Launching your website

Whenyou are ready to launch your website, you will have to register a domain name for your site and find someone to host it:

Hosting your web site

'Hosting' refers to the company who 'host' your web pages on their web server, or put them up on the internet, usually for a fee, so others can access them.

Sticking with the 'Do-It Yourself' approach, you could set up your own web server but this can be both costly and time consuming and can also be less cost-effective than finding 'external' hosting. As regards external hosting, you will have to select a hosting company who best meets your requirements and fits within your budget.

Sometimes your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will offer you free hosting. However, free hosting often comes with a web address that is difficult to remember and which may not be good for creating a professional image (e.g. 'www.yourbusiness.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk'!). Be aware that Internet Service Providers also frequently limit the amount of memory that your site can use and may even impose bandwidth restrictions which mean that you could be charged money depending on the number of customers visiting your site.

If you decide to opt for a professional hosting company, costs can be in the region of £2-£30 per month depending on the company and the amount of space and features your site requires. Some sites, particularly those with a lot of images, will require more space than others, and might cost more to host. Professional hosting companies may also charge you extra based on the number of users who visit your site, so check their terms and charges before you commit.

Also, check to see whether the hosting company provides a fast, reliable service - you don't want customers to be put off by a site which is painfully slow to load or which is hosted on a server which frequently breaks down.

To find your own hosting company, the web is a good place to start looking. Type 'web hosting' into your search engine to search for an appropriate hosting solution.

Registering a domain name

At this stage you will want to obtain a web address for your company. Web addresses, or 'domain names', usually come in the form 'www.your business.com', although you can register extensions other than '.com', for example, '.biz', '.org' , and so on. If you are a company based in the United Kingdom, for instance, you will probably want to register 'www.yourbusiness.co.uk'.

Note, however, that the name you plan to use may already be registered by someone else. To see if the name you wish to use is still available, check <a href=" http://www.internic.net/whois.html">here</a> for addresses ending in .com, .net, etc., or <a href=" http://www.nominet.org.uk/">here</a> for .co.uk. addresses.

Once you have found a name that is still available, you must register it before you can use it. There are a number of companies who can register your name for you (try typing 'domain name' into your search engine), although your hosting company can usually do this for you as well.

Registering your domain name involves a fee which will vary depending on the company you employ, the number of years you wish to register the name for, and the extension you opt for - '.com' names cost more than '.co.uk' names, for example.

Some companies and Internet Service Providers offer free domain names with their hosting (see above). However, registering something simple and specific like ' www.yourbusiness.co.uk' is more likely to promote your business, impress potential customers, and prove easier for people to remember.

The above principles regarding hosting and web addresses should also be kept in mind if you decide to hire a professional web company to design and develop your site. This is the next topic we'll cover.

<< Previous :: Next >

Your Call To Action

Give Design Insite a call we will clearly explain the options which will ensure the visibility of your company to the online consumer Click to request your free Web Design quote or to talk us directly on +34 69 347 5142 in Spain.