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Posts Tagged ‘web’

Selecting between Paid vs. Free Blogging

December 20th, 2009

Before you even start blogging you need to choose between free hosting services and a paid site. There are pros and cons of each decision and it will affect every other aspect of your online journal or business.

Decide the purpose of your blog. You need to clearly define why you are blogging before you decide on a blog host. If you have a personal blog or online diary then a free host may be the way to go. Most professional bloggers will tell you that’s better to start out owning your domain name so you can build a brand. Owning a name ensures that you have complete control over what happens on your site. You’ll be able to add as many plugins or use different template designs which may be restricted on free hosting.

Know what you are getting into. A free blogging service may seem like the way to go just because the price is right. You’ll want to carefully consider all of the restrictions that this may place on you. You won’t own your domain name and you’ll have to abide by their terms of service. Your free blog may even be marked as spam and taken down without notice.

Reevaluate your budget. Money is probably the only thing holding you back from getting your own web host. You might be able to make more money with a hosted blog, more than enough to cover your costs. It may be helpful to break the money down into a month by month basis so you get a clearer idea of what it will really cost you.

Think about the future. You might want to start off with a personal blog but be surprised how much it will take off. At some point you may want to switch your personal blog into a business blog. Many free blogging sites don’t let you monetize your site in certain ways. If there is even the slightest chance that you will turn your blog into a business to make money you will be better off going with a paid service so you’ll own the domain name.

Evaluate how computer savvy you are. Lots of web blogging hosts have simple software that you can use with a little education. You may find that free blogging sites really cater to the beginners; you might not even need to learn code. You might find the design templates offered to be static and your blog won’t have all the functionality you want. Millions of other people may use your template so your blog may just look like everyone else’s.

Looking to find the best deal on hosting a blog, then visit HAB to find the best advice on whether or not top blog hosting is right for you.

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How to Find Cheap Website Hosting for You

December 19th, 2009

When you start your own business you probably don’t have a lot of money. You may even be considering going with a free host. You need to stick within your budget while still maintaining a functional and professional looking blog or website.

Take into account the overall presence of your blog. If you are just blogging as a social activity you probably don’t care what your domain name appears as. A business blog requires more credibility; your own domain name will make you appear successful because you don’t rely on free hosting. With a little knowledge and patience you can get a website that looks like a designer has been there without shelling out the cash. Stick with modern straightforward themes to seem well qualified.

Shop around before you buy. The lowest priced company isn’t always the best host; it can even cost you more money in the long run. Read other customer’s experience to avoid scams and find a host that will actually do everything that it says it will.

Beware of credits. With all of the free domain names and credits that come with a contract it might look like you are actually making money by signing up; this isn’t exactly true. You’ll find that to get use out of a lot of the free advertising you’ll have to make deposits into your account first. Sign up because the host itself seems good not because the offers seem too good to be true.

Consider how your site may expand. Your website or blog will probably start out small and you might not even have several sites that you need to host. You want to get a plan that will work for you in the future as well as right now. Watch out for plans with big jumps between size levels so you can grow your blog into what you want it to be.

Double check your shopping cart. When you get to checkout your price may have skyrocketed. There are pages of offers that you have to go through before you get to the payment screen so make sure that the add-ons haven’t inadvertently been added to your plan. Some add-ons may be worth the extra money. If privacy is a concern then pay a few extra dollars to make your WHOIS info private.

Looking to find the best deal on hosting a blog, then visit HAB to find the best advice on whether or not blog hosting websites is right for you.

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Choosing Website Hosting That is Right for You

December 18th, 2009

Choosing webhosts hosting may seem difficult because all of the different services may blend together. It’s an important decision that will decide how effectively your online business runs as well as your basic stress level.

Look at your technical knowledge before picking a company to go with. You’ll need to be able to use an ftp program and install your own blogging software since most hosts handle the more technical aspects. A free host will work well for beginners and you won’t have to worry about many of these issues.

