Site Setup Hosting

Site Setup & Hosting

Once the site has been designed and built, it needs to be hosted on a Web server. Again, the cost varies depending on choices you make.

What's In a Name ?

There are two ways to set up the URL for your your Web site: as a subsite of an existing domain or as a custom domain name. Each has its own pros and cons.

Subsite

A Web site that is part of another Web site.

Being a Subsite

When you're a subsite of an existing domain, your Web site's URL begins with the other domain name. For example, Spirit Riders' Web site (http://www.wickenburg-az.com/spiritriders/) is a subsite of the wickenburg-az.com Web site.

This is, by far, the least expensive way to address your Web site. In fact, many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) allow you to create your own subsite on their server for no additional charge.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

An organization that offers access to the Internet, either via dial-up (modem) connection or direct network connection.

There are several drawbacks to being a subsite:

• Having a subsite URL is less impressive than having your own domain name. It's cheaper and anyone can do it, so what's the big deal, right?

• A subsite URL is longer than a custom domain name. That means it takes longer to read (or spell) to someone and longer to type in.

• A subsite URL may contain unusual characters , such as the tilde (~). My first Web site's URL included this character and it was a royal pain to read to someone over the phone.

• A subsite URL is not portable. This means that if you have a falling out with your ISP and want to move your Web site to another server, your URL will change to indicate your new ISP's domain name. This means you'll have to change your URL everywhere it appears ” brochures , business cards, letterhead, print ads, etc.

I'm not trying to talk you out of setting up your Web site as a subsite. It's a perfectly good solution for families and very small businesses that add a Web site as an afterthought. It's also a good solution for businesses that are part of a larger business ”for example, the local office of a nationwide real estate firm.

But for independent businesses that are serious about building a Web presence, having a custom domain name is a much more professional and practical solution.

Having Your Own Domain Name

When you have your own domain name, your site's URL is usually http://www followed by the domain name. For example, http://www.marialanger.com/ and http://www.wickenburg-az.com/ are two examples of URLs for domain names I maintain: marialanger.com and wickenburg-az.com.

Having your own domain name is more expensive than being a subsite. There are at least two specific costs to consider:

• Domain name registration fees are the costs to register your domain name with the Domain Name System . You can register with a number of different organizations. The one that's been around the longest is Network Solutions (http://www.networksolutions.com/; see Figure 3.2), which charges $35 per year. If you don't already have an ISP or Web server lined up to host your Web site, you may pay an additional fee to "reserve" the name; Network Solutions charges $5 per year for this service.

  Figure 3.2. The Network Solutions Web site makes it easy to register a domain name.

  

• Domain hosting fees are the costs to host your domain name on an ISP's server. Because more resources are required to host a domain name than subsite, most ISPs charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual fee for this service. Fees range from about $20 to $100 per month, depending on the ISP and its services. If you have your own Web server, these fees may not apply.

Domain Name System (DNS)

A database of domain names and corresponding IP addresses. All domain name servers have access to this database.

Network Solutions

At the risk of sounding like a paid advertisement (which this is not), I'd just like to take a moment to talk about the services available at Network Solutions.

I've known Network Solutions since the days it was known as Internic and you needed to be an Internet geek to understand the domain name registration process. In those days, it was the only game in town and everyone used it to register domain names. Since then, a number of companies have been authorized to register domain names with the Domain Name System. The addition of competition has benefited the public. Not only can you find a few cheaper domain name registration organizations, but some organizations (including Network Solutions) now offer additional services (for a fee) to help you promote your Web site. (I discuss promoting your Web site in Chapter 11, so don't get all excited about it now.)

In the case of Network Solutions, the biggest benefit of increased competition is the improvements to the domain name registration process. I can now safely say that the process is user friendly. In fact, I'd even bet real money that my mother could register a domain name if she wanted to ”and she's the true test of whether a system can be used by the masses.

Want to know if a domain name you're considering has already been taken? Visit Network Solutions at http://www.networksolutions.com/ (see Figure 3.2), enter the domain name (without the w's) in the yellow search box, choose a domain from the menu, and click Go.

The main benefit of having your own domain name is that your Web site's URL can be easily identified (and remembered ) as part of your company. But what some people don't consider is the portability of a domain name ”you don't need to change your site's URL if you move your Web site to another ISP's server. Since a domain name is like a pointer to a specific IP address, changing the IP address in the Domain Name System automatically updates the domain name to the new IP address. So a Web site move is completely transparent to Web site visitors .

Server Setup

If you plan to host your Web site on an ISP's server, the ISP may charge a setup fee for the site. This is a one-time fee that ranges from $25 to $100. Some ISPs have a stated fee but generously "waive it" for new customers. (My question: why not just say setup is free?) I discuss server- related fees in Chapter 4.

Other Setup Fees

If you hire a consultant to design and build a Web site, he may have a whole list of setup fees that you'll have to pay before your Web site goes online. Make sure you know what these fees are and what they cover before you hire the consultant. If they seem high or unreasonable, discuss them. Since many of these fees are simply icing on the cake, you can probably get some of them reduced.

Tip

The fee that really bugs me is the so-called domain name setup fee. That's where the consultant charges you $150 (or some other outrageous figure) to register your domain name ”something you can do yourself for $35!

Web Hosting

Web hosting costs refer to the fees you'll pay to have your site hosted on a Web server. The fees vary based on the hosting options you select. There are so many hosting options that I've written a whole chapter about them: Chapter 4. Be sure to read it and include the costs that apply to you when coming up with a total for the cost of your Web presence.