Website Hosting Guide

 1.    What is a website?
 2.    What is a website hosting?
 3.    Build and Publish your website?
 4.    What is e-Commerce? 

What is a Website?

In short, a Website is a way to present yourself online. Your Website is a place on the Internet where anyone in the world can visit whenever they want to find out more about you, ask you questions, give you feedback, and even buy your products or service. Think of the Internet as the world's biggest trade show, and your Web site is your booth. 

What is a Domain Name?
Your Domain Name is your address on the Web. Just like people use your phone number to call you on the phone, your Domain Name allows people to access your site on the Web. Clever, simple, short or easy to remember Domain Names are most desirable as they can play a large part in attracting visitors to your site. Most Domain Names end with ".com" (such as websitehosting-service.com), but other extensions such as ".net" and ".org" are also available. In addition Domains can be used with your e-mail accounts allowing you to send and receive e-mail with addresses such as "sales@yourcompany.com" 

Why do I need a Website?
Five years ago having a Web site was a vanity.
Two years ago having a Web site was trendy.
Today having a Web and your own Domain Name is a necessity and very common. 
People are using the Internet for everything from booking vacations to buying flowers to their loved ones. It's quick, it's convenient, and you never need to leave your desk. Even people who prefer to shop off-line are researching products on the Internet / Web. These days when people are trying to find you, the first place they look is on the Internet - and if they don't find you, they will probably find someone else!
 
What can a Website do for me?
Your Website can be used for a large number of tasks such as: 
Marketing your product / service
Providing support to your customers
Receiving feedback from your visitors
Sharing/distributing files and images
And, of course, show the world what a lovely family you got :-) 
Those might not sound impressive, but don't forget that you'll be able to do those things for people around the world at any time, day or night. You have the potential to become a house-hold name 10,000 miles away. 

How does a Website work?
A Web site is simply a collection of files that reside on a computer connected to the Internet. When someone visits your site, they are actually contacting that Web server / computer, and that computer gives the visitor the files they want to see. It sounds very simple, but most normal computers don't have the power or the software needed to constantly respond to all the requests made by all the visitors to a site. And even if they did, they'd need an extremely fast connection to the Internet to keep up with all the requests. Most people and small companies don't have the resources to run a Web server.
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What is a Website Hosting?

To have a Web site on the Internet you first need to have a Web server. Unfortunately, owning a Web server can be very costly and requires technical expertise that most businesses don't have. This is where Web Hosts come in. Web hosting companies provide the equipment and other technical resources that you need without the headaches that come when you have to do it yourself. 
  Think of a Web Host as the landlord of building. A landlord rents out storefronts to various businesses. Each business decorates and runs their store differently, and doesn't worry about the maintenance of the building. In a similar way a Web Host rents out space on a Web server, (or entire Web servers), to various businesses. Each business builds their own Web site and never has to worry about the maintenance of their Web server. 
In other words, the Web Host provides the place on the Internet where your Web site lives. It's a lot cheaper than buying you own server, and you don't have to hire the technical staff to take care of it. 
Choosing 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 to easy to guess. For example, if your business is "audio101" then "audio101.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.
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 Website 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 our plans. All our plans are e-commerce ready.
Consider the Bronze plans if you're an individual. 
Consider the Gold plans if the site is for a business. 

Website Hosting Service also has many Website Consultants dedicated to helping you establish your site. They can help you decide on a hosting plan, answer any questions you might have, and even walk you though the order process. 

Hosing 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 to easy to guess. For example, if your business is "audio101" then "audio101.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. 

ptweb also has many Website Consultants dedicated to helping you establish your site. 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 ptweb best meet your needs, click on the " contact us  " button on that plan's page to start the ordering process. Placing the order is easy and your site will be up and running in a matter of hours. 
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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. ptweb design 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, we provide 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. A service like Pro Submission Service can help you get traffic to your site by listing your site with search engines and the most popular directories making your Website more easy to find online. 

