Continued from page 1
- Disk Space - This is
physical amount of space that host allocates to you for files that you upload to server. - Bandwidth - Bandwidth is amount of space that you have available to transfer files from your website to another end-user of your websites computer. - Windows, Linux or BSD? - While a user of Windows XP may think it is preferable to use a windows host, in actuality it really doesn't matter. In-fact a hosting company that uses windows as a hosting platform sacrifices themselves a little bit on reliability. Choose a Linux or BSD hosting provider, they are typically much more reliable and often cheaper too. - Email accounts - If you're online you probably already know what an email account is, make sure you get some with your hosting account. - Control Panel - Make sure that they offer a control panel. CPanel and H-Sphere are both popular ones with hosting companies. H-Sphere hosts will typically be more reliable because it distributes your website to various application specific servers. Cpanel hosts typically have everything on one server, so if your websites down your email is too. - Finally, if you chose to use an online website creator above for cost or usability reasons; make sure that host has an online website creator.
Avoid hosting companies who offer unlimited in any of above categories. I recommend and personally use MegaHosters (http://www.megahosters.com).
If you build it, they will not come - how to promote your new site
One of biggest errors many people make is thought that all you have to do is build a website and people will come. This is completely wrong and if you follow this thought it won't be long before you give up on your new website.
You have to promote it, then promote it some more and once you think your done doing it twice over, promote it again.
Think of it like this, a website is like a business placed a half-mile off freeway, while you may occasionally get visitors (2-3 times month from type-in traffic) you will never be successful unless you can move your business closer to freeway, promotion does this. Every time you promote your business you move it a few feet closer to freeway.
Since there are literally dozens of ways to promote your new website I will not go in detail on them here, but I will provide a brief list of some of more common methods.
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising - a very quick way to get targeted visitors from search engines to your website. - Forums - Forums are a place that you can go and write with other people about various subjects. Chose one similar to your website and participate often. Make sure not to directly post about your site; but if you provide good information in your posts people will visit your website. (How will people know what your website is if you don't tell them about it? Put a link and a short descriptive text in what is called a signature). - Search Engines - submit your site to search engines (Manually, one at a time. Never use submission tools that submit your site to dozens, or even hundreds of search engines. Search engines forbid automated submission tools and may even ban you from their index - very bad.). - If you're a business put your website address (or URL) on everything that anyone can see (e.g. your car, letters, email signatures, business cards, invoices, packaging, clothing, etc.). - Reciprocal links - find other website that would compliment yours and offer them a link on your website in exchange for one on theirs. - If you have employees, hold a contest with them to see who can get your website address shown in most prominent place.
Avoid following when trying to promote your site as they will never help (never).
- FFA - Free for all link exchanges - Spamming in any form - Sending unsolicited emails, posting unrelated messages about your business in forums, Usenet, or in IRC.
In closing, this overview of how to create a website leaves out many important details to consider; primarily on different promotional methods and on some additional alternatives for each of sections. However, it was intended to only address essential portions of creating a website.
This article should have helped you to create a website, buy a domain name and promote website, all of which are essential to success of your website.
Remember you have to promote your website, then promote it some more and once you think your done doing it twice over, promote it again. It is only sure-fire way to ensure that your website isn't like many of other millions of websites that are closed each year because of lack of visitors/sales.
Joel Strellner is a freelance web designer and php programmer located in Sacramento, CA. You can visit his website at http://www.joelstrellner.com. This article and many more are available there too.