You’ll also want to consider why and how often you’ll blog. If you blog everyday for business then a paid host is the way to go because of the added control and options. If you are just going to write whenever you feel like it and you don’t have a niche in mind then you want to go with a free host. Free hosts may mean that you’ll be able to keep your blog up longer because it won’t seem like a waste of money if you aren’t getting all of the visitors that you wanted.

Carefully research downtime. You don’t want your site to be inaccessible when people are trying to get to it. A lot of customers write about their bad or good experiences so do a little reading. Some companies will even backup their data often in case your blog encounters a hacker.

Functionality is another key component when choosing blog web hosting. Your host needs to have everything to run your blog software of choice but should also have easy ways to update the software; this will save you hours of time. You’ll still need some technical knowledge which you can pick up along the way but your host can alleviate some of the more time consuming tasks.

Look for a plan with room to grow. An unlimited bandwidth host makes sure that you don’t run into nasty fees or downtime because you’ve exceeded your usage. It’s always nice to have an account where you can put more than one domain name in case you decide to expand.

Money may be the deciding factor when you choose which company to go with. Often you’ll find that a lot of the services cost exactly the same so you might have difficulty picking the best one. A little bit of reading makes sure that you go with the real deal instead of a reseller who may not know what they are talking about.

Looking to find the best deal on hosting a blog, then visit HAB to find the best advice on whether or not blog hosting sites are right for you.

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Web Design Leads To A Successful Online Business

December 18th, 2009

You want the correct images in the correct place on your website home page. Successful web design is easy but you must create a memorable website image so visitors will keep coming back. You might want to visit your favorite websites that sells products and get some ideas to use for your site. But follow these basic steps for now. You will be able to add to your site later.

Place three to five images on your index or home page. Do this also for your core sub web pages. Assume that all people online just brought their computer home from the store. They therefore have 800 by 600 screen resolution and have a 56k modem.

Many if not most people use high speed internet buy assume for now they all have slow dial up to get online. Once you are set up you will be able to read your stats tool and find out what speed internet connection your visitors are using. You can adjust accordingly.

For now begin with three to five images on your home page of your website. A logo, an emotional image, and a product image will make up the images on your home page. The first and biggest image will be your logo. It will be the first image your website visitor will see. It will be for you, the most valuable image for an effective logo image will help your site stand out in your visitors mind.

Imagine how you shop online. Most visitors shop for products on many websites before they buy. A clean and professional logo will be memorable and people will want to make their way back to your site when they are ready to buy. Also, include up near your logo your telephone number, hours of operation, and information on how people can make a purchase; credit or debit card, or by pay pal for instance.

Before they buy people go back to a website five to seven times. You want to have a memorable logo and not simply your domain name written out at the top of your website. Think about memorable logos. When you see them you automatically think about the products the logo represents.

The emotional image should tell the benefits of your product in a photo. If you are selling iced tea, have images of people drinking your iced tea on a hot day. They are being refreshed by your tea. Your visitor will want the same feeling. Take a look at some sites to see if they have emotional images. Compare the sites with and without them. You will see how effective emotional images can be.

Place three to five product images. This way people with slow internet connections will not get impatient and leave your site because they had to wait a long time for your site to download. You can add more later when your stats show that most visitors have high speed connections. Many people create a website without a plan but not you. You will follow these web design tips and you will be on your way to success.

We utilize Vancouver web design to generate dynamic results for our clients. Our web designers in Vancouver understand your needs and we employ trends and technology to deliver clear communication. To learn how to gain a competitive advantage through web design in Vancouver, please visit us!

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How to Choose the Best Blog Software

December 15th, 2009

When you are just starting to become a blogger you’ll need to decide which blogging software you want to use. There are several different ways to go with this so you’ll need to make the decision that is right for you and your business. You can find free services or go with a paid variety.

