Establishing Your Web Presence

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

Vishal P. Rao is the owner of: http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/ An online community of people who work at home.

---

The Dos and Donts of Launching a Small Business Website

Launching a new small business website is often a long... Read More

So You Want To Have A Website

So you want to have a website. You have gone... Read More

Beautiful Web Sites Seldom Make More Sales

Designing an E-commerce Web site is not as simple as... Read More

New Years Resolutions: Is Improving Your Website One of Them?

With the New Year upon us yet again, it's time... Read More

How One Word Or Even One Letter Can Boost Conversion Rates By Over 400%!

Recently I was reviewing the keyword specific conversion rate data... Read More

Why a CSS Website Layout Will Make You Money

Although CSS layouts have been around for years, they haven't... Read More

Tell me what your website does!

You know exactly what your organisation does and what your... Read More

Nonsense! Why Do I Need a Website?

"I don't sell anything online, I don't advertise online, in... Read More

Trust Us! Sending Credible Messages

A company must earn and keep trust or sales don't... Read More

How to Draw Icons or Images on a Mapserver Generated Map

In this example I have used the map of the... Read More

3 Reasons Why You Need URL Rewriting Module To Enchance Your Web

URL rewriting are major needs for your sites that produce... Read More

Product Promoting: Getting The Response

When you publish a content site there are times when... Read More

Why Every Small Business Owner Needs Two Websites

Every small business owner knows that they need a website,... Read More

You Dont Know Which One

I still remember it very clear ... It was almost... Read More

Your Future Profit Is In The Stars

You don't believe in astrology but you check your horoscope... Read More

7 Reasons YOU Need a Website

1) A marketing necessityI still hear it said from time... Read More

5 Sure Fire Ways To Send Visitors Away For Good

So your traffic is going through the roof yeah? It's... Read More

A Web Site for Your Small Business: How to Set Up a Website

Your web site will be your window to the world.... Read More

What and How to choose the Right Keywords for Mega Traffic

Keywords in Search Engine Optimizing and Search Engine Marketing are... Read More

Maintaining Your Business Website

QUESTION: Should I build and maintain my business Web... Read More

Why A Simple Counter is Never Enough for Your Website

A simple website stats counter is not enough if you... Read More

I Did It: Six Months to a Successful Website

For years now I've been looking to start my own... Read More

Making The Business Case For Web Standards

Through the explosive growth of the Web, companies have realized... Read More

Pick Up Your Own Domain Name

Think up a name and check if yourname.com is available.... Read More

Do You Need a Web Database?

Does My Web Site Require A Web Database?If your web... Read More

Five Steps to Create Your Software Product with Outsourcing

Many executives and investors are skeptical that software products can... Read More

Newsletter Management Using PHP w/o mySQL for Beginners

Let's begin by setting some limits. If you're like me,... Read More

Learn to Build a Better Online Business Website Using Keywords and Content

Are you aware that 90% of the websites on the... Read More

Three Things Every Website Should Do

When I started my company in 2002, I knew I... Read More

Getting a Web Site Can Be Fast, Easy, and Inexpensive When You Know Your Options

So what do you do if need to get a... Read More

Trinkets, Lockets And Empty Pockets

It never ceases to amaze me how many people set-up... Read More

My Yahoo Search - Beyond Bookmarks

Yahoo has long offered email, an online calendar, notes, bookmarks,... Read More

Marketing Your Business Online

As a business you can't afford to ignore the Internet... Read More