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 Website Hosting Service plans come with built-in tools that you can use to help you analyze your traffic. Once you become a customer of ours, it is easy to log into a custom control panel and access current site statistics. 
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• e-Commerce Related Definitions

e-Commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services across the Internet. An e-Commerce site can be as simple as a catalog page with a phone number, or it can range all the way to a real-time credit card processing site where customers can purchase downloadable goods and receive them on the spot. e-Commerce merchants can range from the small business with a few items for sale all the way to a large online auction site such as www.ebay.com. 
e-Commerce Related Definitions
Banner Ad Clicks 
Number of times that a viewer clicks on an ad banner. 
Address Verification 
Process used by a credit card processor or other party to verify that a customer's ordering address matches their records. 
Automated Clearing House 
An ACH transaction is an electronic fund transfer through the Federal Reserve Bank from a checking or savings account 
Authorization 
The process of checking the validity and available balance of a customer's credit card before the transaction can be accepted. 
Bandwidth 
The amount of information (Web pages, text, graphics, video, sound, etc) that is downloaded through a connection. 
Banner 
An interactive ad placed on a Web page that is linked to an external advertiser's Web site or another internal page within the same Web site. 
"Card Not Present" Merchant Account 
An account that allows merchants to process credit cards without a face-to-face transaction with the purchaser. 
Certificate Authority 
A Certificate Authority (CA) is a third party which verifies the identity of merchants and their sites. The certificate authority issues a certificate (also called a digital certificate or an authentication certificate) to an applicant company, which can then put the certificate up on its site. 
Commerce Server 
The server that manages and maintains all transactional and backend data for a commerce Web site. 
Cross Promotion 
The promotion of a Web site through other traditional forms of advertising such as magazines, newspapers, radio, TV, billboards, etc. 
Delayed Settlement Processing 
Once a transaction has been authorized, the merchant must ship the hard goods before a transaction can be settled. Delayed settlements are stored online until the merchant selects the transactions for settlement. 
Digital Certificate 
A Digital Certificate issued by a Certificate Authority certifies that a merchant and a particular Web site are connected, just as a photo on your driver's license connects your identity with your personal details. A Digital Certificate verifies to the shopper that the virtual store is actually associated with a physical address and phone number which can increase the shopper's confidence in the authenticity of the merchant. 
Distribution Channel 
The method through which a product is sold including retailers, catalogers, Internet commerce Web sites, etc. 
Domain Name 
The unique name of an Internet Web site. For example, 1first.com is a Domain Name. 
Download 
The transfer of information from the Internet to the browsing computer. 
Drop Ship 
The shipping of a product directly from the manufacturer to the customer without requiring the retailer to carry inventory. 
Electronic Software Distribution 
Software that can be purchased and downloaded directly from the Internet. 
Hit 
Each time a Web server sends a file to a browser, a "hit" is recorded in the server file logs. 
Home Page 
The first page through which a viewer usually enters a Web site. 
HTML 
Hyper Text Markup Language is the standardized language which allows Web browsers to interpret Web sites. 
HTTP 
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol is a protocol which allows computers to communicate with each other. 
Keywords 
Words that may be used by viewers searching for information. Keywords can be purchased from search engine companies so that an appropriate ad banner may be displayed when a viewer searches for a particular word. 
Merchant Account 
A "bank account" established with a payment processor for the settlement of credit card transactions. Any merchant who wants to take credit card orders must establish a merchant account. Internet merchants need a "Card Not Present Merchant Account." 
Off-Line Transaction Processing 
Capture of order and credit card information for later authorization and transaction processing through a traditional card swipe terminal or through a computer. 
Order Confirmation 
An e-mail message notifying a customer that an order has been received and will be processed. 
Order Management System 
A system that accepts orders and initiates a process that results in the outbound shipment of a finished good. 
Real Time Credit Card Processing 
Online authorization of a credit card number in real time informing the merchant that the card has been approved. 
Settlement 
Once the goods have been shipped to the customer, the merchant can key a transaction for settlement at which time the customer's credit card is charged for the transaction and the proceeds are deposited into the merchant account. 
SSL 
Secure Socket Layer is an encryption technology on the server that scrambles important data such as credit card numbers and order information when it is being stored or passed from one computer to another. 
Shipping Confirmation 
An e-mail message that notifies a customer that an order has been shipped. 
URL 
Uniform Resource Locator which describes the "address" for a document on the Internet.
 
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