Web Design
Web Hosting: The Rules
Working with a web host provider means anyone can have a little place to call their own on the internet and have people come visit them. This service enables people to upload images, have graphics and content about them on the site and tell some interesting tales about them or life in general. Some web host providers will offer this space in addition to the internet connection itself. They will likely host everything in a data center. Not every firm operates in this manner though and some will provide space with internet connections that are not owned by them. The correct name for this type of service is a collocation. It will provide an opportunity for many visitors to contact you and correspond or allow them to see your content. All hosts, including the small ones will provide the ability to host files and have some storage space. Some more advanced providers will provide a larger selection of tools and services to customers including the ability to manage email accounts and to utilize script installation tools.
Web host features you should be aware of:
Before selecting the web hosting features, there are certain other factors that must be considered such as your budget, the type of website and required storage and bandwidth. Running an e-commerce site requires an online payment system; thereby you need secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption and shopping carts, whereas online forum sites or a blog requires PHP or Perl/ CGI scripting as well as access to a database system like PostgreSQL, MySQL or Microsoft’s SQL Server. Thereby, the first task while selecting a web hosting company is to identify your true needs as any extra feature will add up to the cost of your web site. Fix criteria for your required features selection such as the amount of bandwidth and storage capacity as well as determine whether your site needs features like spam protections and website builders.
Trusting your web host is vital for all firms because if something goes wrong, they need to fix it. To pick the best web host, try and use the following tips as a guideline.
What you Must Do:
Undertake a lot of research: Study all the different web host firms and compile a list of the features you need. Compare the firms and how they match your list. See which one offers the best deal. Remember to search forums and ask webmasters and other users for what they think about a company. Read online reviews of companies and see what other users say. Study the awards and achievements if a company. Try to find out what data centers they use, how many customers they serve, how many staff members they employ and what support they offer. If you can, discuss matters with a client who already uses the company.
Consider your requirements: Make a list of your requirements including the storage capacity, bandwidth as well as the various features. Everyone wants a lot of space and bandwidth for their site, but look out whether you actually need them. If not, then it is better not to waste more money that you have to pay for the extra bandwidth and storage space, which will not even be used. In fact, if you want to use scores of resources on your website, it is better to go for a hosting plan with a little head room. This helps you to avoid any kind of excess charges in case you have spikes in traffic.
Do have a good back up plan: It is wise to plan a back up support in advance to deal with any kind of system breakdowns or other related problems. You can not always rely on your web hosting company to keep backups of your sites, as most of them don’t. However, in certain cases the new companies do keep the backups. Keeping good back ups ensure that you will suffer less amount of data loss and downtime if you ever do have problems with your host and plan to move somewhere else.
Make sure you will be supported: Prior to signing any agreement, take the time to speak to firm and give them questions. Ask them about their service options and what their experience and skills are like. It is easy to understand a company better just by talking to them for a short spell.
The Don’ts:
Do not choose a host on price alone: It is always better not to choose a web hosting company only on the basis of their pricing. You will find a number of cheap web hosting providers from whom you get only what you pay for. But there is a very less chance of getting quality service from them. For an average reliability, generally, you need to pay at least .50 cents for one gigabyte of bandwidth. However, if you want high quality hosting you will have to pay three or four times more.
Do not use free web hosting: Avoid the common web page mistake, if you want people to take your online business seriously. Free web hosting earns their revenue by placing numerous advertising on your site some of which may even harm a computer. Your customers will not like this at all; moreover this also gets in the way of your credibility. Further more, choosing a professional web hosting provider ensures that you have a reliable domain host and will also enable your customers to trust you with their credit card information.
Do not trust customer testimonials blindly: It is advisable not to trust the customer testimonials published at the site of your potential web hosting company. Most of them are self created or just a part of the whole story, thereby better not be taken at face value. Instead, you can read the reviews or better go to the various online web hosting forums and speak to the webmasters, who have been using or have earlier used the services of the same company. This will give you better and authentic information about the company’s services. However, if the web hosting company lists contact information as well as the web site of the testimonials listed then they may be reliable.
Do not get your host and domain name from the same place: A great amount of people will try to find a fabric host that also provides a domain name for no cost along with its main package. If it is possible, this should be avoided. This style may work is if the domain is held by the site owner allowing them complete control. This situation is not sometimes the case and the web host will endeavor to register the domain in its name and then allow you to use it. If there is a large demand for the domain name they may try and take control of it or if you want to move to a new web host, they can try and remain in control of the domain name.
The Inside Secrets of Web Design
The number one rule of any website design is to make sure that it performs optimally under all conditions. It is a huge mistake to assume the belief that visitors need to be entertained with fancy flash works which usually requires long loading time, when the truth is exactly the opposite.
Tips for a well designed site
1) Leave out splash pages if you want to have a higher performing web page.
Splash pages makes up the first impression people have of a website. Made up of pretty designs, they are usually lavish images and graphics with accompanying words such as “welcome to our site” or “click here to enter”. They are merely fancy additions without any real functions at all. The most important thing is not to allow any room for users to think about leaving your site, and this is almost impossible if you are using fancy splash pages with slow loading times.
2) Avoid banners
Websites in the past had a lot of banners which were useful at the time but nowadays they’re just a nuisance. Using to many adds makes your site less credible and your visitors will either ignore them or just leave your site. Instead, use affiliate links in the text of your site so people won’t view it as just advertisements on your page.
3) Navigating your site should be easy
The navigation should be made very simple that even a young child can manage to find their way around. Avoid the use of flash menus or multi-tiered menus because generally they are not a good idea as far as easy navigation is concerned. If you make it difficult for them, they will leave your site. A site map will help them find what they want and should be factored in to the website design right from the start.
4) Make it clear to the visitor where they are
When a visitor to your site looks through all your web pages, they may not know where they are on the site so making it clear where they are is important. They will then know where they are without feeling lost. Just make sure each page has a clear title and your hyperlinks have a different color when it’s been visited. If your visitors are confused, they’ll leave.
5) Don’t use a lot of audio on you site
If you wish for your visitors to stay long enough to read the contents, do not loop your music file in a way that irritates. While some music can enhance the experience, even the most beautiful of sounds becomes irritating if it is played continuously. If adding audios seems like a good idea to you, do make sure you provide some form of control such as muting or volume control so that your visitors can adapt to their surroundings. If you use all these tricks of website design effectively, you will in time know that your visitors will likely return again and again to your site.
