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by Vickie J. Scanlon

When I first got my web site built, I thought I finally had a presence on-line. Wrong! I soon found out that I needed someone to host my site, and I needed a domain name.

This, I found, was my moment of utter confusion. And my first thought was – “What have I gotten myself into!?” I realized I needed the following questions answered before I could even begin my on-line journey. What do I need in a web host, what is a web host, what is a domain name and – you mean, I have to pay for a domain name as well?

What is a Domain?

A domain name is a unique name that identifies an Internet site. Thus, if you want to do any on-line marketing you need a unique name to identify your business – and definitely a name that identifies or relates to that of your on-line presence.

Do I really need a domain name? Yes. Why? There are several good reasons:

1. It projects a professional image
2. It’s mobile – you can change web hosts and your domain name goes with you.
3. It takes time and hard work to build your affiliate business – if you don’t have your own name and you want to move to a different web host – all is lost because the domain name is not mobile.

There are many sites that offer a domain name service at a reasonable price. You can go to my site at www.myaffiliateplace.biz and look under Affiliate Information – here you can get an idea how much a domain name costs.

What is A Web Host?

A web host is an ISP that offers space in which to store your own personal Web pages. They utilize a web server, which is a computer that is permanently connected to the Internet and can send out your web pages on request.

If you want a professional presence, I would suggest that you do not go with a free site. Why? With your free site, you are required to include advertisements of their choosing on your pages.

There are many web hosting sites and prices to choose from – and all can be very confusing and intimidating when you are first looking at putting up a site of your own. So, what should you consider when choosing a web host?

What to Consider When You Choose a Web Host?

When choosing a Web Host you should consider the following:

1. Does it have customer support available 24/7?
2. How often are backups done? (You should also do your own backups as well.
3. How much bandwidth do they give you? Bandwidth is the amount of activity on your site (traffic). The more visitors you have, the more bandwidth is used. I recommend at least 2 gigs, with an option to upgrade.
4. How many email accounts do they have? At least 3, preferably more.
5. Does it have traffic stats – to monitor your hits, page views, and actual visitors?
6. Does it have FrontPage extensions? (If you are planning to use FrontPage).
7. Does it offer autoresponders?
8. Does it offer FTP?
9. Does it allow for upgrades? As your business grows, so will your need for more bandwidth.
10. Does it offer SiteBuilder? (If you have no HTML experience/don’t have FrontPage, or no programming knowledge – SiteBuilder can get you up and running.

To conclude, remember your web site is your business, your domain is your name, and your web host is your home – all are important factors to your success. And to think, you only getting started!

To your success.

Discuss this in our Forum

About the Author:

Vickie J Scanlon has a BBA degree in Administrative Management and Marketing. She left the corporate world as a Reports Programmer, to begin her journey as an Internet marketer. Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz for free tools, articles, ebooks, Web-hosting opportunities and how to info. Visit her blog at http://myaffiliateplace.blogspot.com for updates and tips.