Developing our own ecommerce web site isn’t easy. And finding the best web site host can be frustrating. So we need to go through a process of deciding what our real problems are and what we really need. In this article, we will step through the top five “real” problems and look for a nuts and bolts solution that will meet us where we are today and take us where we need to be tomorrow.
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“Everybody is doing it.” Boy you have heard that little phrase thrown at you often enough, especially when it comes to designing and hosting your web site.
It can get confusing, that’s for sure. All we want is to get our web site up and have it work really well. But how to get from no web site or from a simple one to a sophisticated site? This is one of what seems like a million questions that come up as we make these important decisions.
Questions, Questions, Questions
The decision on finding the best web site host is not a trivial thing. So the questions that pop into your head can be both confusing and intimidating including…
§ How can I build a web site if I don’t know any programming languages?
§ Who can I trust to help me get my ecommerce domain name registration done right?
§ What about Linux based web hosting? What are the advantages and who can advise me on this decision?
§ How do I decide who is the best web site host for me?
Our goal in this article to start to put some organization to the array of information that we all have to wrestle with when we are trying to pick just the right partner to put up the best web site host possible for our web pages.
Divide and Conquer
So often, when we are faced with a big problem, we have trouble getting our arms around how to even understand the problem, much less the solution. We know how hard it is to grapple with these questions.
They say that if you start to break a problem down into smaller and smaller pieces. So let’s ask two really simple but important questions of each part of the problem.
§ What is the REAL problem here?
§ What will the solution look like?
STEP 1 – A Domain to Call Our Own.
This whole process of getting a domain name can become a maze to those of us who don’t live and breathe computer lingo. Even if we were settled on our name, the path we need to tread to get the name reserved and getting it attached to our web site are hard to get your arms around sometimes.
The real problem is knowing what to do first, second and third. The whole issue of web hosting addresses and domain name registration seems murky and not easy to sort out.
The ideal solution would be to find the best web site host that would include services to either help us understand the whole domain registration process or just handle it for us at a reasonable rate.
STEP 2 – Talented and Cheap!
There really is no question that we are going to use a company to serve as our web hosting web site. So one of the primary goals of our quest is to find best web site host that will serve our needs well as we go online. To state it plainly, we want a web hosting service that is talented and cheap.
How can we cut through the hundreds of web hosting companies to find the one that is perfect for our needs? In short, we need a small business web host site that will be a repository of web design and hosting talent and they will offer there services for a reasonable price.
STEP 3 – There’s No Place Like Home
Your small business host web site will reside on a server somewhere. That is the place you upload your web pages to and that handles all of the traffic and much of the “business” that is generated by your web site. So right now, you consider what the best web site host that your ecommerce business web site will call home.
The real problem also is finding the best web site host that knows what our problems are and how to deal with people who are not web programmers but want a high quality ecommerce web hosting provider that can meal all of our needs.
The real solution will look like a company that is built from the ground up around servicing people like you and me that need someone to cut through the mumbo jumbo and help us get our web site up and working well quickly and economically.
STEP 4 – Do I look Like a Computer Guru?
The computer industry is not an easy one for the regular businessperson to understand.
The real problem is NOT that you don’t know how to program a web page or that your web programming skills are not up to the most recent bells and whistles the professional developers use.
The problem is that you SHOULDN’T HAVE TO know how to be a computer programmer just to have affordable ecommerce web site.
The ideal solution would look like a company that can not only provide anything from hosting a Linux streaming server to a FrontPage based host web site to a host MP3 site if we need it at a reasonable cost and without making us provide the training, the talent and the technical savvy to get the job done right.
STEP 5 – Where Do We Go From Here?
Even if you know exactly where you are in the development process, how do you go about mapping out what step one through one hundred is to take your site from where it is to a state of the art ecommerce web site?
The real problem can be summed up in one word – experience. We don’t have it and we need someone with a wealth of it.
The real solution will be a company that wins your trust because they build their services around your needs, your budget and your timeline.
Are We Dreaming?
Are we dreaming that such a company exists? The search for a company starts with recommendations from friends and others who like us want an affordable ecommerce web hosting company. The list we get from our research will almost certainly include epinions as a research tool.
But better than that, you will be able to find additional services as the sophistication of our site grows and so do our needs. Their services are leveled so we can step up at our pace so we are always at a level that we need and always have an answer to that question “where do we go from here?”
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Sandro is the creator of the http://www.sandrosalsi.com/ website. Since 1998 he has been helping ordinary people achieve "extra-ordinary" results in business and in life. He lives in Vancouver, BC - Canada, and he teaches Internet Marketing strategies. Learn to supplement your income, get free weekly tips and how-to advice by visiting the following link: http://www.sandrosalsi.com/articles/best-web-site-host.html - Where to Find the Best Web Site Host
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Web Site Domain Name.
Whats in a domain name. Domain name value
Choosing a domain name can be a real exercise in frustration, but it is one of the most important decisions you will make when getting your business online.
Why so difficult you ask? Well, for a start, almost every word in the English language (and I'm willing to bet most other languages too), has been taken in the most common domains. If you make widgets, you'll almost certainly find that 'widget.com' was purchased already back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the web.
To make matters worse, there are so many businesses out there with the same acronym as your business', it's likely that yours is gone too by now. Unless you are IBM, and can spend big money to either pay premium dollar for your domain, or sue for the rights to it, you're out of luck there too.
So what does that leave you with? Your full business name is a good start, however with hundreds of thousands of businesses operating around the globe, you may very well even find that problematic.
So how can you get your foot in the proverbial cyber-door? Here are some tips I have personally found helpful in the past:
- Start with your business name. If you're lucky, it might actually still be available. If so, buy it now for every country you will be likely ever operate in. There's nothing worse than preparing to expand into a new market, only to find that you have to operate under a completely different domain name in that country.
- Try some of the newer top-level domains. If you are a television studio, for example, you could register 'MyTVShow.tv' for your next series. Originally, there were seven top level domains, namely .com, .edu, .gov, .int, .mil, .net, and .org. Over time, however, more have been created. Aside from the country-specific domains, you might want to consider .aero, .biz, .coop, .info, .int, .jobs, .museum, .name, .pro and .travel if any of these support your business objectives.
- Create a new word and market it well enough to build brand identity. This is a more expensive choice, because it takes a while for people to start to remember your name. That said, once they do, they'll associate your business with a unique identity. It worked for Google, so why not for you?
- Try word combinations. These too are notoriously difficult to find unowned, but if you are a widget maker, and 'widget-makers.com' is available, perhaps you are in luck.
Of course, as with many things, it is often prudent to consult the experts. If your site is being developed by a professional web development business, they should be in a position to advise you from experience what pitfalls to avoid, and how to best market your business for maximum exposure on the internet.
David Malan is an internet and e-commerce expert with over ten years experience in designing and developing enterprise grade online solutions for business.
He owns and runs RealmSurfer Consulting, based in Perth, Western Australia.
Website: Web Design Perth About: About RealmSurfer Web Design Perth
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Malan
