Choosing a Free Web Host

Amsterdam servercluster in its own rack
Image via Wikipedia

There are so many web-hosting options out there that it might seem to be a bit overwhelming. However, did you know there are free hosting services out there that can provide a platform to let you have a professional looking site? You do need to do a bit of research and homework. You may not be happy with the first free host you find. Take some time and compare hosting plans, and here are few guidelines to help.

  • What is the host plan’s disk space capacity? You need to find a host that will provide adequate space for your website. Host web space offerings can range from 100 MB to 5,000 MB. You may need to determine your site’s space requirements before choosing a host. You may need to actually reconsider the free option if you can’t find a free host offering the space you need.
  • Take into account the type of advertising that will be displayed on your site. Some free hosting companies use these ads as a way to pay for the hosting services. There are some free hosting companies that do not require ad displays and may even allow you to post your own ads.
  • Find out what type of operating system they use. While most are based on a Unix platform, with a little research, you may find a Windows-based host if that’s what you require. Be aware that some hosts may offer free Windows hosting as an introductory special.
  • Find out how many e-mail accounts go along with your website. Some may not offer any at all, while others may offer free email as well.

Make sure you understand all the requirements and limitations that are spelled out in the fine print. Follow the terms of service carefully, as you do not want to have your site pulled for a violation.

Filed Under: Internet, Web Hosting Tagged With: , ,

Finding the Best Web Hosting Service

front view of the cluster of Wikimedia servers...
Image via Wikipedia

Creating an online business or having an online presence means you’ll need to have your website or blog hosted. Finding the best one for your needs can be a great boon to your online business or presence.

The first step in finding the best web hosting service for your site is to establish your budget. There are free, no-frills services available that offer you limited space but, in exchange, they dot your website with advertisements.  There are also many expensive ones that will perform all sorts of monitoring services, provide heaps of data and statistics, and allow tons of space and traffic. The middle of the road services give you a reasonable amount of space, can handle a decent amount of traffic, and provide you with a basic suite of tools to effectively manage your site.

You also need to decide between shared hosting or dedicated hosting. Shared hosting is when you share the space and tools with others. Shared hosting is typically the cheaper alternative, and you can easily manage multiple webpages. Dedicated hosting, on the other hand, is a server that hosts only your site. This is by far the most expensive option, but it is also the one that will get you the most service. Larger businesses or sites with detailed and intensive shopping options often choose dedicated hosting services. Dedicated hosting services also give you an added measure of protection for sensitive information like customer’s credit card numbers or addresses.

Once you’ve made these decisions and settled on a hosting company, then all you need to do is sign up and provide payment information. Many hosting services offer different plans; if your site is fairly new and untried you may opt for a shorter plan so that you’re not locked into a long-term contract.

Finding the best web hosting service for your page or business is integral to its success and security. Like many other things, you get what you pay for, so do your research and choose wisely.

Filed Under: Business, Web Hosting Tagged With: , ,

Learning Web Design Can Grow Your Business

If your business doesn’t have a website, it’s time to get out of the dark ages and promote your business in a manner that draws traffic through the Internet. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get started either.

Hiring someone to build and then maintain your website can get expensive. Professional designers charge in the thousands of dollars to get your website up and running, then charge you more to maintain it upon completion.

Steps to Web Design Made Simple:

§                      If you’re a beginner, the first thing you need to get is a Domain name. For example, if you are selling sports memorabilia, a good domain name might be “bestsportsmemorabilia.com”. Getting a Domain name does not mean you have a website, it simply means you own the rights to that name, and can use it for web design purposes. There is an annual fee to have a Domain name.

§                      Before you can build a website you must choose a Web Host and sign up for an account. Essentially, having a Web Host means your potential website has a home, a place that is recognizable to other internet users across the world. Make sure your host can handle things like playing media files with Ares or xvid codec and other high-bandwidth items.  Finding the right web host can be tricky, but a little research goes a long way towards finding the one that meets your needs.

§                      If cost is a concern, there are many locations on the Internet that take you through the steps of building your own site. If you’re going the free route, find something online that speaks your language, something not too techy, but something that gets you rolling.

For those just starting out in the world of web design, many accredited colleges and universities offer online programs. If you’re serious about attracting people to your business, and obtaining a lifetime skill, these universities can lay the groundwork for a successful operation.

Filed Under: Business, Web Design Tagged With: , ,

Web Management: Close to Building the Tower of Babel

Who here loves Scripture? (looks to see how many hands are raised) You know, the Bible? Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms? That’s Old Testament stuff, though. But the reason for all those questions is to see if you’re familiar with the famous story of Babel, probably the tallest tower ever conceived and built by man. You’ll learn about it in the book of Genesis.

