking about the content of site.  You will be responsible for creating the text that appears on your site. We can edit the copy for you if you like but we cannot create the copy for you as we really have no knowledge of your particular business or trade.  You will also be responsible for supplying us with any photographs that are specific to your particular business.  We can only do image searches that are of a general nature.

Q: "What  file formats do you support? 

A.  "Text should be made available in word format. Photos  may be jpegs or gifs. Depending on the context, we are sometimes able to work from pdf files.  Simple databases may be constructed in excel spreadsheets, but these will require extra expense  to become searchable."

                                       Site Appearance

Q: "What about the appearance of the site?  How do I figure out what my site should look like?"

Once you have a basic idea about the content of your site  you will need to think about what you want the site to look like. You will need to consider what the purpose of your site will be, the sort of image you would like to convey and think about kind of  site  your audience would enjoy visiting.  We recommend you look around the net and try to find sites that are similar to what you have in mind.   The more you can tell a web designer about what you want the more likely you are to get a site that is pleasing to you.

Q. " I don't like the generic look of some web pages. Do you ever work from templates?"

A.  "No, we don't use templates that were created by someone else  (unless we are asked.)  All our work is original and created for your site  based on our discussions.  No one else  will ever have the same design as your's."

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