By Vishal P. Rao
Part of the success of most home-based businesses is their
web presence. After all, you want to benefit from the global
exposure, reduced marketing expenses, and low entry costs.
But to receive those benefits, you must first get your web
site off the ground which means you need to select an
effective domain name and find reliable web hosting.
The tips below can help you accomplish both goals
successfully.
Picking a Domain Name
When it comes to choosing your web site's domain name, you
need to keep a few things in mind:
1. Your domain name should relate directly to the
product or service you provide. Avoid picking a name that is
vague or misrepresents your company.
2. Your domain name should be easy to remember. Keep
the name as short as possible, but do not use unconventional
spellings or add hyphens just to secure a version of the
name you want.
3. Your domain name should be simplistic. Do not pick
words which may be difficult to spell or which have multiple
spellings. Also, select words and phrases that are common
and easy to pronounce, especially if you are aiming your
business toward the general public.
4. Your domain name should be a .com address whenever
possible. Avoid selecting the less common extensions which
cost more to register and which will be largely unfamiliar
to your clients.
Once you do select a domain name, you should consider
registering other variations of the name. That way if
someone uses the wrong extension or adds a hyphen, he or she
still end up right where you want them.
Here are some good places to register your domain:
http://www.godaddy.com
(Recommended)
http://www.networksolutions.com
Choosing Web Hosting
You could literally go crazy trying to compare all of the
hundreds of hosting plans and providers on the market. To
narrow down your options, talk to friends and business
associates who have professional web sites.
Ask them which providers they use or recommend. A number of
Internet sites, such as CNET and Epinions, allow users to
share their thoughts about web hosting companies, so their
input could be valuable in your search also.
Once you've found a manageable number of potential
providers, you can begin to compare plans. Here are a few
things you should focus on:
• Money Back Guarantee - Many providers offer a
30-Day money back guarantee so that you can try their
service risk free. Always look for this option so you don't
get stuck with a service you're unhappy with.
• Storage Space - This is the amount of room you will
have for your site. Of course, you don't want to pay for
room you don't need, but you also want room to grow. If
you've a small site in mind 10-15 MB should be sufficient to
begin with.
• Bandwidth/Data Transfer - Data transfer (bandwidth
usage) refers to how much data/information is sent to or
received from your hosting account on the server over a
specified period of time. Usually it is measured monthly.
More the visitors to your site, more bandwidth you'll
require. Small sites usually suffice with 1 GB/month.
• Site Speed - This is very important factor while
considering a hosting service. This will decide how fast
your site loads when some one visits your site. Online
surfers are extremely busy, so you need a fast server. Or
else they will leave your site even before it gets loaded!
You may ask your hosting provider to provide you with a list
of their client's sites (if they can) for checking their
speed. Here's a good tool to check a site's speed:
http://www.hostpulse.com/app/networktools/ping.asp
• Customer Service - You strive to provide
exceptional service and you should expect nothing less from
your web hosting company. Look for multiple methods of
receiving service, such as a toll-free phone number or live
chat. You may also want to consider testing their response
time in advance.
• Uptime Guarantee - Your web site is like your
store. If your store is closed, you aren't making any money.
The same is true if your web site is down. You should only
choose a plan that provides at least a 99% uptime guarantee.
• Cost - Price should also be a deciding factor.
Cheaper is not always better, but there are reasonable rates
for quality hosting available if you do your research.
Never pay for a full year of service upfront, though you are
likely to pay less in the long run. You have to take into
consideration their after sales service too.
Also, as far as possible, try to choose a hosting company
that allows easy upgrade/downgrade between plans. This way
you can trim down your costs to the maximum.
Using these tips and suggestions, you should easily be on
your way to establishing a successful web presence and to
reaping all the benefits the Internet has to offer.
Also read:
http://www.epinions.com/inet- Web Hosting
Topics-Selection Criteria
http://www.webhostmagazine.com/hf/choose.asp
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Vishal P. Rao is the owner of
Home Based Business Opportunities
- One of Internet's leading website dedicated to starting,
managing and marketing a home based business.
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