You'll need a web
host so the world can see your new website.
Think of the web host as the hotel where
your website pages sit, and the guys in charge
of it keep everything running smoothly. They
have all of the bellhops and whistles to make
viewing your website possible: the technology,
servers, software and Internet connectivity.
And - they make sure all of your website files
(text, graphics, sound, support files) are good
to go at the click of someone else's mouse out
there on the World Wide Web.
Your web host is the same place
where I'll be uploading new files and updates
as we make changes in your site's design.
Uploading is also called FTP, or File
Transfer Protocol.
Before your new website can be visible by its
name (as in www.my-site-rocks.com), there are
two things you're going to need:
1.
Own a Domain Name
2.
Domain Name Service
(also
known as DNS, Domain
Name System, Domain Name Server)
DNS is what associates your
website name to the web host's server that holds
your web site (and is connected to the knee bone).
The Domain Name is simply the name of your site.
Getting started can seem overwhelming in the beginning.
I'll help simplify this and spell it out in non-techie
terms because no matter how much we may want to
be, we're not all computer nerds. A lot
of it is self-explained when you sign up with
your hosting plan, but it all can be confusing
when you're going through it for the first time.
I understand completely the frustration
of clicking around inside the Web Hosting or Domain
Name sites and not knowing what to expect next.
When you have questions, I'm here to help.
Once I go live with hosting, will
I still pay my Domain Name provider to hold my
names?
What does it mean to have www.mysite.com "parked"
at GoDaddy.com?
Having
it parked at GoDaddy (or any other Domain Name registrar)
simply means it's not being hosted on the Internet
yet (not viewable); it's there waiting to be hosted
or it's in-between hosting plans at the moment.
Yes, you'll need to pay your Domain
Name Registrar (you're not bound to stay with the
same provider each year) to keep your Domain Name
your own. You can pay for multiple years (up to
ten at a time) or you can pay annually. Registration
for your Domain Name is usually available for about
$8 a year.
Will
I leave my Domain Name registration with GoDaddy.com? Since my site
is hosted at WebHostingBuzz.com, do I have to
move the registration?
No. You can have your domain
registration with one provider and your hosting
plan with another. It's not necessary to keep them
together.
INCLUDES FLASH
TUTORIAL TO HELP GET YOU STARTED
These are just two examples. There
are tons of good web hosting plans out there. Try this
link to compare choices and platforms. I like to
go with Unix or Linux platforms, and always want to
test run their CPanel,
or Control Panel, before buying.
What you will
need to move, unless your Domain Name Service
and your Web Hosting Provider are one in the
same, are the DNS
settings for your Domain Name account.
When you sign up with (Your Choice of Hosting
Providers - we'll use WebHostingBuzz
for this example)
they will give you detailed instructions about
what to do next. They'll be giving you some
numbers that you copy into your GoDaddy (or
your chosen Domain Name registrar's) account.
Open up your control panel at your Domain Nameserver
Provider and make the necessary changes by doing
the following:
Log in with your password, Click on Your
Account, and select Manage DNS. Then
you should find (depending on which Nameserver
Provider you are using, let's go with GoDaddy
for this example) something which reads - GoDaddy
Parked Nameserver, or default Nameserver.
You should see two (2) places where you
will copy the new numbers provided to
you in email from your Web Hosting Provider.
These new numbers will replace the numbers currently
being displayed as your DNS settings inside
that control panel at your DNS Nameserver provider.
It sounds more complicated now than it will
be, when you log in. Most control panels at
these providers are very intuitive and easy
to follow. It's possible that you could see
more than two boxes in this area (more blank
spaces to add numbers) but only concern yourself
with DNS 1 and DNS 2. Copy/paste
dns19.WebHostingBuzz.com (use the numbers/name
given to you by your web hosting provider in
this section, these are only examples) to
the first section and dns20.WebHostingBuzz.com
(again, this number is only used as an example,
you should use the number provided to you through
your Web Host) to the other - and click
okay.
You'll receive verification
from GoDaddy that someone has changed your DNS
settings and you'll be asked to reply with your
nod of approval. Reply affirmative to this
letter. If you prefer for me to process
this step of changing the DNS settings for you,
just send along the GoDaddy password with your
web host DNS information. It's a one time thing,
as long as you stay with the same hosting provider.
The
new DNS (Domain
Name System) numbers you typed into the
boxes will change the location (path) of where
web surfers will find yourwebsite.com.
You've moved it to your new hosting provider's
space on the Net. It won't be "parked"
anymore. It will be sitting pretty over
at Your-Web-Hosting-Provider-Guy's driveway.
And within about 3 days or less, you'll be able
to see it as www.yourwebsite.com. At
first, you'll only be able to access your site
through typing a certain number in the address
bar that looks something such as 66.186.218.170/essen....