Decide exactly what you are looking for and expecting. Some software may promise to do everything for you except make the coffee. You’ll have to decide whether your priority is saving time and keeping things simple or being able to accomplish a lot of technical tasks. The intent of your blog is also important because free software is fine for a personal blog but you might need paid software for a more professional site. It also matters whether you are going to use a free host that comes with the software or whether or not you are going to pay for your hosting.

Evaluate how much time you want to spend on education and learning technical items. You might find that the free software is easier to navigate than the paid variety. You’ll need to be able to use an FTP with your own host. Simpler, free versions won’t have all of the options. You need to make a choice between a technical host with lots of options and easy and basic.

Give the program a test run. Many of the main blogging software services out there have a free service. This includes hosting but you’ll have to abide by all of the rules which may even include zero monetization at all. You can setup a blog in just a few minutes as a trial to see which platform you like better. You will probably want to make the decision as soon as possible just so you can get started on your own domain name and build your own links.

Decide whether Wordpress is right for you. Wordpress seems to be favored among professional bloggers. There are always a lot of upgrades and new features and plugins with this site. It might be more difficult for the true beginner but it can also be a lot more functional once you learn how to use all the features.

There are pros to using the blogger software. Blogger software is free and easy to use. One of the disadvantages of going with Blogger is that you don’t have a lot of options. This software will also just give you a few templates; but you won’t have to know html to customize things like the font color and size.

Looking to find the best deal on hosting a blog, then visit HAB to find the best advice on whether or not inexpensive web hosting is right for you.

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Follow These Web Design Steps To Success

December 13th, 2009

The web design for your website graphics to include on your home page should tell a story. You want to have the right images on the right places. This can make or break your site as far as the number images.

You want to have about three to five images at least on your home page and on your core sub pages. Begin with a customer with a computer that just came out of the box typically the screen resolution is 800 by 600 and they are going to be using a 56k modem.

The bulk of people have high speed internet but you want to assume for the worse and once you get your site up and running you are going to be able to tell through the stats what screen resolution and speed of internet connection people have that will looking at your site.

You will be able to make changes based on that but for now start off with three to five images. Your images will include a logo, and emotional image, and a product image. Your logo or header will be your first image. It will be your largest image and be the first thing people will see. It will be the most beneficial because an effective logo and your domain name will help your website stand out in people’s minds.

And when people are shopping for products they are going to look at several websites so a clean professional logo will help you stand out from the rest of the pages out there. So having that and also other helpful information like your telephone number your credit card acceptance information your hours of operation listed at the top of your page will set you apart from other websites out there. And that logo can make or break a sale depending on whether or not they find their way back to your site.

People actually return to a website three to seven times before they make a purchase so having a logo verses having your domain simply written out is going to help you stand out in people’s minds. If you think about it major companies have memorable logos and when you see it you think of the company and their products.

The next image to have is an emotional image. If people feel something at your site they are more likely to return to your site and make a purchase. You want to present in your image what you are trying to sell. If you are selling comfortable bean bag chairs have images of people relaxing and enjoying life sitting in your bean bag chairs. Your website visitors will believe that they too will be relaxing and enjoying life once they get this product.

You want to have three to four product images. Once you see that most of your visitors have high speed internet connections you can add more product images. Product images once clicked will give more details about the product. Follow these tips on web design and you will be on the road to a successful internet business.

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Web Design For A Successful Online Business

December 8th, 2009

Web design will be your first step to a successful online business. Tell a story with your webpage. Have the right images in the right place. This can help make or break your internet business. Follow some basic principles and you will be ahead of your competition.

Place 3 to 5 images on your home page and on your main sub webpages. Assume your customer just pulled her computer out of the packaging. The screen resolution will be eight hundred by six hundred with a fifty six k modem.

Most have high speed connections but assume people have the slowest possible dial up connection in the beginning. Afterwards you can use your stats tool to find out what speed the majority of your visitors are surfing the internet with but for now keep it simple.

