 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.
|
