Articles
- New trends in web hosting business
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The market is good for new Web hosting companies. According to Forrester Research, there is now “positive — if modest — growth for Web hosting and managed IT services, at both the enterprise and SMB levels.”
This is an especially good business to be in if you are a web designer or IT consultant. It fits naturally with the business model of such small consulting firms. Why refer out or miss out on selling a service that most small businesses need? Hosting is an excellent source of monthly recurring revenue. Read more... - Web Hosting Provider Checklist
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Before you can launch your web site, you'll need to engage the services of a web hosting company.A web host allows you to rent space on a web server. Your web pages are then stored on this server, and the host computer allows other people connected to the Internet to view them.How to choose the right web hosting company?
You might want to consider how long the company has been in business, how reliable it is known to be, and how expensive it would be if you want to upgrade your plan in future. Read more... - Overview of the web hosting industry
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In search of a webhosting company for personal or small business purposes? We advise you to take a look at this article to understand the hosting industry and study its dynamics to know what to look for before you make your choice.
First, a brief introduction to the webhosting chain: the end consumer is served by about 3 upstream providers: the webhosting provider that they have direct contact with, the webhost's upstream company who maintains the servers and sells space to webhosts, and above that, the datacenter that provides the connection and houses the servers. Some webhosts are also the server admins and liase with the datacenters directly. Read more... - General issues with web hosting companies
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For those of you with Web sites, you probably know what a “host” is. It’s a company that provides a location, or address, on the Internet where your Web site resides.
In other words, just like a physical business needs an address, so does a Web site. You can’t have a Web site and just “stick it up” on the Web. Unless you want to set up your own server, you have to go through a hosting company who gives you that address, including server space and bandwidth, that enables the search engines and visitors to find your site. Read more...
| Hiring a Web Design Company |
| Blog - Web Hosting | |||
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Regardless whether you manage a small business, charitable organization, or Fortune 500 company, choosing the right web design firm can quickly become a full-time research project. With thousands of web design companies to choose from, what factors truly determine which design company is best for your business? The primary considerations for choosing a web design company are: - Price - Customer service/access to support - Credibility indicators of the design firm - Portfolio and design experience - Other services offered (domain renewal, hosting, SEO) - Turnaround time Let’s take a closer look at each consideration in detail, and explore how to identify and qualify the right web design company. Price Like many products and services we purchase, both personally and professionally, deciding on a web design company can often come down to price. But the value of the services rendered is really what’s important. A $200 web site usually turns out to look, feel and perform like a $200 web site. The price of your site’s development will depend on three factors: the features of the site, the amount of content, and the service options included with the design package, such as hosting. Because pricing varies by firm, here are several principles to use when determining the validity and value of a web design quote: - Does the quote state one all-inclusive price for the entire project? - Is there a reoccurring monthly fee for hosting? - Is the site custom-built, or is it customization of an existing template? - Is there a separate fee for content development, such as writing sales copy? - Is domain registration/management included in the package? - Will the firm provide multiple design concepts, prior to actual development? It’s important to compare quotes from at least three firms to, determine the value of the services offered. Looking for the best value is important in a competitive service market. Customer Service There’s nothing worse than signing with a web design company that offers a great product, only to find out they are impossible to contact. Consistent, open contact with your web design company is important for ensuring success before, during, and after your web site is developed. Throughout the design process, you may identify text, photos, or contact information you’d like to change before the site goes live. If you have immediate questions regarding your site’s development, you’ll be glad to have immediate contact with customer support staff by e-mail, telephone, or live chat. If you are limited to e-mail technical support, consider other firms that offer a wider range of customer service options such as telephone and live chat support. E-mail is great for convenience – when it’s convenient. Credibility Indicators Identifying "credibility indicators" can help ensure a web design company is trustworthy, and will be around after your deposit or full payment is sent. Credibility indicators include, but are not limited to: - Toll free telephone support - 24 hour customer service - Better Business Bureau affiliation - Human e-mail address contacts - Google PageRank of 2 or above - Presentation of a hard-copy quote/design contract Design Experience/Portfolio Does the web design company have experience in working with similar types of businesses? Even if a designer doesn’t have a web site in their portfolio related to your industry, the firm you select should have a strong working knowledge of how to develop an effective site for your business type. Product and service web sites are not the same. Your designer should have a plan of action for developing a site that reaches the maximum number of prospective customers in your target market. A few good questions to ask about a firm’s design experience include: - Does the web design company offer a number of diverse, finished web sites available for review? - Will the web design company conduct research regarding my competition? - Will my web site highlight the features, benefits and value of my product or service? - Has the web design company outlined a plan of action for creating an effective site, start to finish? Design experience need not always relate to the type of web sites the firm has previously developed. If you have a specific look in mind, ask the firm if achieving a similar design is possible. The ultimate goal is to know you’re going to get a tangible benefit out of your site through effective, affordable web design. Additional Services Many web design companies offer design, but do not provide other required services such as hosting and domain name registration. Ideally, your web design company should be a full-service firm, offering at least basic hosting, domain registration and search engine optimization services tailored to your needs. Research each firm to determine other key lines of business, so that any future expansion of your site will be seamless as your business grows. Turnaround Time An effective website should take 30-60 days to go live, from the start of production. Unless you’re offering hundreds of individual products or services on your web site, the entire development process, start to finish, should take no longer than 60 days. Turnaround time should include: -Upload of your web site to the hosting provider - Configuration of any scripts or forms on your site - Domain propagation (accessing your web site and e-mail via yoursite.com) Hiring the cheapest, fastest, or most elaborate web design company does not always equate to hiring the right web design firm. A limited amount of front-end research can save time and money in the long term, and maximize the sales revenue from your web presence.
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Highly trained staff will answer all your questions and provide you with professional assistance in developing your website or installing software.