Unfortunately for many of the ambitious workers and masterminds behind it, God confused them all by creating somewhere around seventy languages, so no one understood each other! Hence construction of the Tower of Babel halted, ending the goal to reach the heavens.

Web management is something close to that. Lucky for you, God won’t give you some weird alien language that no one will understand! But for Christ’s sake, it’s like building a tower all on your own and making it sure it doesn’t topple. Managing web sites all on your own is a tough biz—but a rewarding one.

Enter: the AIIM Essentials unique web management course called the Fundamentals of WCM Technologies Elearning Bundle.

This course is your bread and butter of learning the first steps of web management right from the introduction to the core points leading up to application and experience. Any project manager, architect, developer, production selection team member, IT manager, business analyst, consultant, or—quite frankly—anyone wanting to implement WCM (Web Content Management) technological techniques to your business, whatever it may be, can learn something from this course.

The only thing the course does NOT provide is an evaluation of specific products or even the means to produce your own platform. But you won’t need a course for that, to be honest. That’s all on your end. If you have enough ambition to learn to build that Tower of Babel (sort of like Babel, actually), then building it should be a snap! A long snap, maybe…

Filed Under: General, Internet Tagged With: , ,

The Increasing Ease of Web Design

When the web and Internet sites were first created, the Internet was primarily the realm of professionals who had access to programs, such as Dreamweaver, and knowledge of HTML. These were, for the average user, often out of reach due to lack of training and cost of software. As technology has advanced, the realm of web design has been given more and more over to the amateur who wants to start a small business, build a personal site, or start a blog.

Many users can easily purchase a web domain through a host company, such as Host Gator, Go Daddy, and a variety of others. These companies often have a basic program that users can use to design their websites. They can pick backgrounds, colors, set ups, and styles with a few clicks of the mouse, and their pages will be up and running. These programs also help them to manage photos, video, blog posts, and even advertising. You can add and track advertising revenue through Google Analytics, which is a popular source of revenue for many web professionals.

There is also increasing ease for those wanting to create their own web applications, through the use of such programs as Java. With the increasing use of various applications as different programming options, the web is becoming a solid mix of professional design and general-user creation. There are still those, especially businesses, that choose to hire professionals to design their websites for them. This gives them more freedom to focus on other matters, as the professional handles troubleshooting and updating.

Whatever path the user takes, there are numerous choices to web design. You can either get in-depth training to handle serious web building or rely on a basic program to handle most of the work for you. This has opened up the path to getting an address on the web to users of all skill levels.

Filed Under: Web Design, Web Hosting Tagged With: , ,

Content Management System Tips

You have a website – great – but how are you managing it? If you’ve found that managing your site is a bit trickier than you expected, you need to look at your content management system. If you haven’t even thought about managing anything, it’s time to stop being a website building newbie and it’s time to look into the tools the big boys and girls use. You deserve to work just as efficiently as they do.

Your CMS Should Think for You

We all want our technology to work for us, as much as possible. This allows us to get on with our lives, instead of burying our noses in a book to find out how to stop something from happening. When you’re looking at the content management system options, you will want to look for something that is intuitive. Whenever possible, you should take the company up on their offer for a free trial. This will give you a chance to see how the program works with your own knowledge (or lack thereof). If the company offers a thirty-day trial, make the most of this trial. Try out all of the functions and the options to see if this is something that will help you to actually get work done, or if this is something that will just confuse you and waste more of your time. You might need to try on a few different CMS programs before you settle on just one.

What Can Your CMS Do?

If your website is something that will sell items to customers, you need to make sure that your CMS can support you in this endeavor. When you choose your CMS program, it should be helpful for certain tasks, not just so-so in every task. If you can find a CMS that is going to be able to specialize in working with the sort of business and site you are trying to build or to maintain, then you will be golden. Check to see what other websites are using the CMS you want to use. And then see if you want your site to look like they do.

Being Computer Savvy Should Not Be a Must

You might have a stronger background in website maintenance than others you know, which is great. But a CMS program should not be just for those who know more about their hard drives than about current events. You will want to spend some time looking for a CMS program that will allow you to do things without having to be a geek. The simplest of programs can do the most complex of things, especially when the program is also intuitive and specialized in certain areas of content management.

While you might have no idea what a content management system is, that’s okay. In fact, it’s better than you don’t know what it is and you can simply use it to manage the content on your site. Sometimes, the less you know, the better.

Filed Under: Internet, Marketing Tagged With: , ,
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