Anyone thinking about creating a business on the Internet will have to learn about the businesses of website design, hosting, and domains.
If you are creating a website you will need to know these things about websites, hosting, and domains. The following information is to help new business owners. But it is also to help existing business owners identify how to resolve a potential “website down” problem.
Domains and Registering a Domain
Before you begin working on a website you will probably create a legal business entity such as a partnership, LLC, or INC. At the same time you should be thinking about the domain name you will use for your business. It can either be exactly the same or completely different.
Once you decide on one or more domain names you need to go on a domain registrant to find out if they are available and how much they cost. Once you decide to register a particular domain, you need to keep track of the Domain Registrant, their website, and possibly their contact information.
The domain you purchase or license is good for a specific number of years. If you don’t have your domain on auto-renew, if you forget the registrant website/company, or if you change your email – you can easily loose track of your domain. It might sound uncommon, but it happens more often than you would think.
We can help you register your domain.
Websites Design and Development
The website design is created by a website developer aka a coder. The design is a combination of technology, standard business practices, and creative or branded visuals. Here are WWW Enterprises we typically offer WordPress websites. WordPress website have a wide variety of themes that are customized for your business. It is possible to have a 100% custom coded website, but that is a bit more costly.
Even though you are paying someone to create your website, you still need to provide the content for the website. You need to provide your logo, the information about the company, you contact information, and details about your products or services. You will also need to provide images that are royalty free copyright images from paid stock photography companies or you can provide your own photos or graphics.
Your website developer is not necessarily the same company that you registered your domain at or that you are hosting your website and email at.
Hosting Companies and Email
Once your website is coded/created it has to reside somewhere. This is where the hosting company comes into the picture. Your website will reside on a computer server at the hosting company. They will make backups and offer some support. However the website isn’t on the Internet until your registered domain is connected to your website at the hosted company.
Your website is LIVE on the Internet once these connections are complete.
When you host a website you usually get a few domain-based emails. However some businesses host their email servers with a different hosting company.
Documentation
After you set up your website you might think you will always remember this information but when problems occur it it a good idea for you to have some of this information documented in a spreadsheet or business records book.
Should your website “go down” it could be that your domain was not renewed, or that you hosting fees where not paid, or perhaps some new browser technology is having problem with your website.
The bottom line it to keep track of these three businesses associated with your website.
Or work with WWW Enterprises and we’ll be your one contact.