For now stick with 3 to 5 images. The fewer the images on your website the faster it will download. If someone with dial up has to wait too long for your site to come up, he will be off to the next site. Your images need to included a logo, an emotional image, and a product image. The first thing your visitor will see is your logo. It will the largest image on your site. A good logo along with your domain name will be what is remembered by your visitor. It will help your website stand out.

A clean professional logo will help when people are searching several sites for similar products. You also want next to your logo, your telephone number, hours of operation, and information on payment options like credit card or pay pal information. This information will help you stand out from other websites that do not bother to list this on the home page. This can help people when they are searching back to find your site.

Visitors usually go back to a website 4 to 8 times before they buy. Having a logo rather than simply your domain name written on your website will help you be memorable in people’s minds. Think about the logos of major corporations. When you see them what do you think of? You think about their products. You want the same thing with your website logo to happen with your visitors.

The emotional image is simply that. You want people to get the feeling of the benefit of your product. If you sell lawn furniture you want images of people relaxing on your lawn furniture. The people in your images have not a care in the world because they bought and are using your furniture. Your visitor will want the same benefit. They will assume they will have this when they buy your products.

Have 4 to 5 product images. You can add more product images and product categories once you find out that most of your visitors have high speed internet. Your product images will lead to a webpage with details about the specific product. Follow these web design tips and you will be on your way to a successful online business.

We utilize Vancouver web design to generate dynamic results for our clients. We understand our clients’ needs and we employ trends, tactics, and technology to deliver clear communication. To learn how to gain a competitive advantage through web design in Vancouver, please visit us!

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Can Free Web Hosting Work for Your Site?

November 19th, 2009

What is the difference between shared (paid) web hosting and free web hosting? This is an important question for those who are interested in setting up web sites. Whether just for blogging or promoting a cause, or trying to make money with a business, the type of hosting you choose can make a big difference in your site and the reaction of your visitors. Just setting up shop on a free social site like Facebook isn’t always a great idea.

On the social sites, whatever content you submit is theirs. If the site decides some day to change the rules, or go offline altogether, all of your effort can be wasted. It is so much better when you own your own domain and have your own hosting. If you own your site, your content is yours and you own it (except for copyrighted material, of course).

With the price of paid hosting down to reasonable levels, it makes sense now to consider it. You can register a domain for under $10 a year, and set up paid hosting for about the same amount per month. These paid packages have plenty of disk space and bandwidth allowance for most average webmasters, usually with room for multiple sites if you’re inclined to create them.

Even with pay by the month hosting being so cheap, some folks still like the idea of free web hosting. If your site is small, strictly for fun, and you wouldn’t mind if it went away suddenly then free hosting might be okay for you. If your intention is to promote any business or sell anything, free hosting isn’t a good idea.

Looking at the bright side, free web hosting doesn’t cost a dime and there is no commitment. It isn’t all wonderful, though, because somebody somewhere has to pay for it.

In most cases, the hosting provider reserves the right to run ads on your site, usually on the top or side margins. This won’t disturb your content, but can make viewing it annoying to others, and make your pretty design and setup look pretty lousy.

Other forms of advertising are often used, including popups and other types of advertising that greet your visitors upon entering and leaving your site. These are perhaps more annoying than anything.

Free hosting is for small sites that don’t get a lot of traffic, and don’t use a lot of video or file transfers. Don’t plan on having more than a small, simple site with these hosts.

A website hosted with a free provider will not be your own domain name. You will pick a name, which will be attached to the host’s name, for example: yoursitename.freehost.com or something similar. You won’t be able have your own unique domain.

Remember that free hosts are counting on making money from the ads on your site. They hope you’ll bring in traffic that will click the ads and buy something. They then make money from the click, or from the sale. It’s a great deal. Problem is, if it doesn’t go well, the host can shut down at anytime and all your work and effort is gone forever.

