Web Hosts – Domain Names

Choosing Web Hosting For Your Business

Almost every business can be enhanced with a website – even if you only operate in a small area. Most Internet Service Providers include web space with your subscription but if yours doesn’t there are many free sites out on the internet you can use. Your choice of company will be affected by the geographical area you wish to attract. If you are aiming at a UK audience you will want a UK domain (a web address ending in co.uk), if you are aiming at an American or worldwide audience you will be better with a US domain – e.g.www.abc.com .

Below I have listed a selection of companies providing web hosting for business use. Please note that many free web sites are for non-commercial purposes only. Most of the UK sites, excluding Tripod (now Lycos), require you to sign up for their free internet access. You will need to access the site monthly to keep it active, but do not need to use the company as your provider unless you wish to.

Creating a website isn’t as daunting a process as it used to be. Many companies now provide you with templates to create professional looking sites in minutes. Some packages, most notably Site Build It! are comprehensive packages including literally everything you will need for running a profitable, successful business.

Alternatively, get an expert to create a site for you. Visit the Site Build It! Certified Webmaster Directory http://directory.sitesell.com/websuccessstory.html to find a Webmaster with a history of success to build a professional and popular SBI! Web site for you. Site Build It! Certified Webmasters have all built successful SBI! sites and have all met a strict set of qualifications set by SiteSell.

The quality of their work is monitored to make sure they provide consistently high-quality service and high-performing sites.

Not sure how a web site will benefit you?

Take a look through the following articles, for the one that matches your existing business or business idea:

• Network Marketing
• Online Auctions
• A local business with local clients
• Selling Your Services
• Intermediary – Earn finders’ fees on clients you introduce
• Affiliate Marketing – Earn commission on leads and sales for other web sites
• Retailers – physical product sales
• E-goods – if you can download it you can sell it online.
• Sales and Rental – property, equipment, services etc.

Or read the following case studies as told directly by small business people from around the globe — people who “took a chance” and then realized…

Their worlds had changed just by creating a website, and with no previous experience.

RECOMMENDED WEB HOSTING PACKAGES

One of my favourite web hosting companies is PowWeb. They’ve been around since 1999 and regularly win awards for their products, reliability and customer service. Despite being incredibly cheap, from just $5.77 a month, it offers all the features you’ll need including load balanced hosting to virtually eliminate downtime. Host Unlimited Domains FREE when you purchase with PowWeb!!! . FREE 2 Years Domain Registration when you purchase two years of hosting!

I’ve recently purchased a couple of packages from Lycos Webcentre and they are definitely high on my list of recommendations. They offer a wide range of packages for all needs, including free hosting in the first year if you’re just starting out and only need a basic package. All but the most basic packages also include a CD-Rom of software including NetObjects Fusion, Adobe Photoshop Album, and Kaspersky Anti-Virus, and a voucher for advertising with Google as well as “1-click” tools for enhancing your site and all the usual services.

Site Build It!

Without doubt, this is THE web hosting package – the only all-in-one site-building, site-hosting, and site-marketing product – with the results to prove it.

Not only do you get all the usual web hosting facilities that you’d expect from the best hosts eg unlimited hosting, unlimited data transfer, unlimited e-mail accounts, e-mail and telephone support etc. etc. you also receive dozens of other features including:

• Point and click page building
• Page templates
• Customized 404 page
• Access Statistics
• Tracker Links
• Click Tracking and Analysis
• Unlimited Custom Form Creation Tool
• Database storage for managing, searching and reporting of form data
• Unlimited Single and Multiple Sequential Autoresponders
• E-commerce – Catalog & Shopping cart and Credit Card Processing
• Affiliate Program
• Blogging
• PERL/CGI, PHP or ASP support No tech in SBI!
• Submission and Auto Re-submission to Search Engines
• Search Engine Listing and Ranking Reports
• Pay-Per-Click Mass Bidding
• Keyword Research and Brainstorm tools
• Graphic Logo Creator & Editor
• E-mail Marketing List Builder/Distribution
• E-zine Publishing Tool including Spam Check and Open Rate Stats
• Link Exchange

No other package comes close. Just take a look at a comparison chart.

And if you’re still not convinced, take a look at a selection of sites created with this package, paying particular attention to the traffic rankings each site has achieved.

Free Web Sites

If your ISP doesn’t provide a website for business use, click on the links below to check out some of the best free sites for business use.

Tripod – 20MB available for personal or business use. Join the appropriate community for your site and gain extra publicity. If you already have a website hosted elsewhere, you can transfer your site in only 3 clicks, from any external hosting provider into your Tripod account. You just have to enter a few details about your current hosting account and that’s it! National Tripod sites are also available for several countries in Europe and Central/South America

Bravenet – In addition to free websites, get yourself counters, guestbooks, search engines, webrings, password protection, chatroom, ads, FFA site and loads more utilities – ALL FREE

Whilst you can get your site up and running totally free (excluding your own time and telephone costs) I would thoroughly recommend you buy two things:

1. Get your own domain name. Most companies will allow you to divert the address to your free site, usually at no charge so this will cost you no more than a few dollars including registration fees. Check the small print though as some companies have conditions over transferring the name when you are ready to pay to host your site.

2. Download probably the most important manual you will never buy – yes, this guide is now completely FREE. Called “Make Your Site Sell” you get 1500 pages crammed full of information on everything you’ll need to know to make a success of your website, including a huge section on driving traffic to your site, written by somebody from his experiences not from theory.