Selecting a Domain Name
for Your Website
|
Choose a domain name
that will
be easy for customers to remember and easy to type into their
browsers. If possible, choose a name that describes your business,
or a keyword that customers would type into a search engine to find your
website.
Use your business name if it lends itself to quick, easy typing. Another
suggestion is to use the initials of your business name.
Research
to see if the domain name you have
selected is available. If so, consider registering variations of your
domain name that customers may use or competitors might want to use; for
example, the plural version of your domain name. Use this link to do a
quick check on the availability of the name you've selected. www.domainsearch.com/
Register your selected domain name. When you
register your domain name, you will be asked if you want your domain
name to point to an exiting web address or if you want it parked until
you have found a place to host your website. If you don't have web space
available when you've selected your domain name, you may want to
consider registering it anyway and then parking your domain name until
you find web space. It's heartbreaking to find the perfect domain name,
only to have someone else register it first.
--Back
to top--
|
Introductory
Special |
As part of our
website design introductory special, Katy
Online Design will register and set up your domain name for the first
year for free.
|
|
Finding
Web Space to Host Your Website
|
Many
fine internet hosting companies are available that will store your web pages on their
servers. Prices range from under $10/month for basic web space to over
$200/month for web space with advanced features such as shopping cart
software and real time credit card processing. The level and complexity
of the hosting package you choose will depend on the capabilities you
want to have for your web site.
Features to
consider:
-
Amount of
storage space in MB
-
Amount of
allowed traffic, or data transfer, in MB without additional costs
-
Ease of
transferring files from your computer to theirs, also known as
FTP
-
Set-up fees
in addition to monthly fees
-
Availability
of daily data backup
-
Email
addresses and availability of web-based email
-
Uptime
guarantees (the percentage of time your site will be up and
available for customers to view, and not "down" and
unavailable)
-
Availability
of technical support, either by phone, email or live chat.
-
Availability
of E-Commerce features, such as online shopping cart software
-
Ability of
future upgrades from one plan to another
Depending on
your web site objectives, a basic "no-frills" web-hosting
package may offer the storage space, the data transfer and additional
features that are right for you. Some companies will easily upgrade your
hosting package to the next level if you find you need more storage
space or data transfer. Others will add on the extra features to your
account as you need them. The most crucial aspect of any web
hosting company is their track record of "uptime." There are
companies, such as www.InternetSeer.com
that will monitor the amount of uptime of your web page and report
downtime error to you via email.
--Back
to top--
|
Introductory
Special |
As part of our
website design introductory special, Katy
Online Design provides web hosting for your web pages for the first
year for free.
|
|
Building a Website
|
Design: The
size and design of your web site will depend on the information you want
to convey to your customers. More is not necessarily better. Your web
site should be easy to read and easy to navigate so that customers can
quickly find what they are looking for. Large amounts of data on a page
can take a long time to display on a visitor's screen, and can leave a
potential customer confused and frustrated. Pages should take less than
60 seconds to load using a 28.8 bps modem.. If it takes longer to load
all the information on your page, consider putting the information on
two or more pages, with clear, easy-to-identify links to each
page.
When writing
the content of your web site, provide information that is useful to the
customer but not overwhelming. Organize information with headings,
bullets, two-or three sentence paragraphs and other easy-to-read
layouts. If possible, use your search engine keywords throughout the
text on all pages.
Use photos and
graphics with care, since these will use up storage space quickly and
slow down a web page.
Meta
Tags:
Search engines read meta tags to match keywords on web pages with search terms
entered by a user. Written in html, these tags are located in the head
section of a web page and are not visible on the page itself, only in
the web page's source code. Among other things, meta tags are used to
provide a description of the web page as well as list keywords for
search engines. There are free meta tag generators and analyzers available online to
help you maximize your meta tags benefits. You can create meta tags at http://www.trafficzap.com/
or analyze your meta
tags at www.scrubtheweb.com/abs/meta-check.html.
Search
Engines: Being listed with the top search engines is considered by
many to be an important tool for helping visitors find your site. High
rankings on a search engine means being listed on the first few pages of
the list of search engine results. Different search engines have
different guidelines when it comes to submitting web sites for
inclusion. Some charge for inclusion, some don't. Some charge for
inclusion but can't guarantee a high ranking. Some will include your
site for free, but take months to add it. Search engines consider
information in meta tags, such as the web site's title, description and
key words. Some search engines also scan the web sites' content for
keyword matches.
Because many
web site owners are eager to unlock the secrets of search engine
optimization, it has become a business unto itself. Many books and
courses are available on search engine optimization techniques. Many
companies are now available to analyze a site's keyword density or
maximize meta tag efficiency. Interested in knowing your page rank?
Click here to see how your page performs at www.exactseek.com/.
Find out how your page rates on keyword density at this site: http://www.keyworddensity.com/
--Back
to top--
|
Introductory
Special |
As part of our
website design introductory special, Katy
Online Design will develop
meta tags for your web pages, write keyword-rich text, and submit
your site to the top free-inclusion search engines for free.
|
Get Started Today
If you are
ready to take your business online, we can help. We offer affordable
assistance with all aspects of website design and development. From domain name
selection and registration to website design and website hosting, we can provide the best solutions for your
business website needs.
|
Call Today |
Call us now at
281-844-1338 to get your website
design started today. |
|
|
