Chapters
- What is a
Web site?
- What is Web hosting?
- What is the procedure for building
a Web presence?
- What
is e-commerce?
Choose a Domain Name for Your Site
The first thing you need to do when establishing a Web presence is decide on a
Domain Name. Choosing the right Domain Name is very important, as it directly
affects how easy it is for potential visitors to find your site. Try for something
that's easy to recognize, easy to remember, and easy to guess. For example, if
your business is "Barb's Beach Balls" then "barbsbeachballs.com"
would be a good Domain Name since it's logical, easy to remember, and easy to
spell. It's also a good idea to think of alternate Domain Names in case the first
one you think of is already taken. If you are not planning on building your
Web site right away, you might still want to consider registering your Domain
as soon as possible. Thousands of Domain Names are registered every day, and there's
no guarantee that yours will still be around when you decide to build your site.
Select a Web Hosting Plan That's Right for You
Most people start by browsing through the hosting plan descriptions on this site.
We offer a plan for everyone, but it's not always easy to decide which one is
for you. Here are some tips to help narrow down your choices:
- If you
plan on selling anything from your Web site, take a look at the e-commerce plans.
- If you plan on using Microsoft Office extensions or databases, or plan on
having a dynamic Web site, consider the Windows 2000/NT plans.
- Consider the
Bronze plans if you're an individual.
- Consider the Gold plans if the site
is for a business.
Chain Reaction Web also has many Web site Consultants
dedicated to helping you establish your site. You can give them a call at 1-888-438-8374.
They can help you decide on a hosting plan, answer any questions you might have,
and even walk you though the order process.
When you have decided which Web
hosting plan best meets your need, click on the buy button on that plan's page
to start the ordering process. Placing the order is easy and your site will be
running in a matter of hours.
Build and Publish Your
Web site
Building your own Web site can be very gratifying, but doesn't
have to be very difficult. There are currently a lot of software packages available
- such as Microsoft FrontPage 2000 - that make creating and publishing your Web
site relatively quick and painless. Chain Reaction Web supports the use of most
Web site design and publishing tools.
If you find that you need help publishing
your site, or are interested in more advanced Web site features, Chain Reaction
Web provides extensive online documentation as well as excellent technical support
by both phone and e-mail.
Promote Your Web Site
To really succeed on the Web, you need more than just a Web site. You need
"traffic" - a steady stream of visitors coming to check out your products,
services, information, and everything else you offer online. In order to draw
people to your site, you need to be listed in the Web's most popular search engines
and Web directories.
Analyze the Results
The success of a Web site is generally measured by how many visitors it gets.
Your Web server automatically logs each time someone accesses one of your Web
pages. Looking at these logs can tell you how much traffic your site gets, how
popular different parts of your site are, and when your site is the busiest. Analyzing
your traffic can even give you an idea of which parts of your site may need to
be improved or expanded.
All Chain Reaction Web hosting plans come with built-in
tools that you can use to help you analyze your traffic. Once you become a Chain
Reaction Web customer, it is easy to log into a custom control panel and access
current site statistics.
NEXT > 4. What
is e-commerce?
