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Not sure why you need a Web site? Want to know what it's all about?
Find out what all the components are, what they do, and why. This
is the place to start.
- Introduction to Web sites
- What is Web hosting?
- What is the procedure for building
a Web presence?
- What is e-commerce?
- Which hosting plan fits my needs?
Essentially, a Web site is a way to present yourself online. Your
Web site is a place on the Internet where anyone in the world can
visit whenever they want to find out more about you, ask you questions,
give you feedback, or even buy your products. Think of the Internet
as the world's biggest trade show, and your Web site is your booth.
Your Domain Name is your address on the Web. Just like people use
your phone number to call you on the phone, your Domain Name allows
people to access your site on the Web. Clever, simple, or easy to
remember Domain Names are most desirable as they can play a large
part in attracting visitors to your site. Most Domain Names end
with ".com" (short for company), but other extensions such as ".net"
(network) and ".org" (organization) are also available. In addition
Domains can be used with your e-mail accounts allowing you to send
and receive e-mail with addresses such as "support@yourcompany.com"
Five years ago having a Web site was a vanity.
Two years ago having a Web site was trendy.
Today having a Web site is a necessity.
People are using the Web for everything from researching schoolwork
to buying dinner. It's quick, it's convenient, and you never need
to leave your desk. Even people who prefer to shop off-line are
researching products on the Web. These days when people are trying
to find you, the first place they look is on the Web - and if they
don't find you, they will probably find someone else!
Your Web site can be used for a large number of tasks such as:
- Making public announcements
- Providing support to your customers
- Receiving feedback from your visitors
- Sharing/distributing files and images
- And, of course, selling your products
Those might not sound impressive, but don't forget that you'll
be able to do those things for people around the world at any time
of day or night. You have the potential to become a house-hold name
10,000 miles away.
A Web site is simply a collection of files that reside on a special
computer connected to the Internet. When someone visits your site,
they are actually contacting that computer, and that computer (called
a Web server) gives the visitor the files they want to see. It sounds
very simple, but most normal computers don't have the power or the
software needed to constantly respond to all the requests made by
all the visitors to a site. And even if they did, they'd need an
extremely fast connection to the Internet to keep up with all the
requests. Most people and small companies don't have the resources
to run a Web server, and that is where Web
Hosting comes in.
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