Website Setup
Setting up a business website is easy and inexpensive. However, if not done correctly, it may cause a lot of trouble in the future. All website owners should be aware of two very important aspects of a website: the domain name and the web host.
Domain Name Registration
Domain Registrar: an accredited company that registers and secures domain names for individual users. After you have completed domain registration with the chosen domain registrar, the domain becomes yours for the registered period which can be one year or multiple years. Before your registration expires, you must renew your domain name with your registrar, or the domain name becomes available to the general public.
Domain Registrant: the individual or the business entity that registers the domain name. Only the domain registrant can renew and transfer the domain, plus change all related settings of a domain name.
The most valuable asset when it comes to business website is the domain name. Many business owners let their web designer to register the domain name, thus the web designer ends up as the registrant of the domain name. Only the registrant of a domain can renew the domain registration and make changes to domain settings. If for some reason, the relationship between the business and the web designer ends, the business may have a difficult time to claim the right to use the domain. So, always register the domain name yourself!
Choose a Reliable Web Host
Every website needs to be hosted on a web server which a web hosting company provides. Not all web hosts are the same. Not only should the web host be reliable and fast, it should guarantee its uptime (the time when it is functional). Look for a minimum uptime of 99.5%. For a business website, downtime means loss of potential customers and revenue!
Losing leads or sales orders in email can be devastating to a business. Having a solid web host often means less downtime for emails. For most small- to mid-sized companies, the email server and the web server often reside on the same computer. So, choosing the right web host can also save you the trouble with email.
Avoid having your website hosted by small local companies. These web hosts don't have the necessary resources and technologies to guarantee a reliable hosting solution. Plus, small companies often charge much more for the same hosting features.
When chosing a web hosting company, consider:
- Choose a large well-known company
- Avoid small local company that lacks reliability
- Go with a host that offers 24 hours technical support
- Avoid having your web designer or web design company host your website
Recommended Web Hosts
We have tried and tested these web hosts and highly recommend their services: