Web Hosting - What You Should Know

The registration of a domain name is the first step in creating a web presence. The other name of this is the uniform resource locator, each website has one. After you have decided then name of your website you will need a web host. A web host has a server that is linked to the Internet so people from all parts of the world can access your website. You must also agree to the web hosting agreements. When it comes to web hosting, you can either outsource it to a web hosting company or host your own website.

You can consider hosting your website within your company if the data that you post in your web pages is critical and needs secure transmission over the internet. The disadvantages of this practice are that you would need to hire personnel for the exclusive purpose of maintaining the website and ensuring that the site has a 99.9 percent uptime.

However, if you decide to let another firm handle the web hosting, you'll have more time to yourself while they are dealing with the everyday chores of managing your site. Some of those chores are checking every link to detect broken ones, ensuring the site is accessible at all times, and removing obsolete text.

There are web hosting companies who will agree to manage your websites responses. The company will have you publish a generic e-mail address on your site and the web hosting company will then sort through all the messages for you. In this way, you only have to check your private e-mail account for the mail that they have forwarded to you for your response.

Locating the best web hosting company could spell the difference between the success or failure of your business. It is not something that should be taken lightly to ensure that your business gets the most from its web hosting company.

You might wish to take the following suggestions when you are selecting a hosting service. Pick a company with sound fiscal underpinnings. Find out what you can about the outsourcing firm, particularly as regards customer service and support. Then draw up an airtight contract and get approval of it by the outsourcer.

If you are thinking of enlisting the help of a web hosting company the best piece of advise that you can follow is choosing a web hosting company that can offer you the best service to help your business succeed; price doesn't mean that a company is better than another, experience and client satisfaction is what counts.

Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions on Domain Name Registration

1. Which characters are allowed in Internet domain names?

For normal ASCII domain names, the letters a-z, the numbers 0-9, and one special character, the hyphen or dash "-". Note that domains cannot start or end with a hyphen. For the new tested IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names), the full range of Unicode characters are available. This allows nearly all of the languages on the planet to be represented within domain names, including Thai, Arabic, Lao, Hebrew, French, German etc.

2. How many characters can a Internet domain name have?

Generic domains (gTLDs) can have 63 characters in the second level, plus the top level domain, .com, .net etc.

3. How long can I register a Internet domain name for?

In most cases, you are allowed to register a Internet domain name for period of one to ten years. Longer periods are not currently allowed by the registry.

4. How long do Internet domain registrations take to make & process?

Typically ten minutes or so. Once you have chosen the name and paid the fee, most registration systems will register your name in near real-time.

5. Do I "own" a domain name I register?

Not really, it is more like a rental agreement. But importantly, you have the exclusive right to renew the agreement with the registry at the end of the initial registration period, so effectively you can keep the name as long as you want.

6. Why does my Internet domain name still show as unregistered in a WHOIS tool?

WHOIS tools are meant to show the nameserver / contact information for domain names held by a particular ICANN registrar. They are typical not updated in real-time and thus are not good indicators of current domain registration status.

7. How will I know if a Internet domain registration attempt has been successful?

WHOIS tool takes anything up to 48 hrs to be updated so can't be relied on. A better indicator is whether you receive a confirmation e-mail from the domain registrar. You could also try registering the name again. By doing so, the registrar will do a "live" availability check on the name, which will indicate to you whether the name has been registered or not. This is not the same as a WHOIS look-up.

8. How long do domain names take to be active after registration?

Approximately 24 - 48 hrs, though because nameservers work as a distributed network, it can take up to 72 hrs or more before your domain name is accessible to all Internet users worldwide.

9. Can I register a Internet domain for later use?

There is no problem in registering domain names first, and using them later on. In fact, it is estimated that among 80% to 90% of all domain names are "idle".

10. Can I get a refund if I make a mistake & register the wrong name?

Nearly all domain registrars operate a strict no refund policy. This is because they are charged a non-refundable fee by the registry to perform the registration.

By J. Leong

Terminology Review

Domain

As the first step to your new online presence, your domain name is one of the critical factors in the success of your online endeavour. In the online world, your domain name is the equivalent of your store name and address (location) all rolled into one. A good domain name contributes directly to the bottom line through traffic generation (type-in and search engine) and improved brand image (better conversion to sales due to increased credibility). Make sure you consider the value of these benefits when determining your acquisition budget. Finally, don’t forget that acquiring a premium domain name is an investment, not an expense. Your domain name is an asset, one that usually increases in value over time and can later be resold for a profit.

Hosting

Is the term that is used when publishing a web-site on the World Wide Web. Once you have developed your web-site, a server is required to store it and deliver it to the Internet when required. Due to the costs and technical expertise required to accomplish this, individuals and organizations partner with a hosting company to lower their costs while retaining performance and reliability