Web hosting options

Your domain name must be delegated to a host computer which is online 24 hours a day. Outsourcing is almost always the best and cheapest way to do this - especially for small and medium businesses. Outsourcing, using virtual web hosting services, means that you outsource the hardware maintenance, software upgrades and security problems.

Here are your hosting options:

Free hosting services
Free, but not recommended for business. These sites are designed to generate "eyeballs" to sell to advertisers. They superimpose advertising and/or pop-up and pop-under windows on your site. Because of this BCL no longer accepts request for links from anyone using these services.

Your ISP account space - www.yourisp.com.au/~yourname/
Free again, and a low cost option for small businesses, but not necessarily best. Many ISPs (Internet Server Providers) offer you server space to publish non-commercial web pages free with your access account. For businesses, if you change ISP in the future, you have to change your web page address and email address - and all those links you've built up will be worthless. ISP's usually don't provide statistics or forms processing on these accounts.

Your web designer - www.maxlink.com.au/busdir/yourname/
Another low cost option for small businesses. You have a stable web page address, and can usually have forms and links to your email address. This is a low-cost, low-commitment option for those testing the potential of the Internet. However, it also locks you into that web designer, so make sure it's someone you want to remain with.

Virtual Web Servers - www.yourname.com.au
We recommend you have your own domain name and virtual web server. There are a range of hosting services where you can park your domain and you, or the web designer of your choice, puts the pages online. Prices and packages vary. Packages can include:

Delegation of your domain name eg www.yourname.com.au
Statistics to monitor the effectiveness of your web site. (Packages vary)
Single or multiple mailboxes eg info@yourname.com.au, jsmith@yourname.com.au
Email discussion lists, autoresponders, autoforwarders
Standard CGI forms processing so you can have online forms
Provision for SSL (Secure Socket Layer) pages and forms for personal information and credit card details
Front Page Extensions
Password-protected areas
Online databases

Web Hosting Services

KangaWeb offers affordable web and email hosting pages with high download limits
Site Build It is an all-in-one site-building, site-hosting, and site-marketing product. This software provides the marketing as well as the technical knowledge needed to build a website that sells. It's interesting to read the articles even if you don't buy the products.

Brisbane Business

Getting your business online

Web Hosting Options

Web Hosting Services