Where to Start with a New Website
Before having a website on the internet you first need to plan ahead with two things… a domain name and a hosting package.
A domain name is the actual ‘address’ of your website. This should reflect the name of your business or what your business does, for example:
• http://www.hortiq.com.au/; or
• www.stgmagazine.com.au
If you plan to obtain a website that finishes with .au (this denotes it comes from Australia) then you are best to register the domain name with an Australian website registration company. However if you are after a .com site (it does not have .au on the end) then you may wish to register your domain name with a company based overseas.
Domain name registration can be done by yourself or by your IT staff. It is possible to register a domain name (so as to reserve it from another company poaching the idea or name) without actually paying for the hosting – this is a good business strategy even if you do not plan to have a website for a few years.
When you have your website domain registered you can then have it ‘uploaded’ onto the internet – this is when you require hosting. The website and domain name is placed on a server so that it can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are quite a few options when it comes to hosting and prices can vary but you should also look for hosting providers that supply daily backups, website statistics and good backup service.
Always consult with your IT staff to ensure you have a full and complete understanding of how your website works and specialised website developers to aid you in creating an effective web presence.
CRITICAL TIP
Allows ensure that registration of any website is owned by your company and not by an external internet website developer. Should you have problems with the developer it is important to have ownership.
Get a copy of the
• Certificate of Registration
• Hosting Site Access Codes (for the control panel and FTP transfers)
For hosting we recommend Hostgator (see link on the left) or Blue Host (see link below).
However you can host your website with any company you like – just look out for what services they provide, how many emails, brandwidth and what kind of security and backup service.
Key Points
- Register a domian name
- Organise hosting
- Undertake Search Engine Optimisation steps (SEO)
- Create and upload an XML Sitemap
- Continually add content and consider adding video
- Backup the website
- Use Google Analytics for website statistics
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