The Three Dimensions of Web Sites
In order to have an effective Web site presence for your business, you need Internet access, domain name registration, and hosting. Email connected to your domain is highly recommended.
Internet Access
To access the Internet, your computer or office network must have a physical connection to the Internet. The connection is made either by "dial-up" access provided by many companies or a high-speed connection from your local cable or telephone company.
For businesses, high-speed ("broadband") access no longer optional - it's essential. Luckily, it has become very affordable.
Broadband access for business comes in several flavors. The most affordable service is DSL ("digital subscriber line"). The other two services, cable high speed Internet and fiber optic, are slightly more expensive but capable of higher and more consistent speeds. All the services require a special interface box for the service. Your office network's router connects to the supplied interface.
In the central Maryland region, Verizon provides DSL and fiber Internet access while Comcast provides cable access. Verizon calls its fiber service "FIOS" and is rapidly expanding it in our area.
Business broadband services usually cost $60 to $110 per month. Cable and FIOS are the most expensive. If cable, DSL, or FIOS services are not available in your area, other high-speed services (i.e., T1) may be available but will cost significantly more.
FIOS is the service I most often recommend.
Domain Name Registration
A domain name is the designation used to distinguish your Web site from others. A domain name usually consists of a name you select followed by a period and one of the "top level domains" (TLD). If your chosen name is "mycompany" and you've selected the TLD "biz," your domain name will be mycompany.biz.
Domain names are not owned but rather leased for a specific period of time. The lease arrangement is made through a company called a "domain name registrar."
You can obtain registration services from hundreds of different companies. This is because other companies act as agents for the accredited registrars. I recommend using one of the accredited registrars so that you never have to deal with more than one company when managing your domain.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) establishes the top level domains and accredits registrars. Look at its Web site for a list of accredited registrars.
The pricing for domain registration varies wildly. I recommend the maximum registration period of 10 years and paying no more than $15 per year. I usually recommend Network Solutions for domain registration; it is not the least expensive but I consider it reliable, with a good management tool.
Your domain name is a business asset. It can be transferred and you can sell it. Therefore, you may wish to designate your business entity as the "registrant." Most important, always make yourself the "administrative contact." Do not let someone outside your company assume this role.
Web Site Hosting
A Web site is nothing more than a collection of files, usually organized in folders (directories) just as files are organized on the hard disk of a personal computer.
In order for your Web site to be seen, those files must be located on a computer, a so-called Web server, that is accessible to the public Internet. Such a computer is said to "host" your Web site, and so companies providing this service are called "hosting companies."
There are thousands of companies offering hosting services at a remarkable range of prices. I have seen basic hosting for less than $5 per month (when paid annually). And even though I refer to this as "basic" hosting, the services can be remarkably comprehensive.
The two metrics that most affect the cost of hosting services are bandwidth and storage.
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that is transferred to and from your site. When someone visits your site, the contents of the page they look at must be sent from the host server to the user's PC. That data is counted, byte by byte. You must be sure that the amount of bandwidth included in your hosting package is adequate for your needs. For most small companies, even the least expensive packages should provide more than adequate bandwidth.
Storage refers to the size of your site. You must be sure that the storage quota is adequate to contain your site. Unless you have thousands of photographs or other large documents, even the smallest quotas will suffice.
Most hosting companies will bill you for surcharges if your site exceeds either or both of the bandwidth and storage quotas. The surcharges can often be quite expensive.
The price of hosting services varies even more wildly than that of registrars. As a very rough guideline, an informational Web site will cost about $10 per month with annual billing. Prices under $10 per month are possible from reputable companies.
If you want a storefront as part of your site, most hosting companies can provide some sort of solution at additional fees. Some hosting companies offer an integrated payment system but more often you will need your own merchant banking account.
For business-class hosting services, I recommend one of InfoQuest Technologies' Windows hosting plans. The WN-200s plan is economical at $120 per year and should be more than adequate for most small businesses. I do not recommend InfoQuest's otherwise excellent, bargain-basement WN-100s plan because it is missing just one or two features.
The bargain-basement plans are from GoDaddy. I find it tedious to manage Web sites at GoDaddy, but once a client sees the low fee I often lose the argument. I have not had any problems with GoDaddy hosting services but I would appreciate hearing from you first if you are considering my services and wish to use GoDaddy. Special note: If you register your domain at GoDaddy, I recommend that you not host at GoDaddy.
Businesslike Email
Internet access companies usually provide one or more email addresses as part of their access packages. For example, a Verizon DSL customer might get an email address like jqpublic2395@verizon.net.
Surprisingly, many small business owners with a Web site and therefore a domain name for their business continue to use the basic email address provided by their access company.
Because almost all Web site hosting packages include a large number of email accounts, it is a simple matter to create email addresses that directly reference your business, such as john@mycompany.biz.
No matter how you prefer to handle your personal or business email, I can help you configure your email system to provide individual email accounts for everyone in your business and to use the most appropriate email access method (Web-based or software) for your situation.
Updated July 18, 2008