1) Domain name*

Let's think of your website project in terms of building an actual brick-and-mortar business. The first thing you need to decide, is where you'll be located. In this case, your domain name is your address. It's where everyone can find you. The "real estate" agent we'll have to see is the "domain registrar*" which is the fancy name for: "The website that will sell you a domain name that is available". Once you've found an available domain name (the search will usually be on the front page), You may purchase that domain name and own it.

2) Hosting

Now that you've got an "address", you need a building. The "building" in this case is your hosting account. The hosting account allows you to upload the files and folders that contain your website, much like a building allows you to fill it with furniture and decorate it. Without hosting all you have is a street address and an empty lot. That's why "under construction" signs go up on sprouting websites. It's like a sign that tells the community what to expect in the near future. However just like constructing buildings, hosting can be complicated. It's important to note that there is a crucial difference between certain types of hosting packages and it's best to consult with the person that will be developing your site before selecting a package. Without going into detail, I will point out that in most cases you'll probably want to pick a Linux based hosting package. Linux is typically cheaper than Microsoft hosting and offers all of the features you would need. Microsoft hosting is only required if you wish to build your site using proprietary Microsoft technologies.

Note: If you purchase the domain name and the hosting with the same company at the same time, it's likely you will have one administrative login to manage both domain name and hosting accounts. If you purchase the two separately or with different vendors, you may actually have one management login for your domain name, and one for your hosting account.

3) Ownership and management

Now that you have an address and a building, you can have your developer configure your hosting to begin designing and building your site. Although I recommend to consult with your developer on which hosting package to choose, you should be the one to purchase and set-up your hosting account. This will ensure that you have complete control over your domain. You're the one that has "the key" to who has access to your website. The developer is probably going to need access to your site management tools so that they can set-up your hosting as needed. Some hosting companies allow you to create separate accounts for administrators who will not have access to your billing information. If you don't have a way to do this, Be sure to pick secure passwords, and change your password after any outside access is no longer required. It goes without saying that you should try to choose trustworthy people when you give out access to this kind of business information (see Domain locking). Don't be afraid to ask for references when choosing a developer. If you're the first site they've built, you should know. If they've got experience, they should have pleased customers willing to give them a plug.

4) Extras and Upgrades

You'll be offered lot's of extras and upgrades but most of the time you can live without them. You can save some money here if you just want the basics. Don't worry, your host is more than willing to accommodate you if you change your mind.

Domain privacy:

When you register your domain name as an individual or as a business, you will be asked for your contact information. This is entered into the "Who is" database which stores every registered domain and the owner's info. Private registration obscures this information from a public "who is" lookup. If you are an individual who would like to remain anonymous, this is a good idea. However, for a business, I believe it looks better if your not trying to hide your true or parent identity. Savvy internet users will know how to see if your domain is privately registered or not. In either case, this is not a necessary feature if you're looking to cut costs.

Domain locking:

Domain locking is not really a feature, it's more like a sucker bet. When a domain is locked, any attempt to transfer the domain name to a different registrar will fail automatically. Your website can only be transfered by someone who knows and has access to the registrants email address. A secret code is sent to the main contact email address (on file with host/registrant) that allows the owner to accept the transfer. The only way a transfer can go through, is if domain locking is turned off when the transfer is initiated. You can make your own decision about whether this is appealing or not but a lot of times, even if you don't pay for this service, you'll get it anyway because your host wants to make it harder to lose your business. I've not paid for this service once, but every time I've tried to transfer a domain I've discovered it was locked.

Traffic acceleration:

There are many different ways to increase traffic on your website but these traffic boosting packages aren't good ones. Most of what these programs do, is submit your new domain name to multiple search engines, which can be done manually in a few moments. It can be argued whether or not there is a true benefit to these services, but most are simply not worth it when you consider Google owns an estimated 87% of the search market. Besides, professional development and excellent content can do more for your search engine relevance than these programs anyway.

Alternate extensions:

Nowadays there are many different extensions available. From country codes like ".co.uk" (United Kingdom) to ".mobi" for mobile devices. Unless you plan on using these extensions specifically, it may not be important to own multiple extensions. Sub-domains are a more popular choice for alternate sites with the same brand because they have the same extension (eg. info.sitename.com) and are usually an included feature of hosting.

Bandwidth/Storage upgrades:

Your hosting account includes a set amount of storage (ie. how much content your site can contain) and bandwidth which determines how many times your site can be viewed in a month (data transfer). Normally, the basic hosting account will include plenty of both for a basic business website. If your website grows significantly in size or audience, you will need to increase your limits. This is one of those problems that's good to have.

Site Builders/Free Software:

Many times hosting companies will bundle suites of web applications with the hosting account. Most of these are helpful tools that can be used to get something up and running quickly, with a decent amount of technical savvy, but can be difficult to personalize without experience in development. For a company, it may not be the best solution unless you have someone who can support and customize these applications to your needs.

Now that you've got the real estate, it's time to decorate it and furnish it. In Lesson 2 we'll discuss the differences between aesthetic and design and discuss what it takes to create a professionally designed website.

*We use Godaddy.com as our registrar and hosting company. There are many different choices but GoDaddy has great prices and great customer service. It's very easy to purchase and manage any of your web service needs through them.