FAQs

What is web hosting?

A web host is a computer somewhere that is always on so that whenever someone wants to look at a web page, the files that make it up are available. All your web page files will be stored there. That host will also be partially responsible for any email sent to you@yourdomainname. Features of web hosting include storage space and data transfer. Storage space is how much space on the host’s computer your files are allowed to take up. Data transfer, simply put, means how many and what size files your website visitors are allowed to look at or download per month.

What costs are associated with having a website?

Websites can be complicated. There are a number of costs involved. It’s a little like buying a vehicle in that way – the initial price varies depending on what your needs are and then there are ongoing costs as well. You need three things to get a site on the web: the actual pages, like the one you are looking at now; web hosting; and a domain name. You will need to make ongoing payments keep your domain name active. You will likely need to pay yearly to have your site hosted. You may also pay to have the content of your website changed every so often.

How do I choose a domain name?

Please be aware that available domain names ending in “.com” are becoming rare, so you’ll want to have a number of options in mind if you’d like a .com. You may consider using .ca if you’re Canadian, or .org if you are an organization. However, regular .com addresses are easiest for people to remember. Also, keep in mind that you may have to verbally tell people what your domain name is, and they’ll need to get every character correct to find you. For example, you’ll have to say “dash” wherever there might be a dash, and if there are numbers you’ll have to specify if the visitor is to type a number (3) or spell it out (three). You’ll also want something that is easy to spell and is reasonably short.

What is a search engine?

Chances are good that you already know some of the most popular search engines – Google and Yahoo for example. Basically, these are programs that look through all the web documents they can find and create indexes of them. People who want to search for something on the web type keywords into search engines to see a list of web pages containing those terms.

What is search engine submission?

Search engine submission is the simplest way to get your site recognized by search engines. Submission involves going to certain pages of search engines’ sites, entering your URL (domain name) and sometimes a description of the site. Be aware that it may take weeks or even months after submission before the search engine indexes your page. Search engine submission is generally not an adequate way to market your site online and may not even be necessary.

What is search engine optimization?

Search engine optimization is the process of making your site friendlier to search engines. There are structural elements involved in this, and if I design your site, those will be taken care of. Also, there are places in a site that aren’t visible to most people that should contain some descriptive information about your site, partially for the benefit of search engines. Key words–words that people will be entering into search engines to find your site–are particularly important and should be incorporated into your text.

What is site maintenance?

Some sites will need more frequent changes than others. At the very least, any links you have made to other sites need to be checked regularly to make sure they still work.

You can attract visitors back again and again if you provide them with useful information that is changed regularly. Not only that, but many search engines will put sites that are updated frequently closer to the top of the results list when someone conducts a key word search.

If you plan on changing the content of your site frequently, you may wish to consider investing in a “content management system” that will enable you to make the changes yourself.

For web applications, including content management systems, the software running the site may need to be updated regularly.

What should I put on my website?

Think about the purpose of the site and develop your content around that. Are you intending to sell something? Do you want to build trust in a service you provide? Who do you expect to visit your site – current customers, potential customers or both? How do you wish to serve these visitors? Do you want your site to be an informational resource? Do you want to give visitors the ability to enter information, perhaps to create a database of potential clients?

Visit other sites in the same business as you to see what they put on their sites. Of course, it’s illegal to copy their content! But you’ll get some ideas.