Don't worry about those numbers, because they'll
disappear in a few days as they get magically
changed into your unique www.website.com
name (this is called "propagation"
- it usually takes about 48 hours to propagate
around the world; but some people may see it
change to the name yourwebsite.com before
you do). I'll need that strange looking
number your Hosting Provider sends you though,
to get your site uploaded and in place before
propagation is complete. So you'll be
forwarding me all of their info as it arrives,
but hang onto all of the information they send
- you'll need it to manage your account later.
You'll want to print it and store it away someplace
safe.
::What
about cost and payments for Piñata Sky
design work?
I want a website, but I'm not
ready to spend a lot of money.
You
could plausibly set up low cost one-page website (less
than $150) to get your presence on the web and we
could expand on it later. As I may have mentioned
before, your www.YOU.com Domain Name is purchased
separately from a Domain Name Service (about $7 to
$10 per year). And if you're having trouble coming
up with a name, I can help you with this, too. When
you're ready, your name will be there waiting for
you (www.yourwebsitename.com).
I accept payments
via business check, money order and credit card payments
through PayPal Secure only. To pay by credit card,
please click the button below.
PayPal no longer
requires a personal PayPal account in order
to to use their services. If you do not currently
have a PayPal account, you can now remit payments
using your credit card like any other secure
online purchase.
Other online payment solutions include Bill
Pay from your online banking account.
::Going
Live
Once we're done with the content,
what does it take to go live? Would you mind walking
me through the process?
All
you have to do to go live with your site once
the design is in place, is to get your hosting plan.
You can head to someplace such as www.findmyhosting.com
and pick one out that feels comfortable on you. I
like to check the customer comments and "assured
hosting" reliability reports. A Unix or
Linux based platform should work well for you.
After you secure your account, you can forward all
of the instructions, login name, and passwords to
me and I will set you up. You'll be able to
go into your Control
Panel and upload other pages later if you like,
but it might be easier to let me get the index.html
page (that's the main one all the others link from)
and all of the image, sound, or Flash files up &
in their right folders for you in the beginning. I
won't charge extra for that.
We don't have to actually 'turn it on' until you're
ready. If you like, I can put a "site coming
soon" place-holder at your address until you've
made any last-minute changes to your site. And
don't forget, nothing is permanent if you want it
to change later.
Depending
on the content of your site, you might have changes
that need to be made on calendars, or for something
as simple as a changed telephone number. My base
rate for non-artwork is $45/per hour. (Artwork
and technical scripting is charged at $45/per hour).
It's a good idea, when possible, to bundle several administrative
or uploading tasks at once to get the most bang for
your minimum
charge dollar.
The same price applies for site maintenance, specialized
research, and typing of text not presented in text-ready
format for your pages.
Additional Expense Examples
I'm a writer and a proofreader by past profession
and will alert you to any spelling or grammatical
problems I might catch and deem favorable for a change.
But in the end, you will be responsible to proof
and okay your final copy before we launch your
site to the Net.
Can I have a page that I can update
by myself? I'm in a band and need to change the
schedule every week.
My
design is built in Dreamweaver. If you know Dreamweaver
or someone familiar with the program, tinker away!
If you're concerned about breaking the code on your
page or mild tearing out of hair, I can build a page
that's separate from the rest of your site. If the
code is accidentally changed on your new page it won't
effect links throughout your website. I'll show you
the ropes of editing
your changeable page via your hosted Control Panel
if you need help.
Now that I have my new website,
how do people find me? Do I need to pay someone
to Optimize my site? Can I do it myself?
You have to flirt with the search
engines if you want to be seen. There's an irony
intertwined here though, because if you try too
hard you won't be seen either; rather, simply ignored.
Kind of like real life, huh? There’s a whole lot
of competition out there trying to find their way
to the top of the search engine ranks. If you can
think like a search engine, more precisely - think
like the customer who is searching for your product,
and offer what it's looking for, your chances of
being noticed become much greater. What words might
they type into a search engine to locate your product
or information? Having a brand new website is a
wonderful thing, but there’s really no point in
having a pretty new dress if it never leaves the
hanger.
I will automatically build some simple elements
into your site to optimize your chances of being
found in search results. There are people, even
major companies, who specialize in search engine
optimization, and you might consider relying on
one or more of these options. But just a little
finesse here and there on your files can go a long
way in tempting the search engine gods . If you
need help finding more information on SEO, just
let me know and I will try to point you in the right
direction.
There are things you can do on your own - I would
suggest beginning by adding your URL to every legitimate
free search engine submission you can find; be certain
to read the particulars before signing on. Google,
Yahoo
and MSN
(you will find some excellent links here to learn
more about successful site indexing and ranking)
are good places to start. If you have a C-Panel
hosted site, most of the work is done for
you. Just login to your control panel and click
"Search Engine Submit" and you
will be well on your way.