My bottom line suggestion is to avoid free web hosting altogether. Paid hosting is very inexpensive now, and the features and control you have over your site are more than worth the small monthly fee. If you have nothing to lose, free hosting is okay, just know the downside of going that route.

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What is Web Hosting and how do I Find the Best Web Hosts?

November 18th, 2009

An essential step to making money online is finding the best web hosts and understanding the concept of web hosting. You cannot make your mark on the web without a web hosting company. Hosting provides a home for your website so visitors can view and hopefully purchase your products and services. It also allows you to access your website via the internet.

With the vast amount of choices available how do you choose which hosting company is right for you as an individual or as a business? For individual websites ranging from 1-50 pages, a less expensive plan is best. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars a month on a site that does not require a lot of space. For example, a small 2 bedroom house does not need to pay for a 26 mile plot of land. You just need a small place you can call home.

Down time issues can be a real problem for smaller hosting companies. Beware of lower fees from unreliable companies. When there is a problem with their server, your website is “down”. The more problems they have, the less your site is exposed to the public. The less exposure, the fewer sales, which can seriously hurt your business.

For large websites with approximately 100-1000 pages, more resources and space is needed. The hosting costs for a website this size may cost $100/monthly or more and it will require a reliable hosting company. If you are a successful company you will understand the need for a reliable host and will make the correct business decision. Sometimes more money is spent in the long run by not heeding the right advice at first.

Shared web hosting is relatively inexpensive and common; however, it is a bit more risky. A wide range of features will be offered, yet the risk of damage is heightened. If something happens to the server as a result of another webmaster’s mistake, the entire server could be taken down and your website will be affected.

Dedicated hosting offers you your own web server in which you will have complete control. You do not own the server, yet it will lower the risk of issues, for you are not subject to the mistakes of other webmasters. Though this scenario is ideal, it can be pricey.

If you get caught up with the hype and advertising, you may miss out on a great hosting company. You should decide what features you need for your website such as autoresponders, video hosting, database server software, email accounts, etc. Be aware of the content management system as well, as it is there to help the non-technical user navigate through the data. These tips will apply to all internet users, new or old.

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Useful Advice On Selecting a Host For Your Website

November 15th, 2009

There are loads of things that one has to contemplate when you are planning to start your own business. The first thing that you will think about is a type of business you will run. Now, if you did not know this, there are hundreds of business that you could choose from what you have to do is figure out which you will be good at. One thing that you do not want to forget is the internet, due to the fact that everybody requires good website hosting.

When you have a good hosting service you will be able to be sure that your website is always active and working properly. You can in addition get different features and functions such as email accounts, free subdomains and more. With website hosting that is cheap you can easily get a good deal, you just have to come across where to get the best ones.

This is why you cannot solely go on the internet and purchase advertising for your offline business if you are not going to lead your potential buyers somewhere. You should understand, that if you are going to advertise online, that you are advertising to individuals who know how the internet works.

This means that if you are going to take out a banner ad, they do not want to be writing down telephone numbers from the banner ad so that they can call you at a later stage. They want to click through from the banner ad to your site, so that they are able to find out more about what your business is able to offer them.

In the event that you are planning to make your presence known in the online world too, you will be happy to know that the costs are not as steep, occasionally you do not even need to pay a cent, nevertheless you should know wht you are doing.

You can find stunning websites for cheap prices though if you spend the time to look through a whole lot of different places. You will easily get ones that give you all the same services and features of a higher paying website, and some of these will even offer free domains and web designs in the package.

When you go about selecting your website hosting company you must confirm that there is a money back guarantee just in case you don’t like the service and you wish to go with another company. Lots of the good hosting companies will do this because they are confident that you will like their product which means that you will get just what you need for cheap prices. MidPhase and HostGator are two companies that you must honestly take into account.

At Whitehall Chamber you will be able to locate information on how to begin small business along with other helpful advice by the author Chris Bean.

categories: business,website,hosting,online,financial,money,blog,hostgator,web,customers

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