How to Select a Domain Name and a Web Host

The domain name for a web site should be relevant to your business and easy to remember. With several thousands of domain names being sold each day, it can be a challenge to find the appropriate domain name for your company. But being creative and original can go a long way and will serve your purpose well.

There are a few important points to consider when selecting a domain name:

• Use existing domain names but in another fashion. For example if you want to have a website related to time management. Obviously www.timemanagement.com will probably not be available. You may try variations like www.easytimemanagement.com or www.time-management.com or www.easy-timemanagement.com etc. I hope you get the idea. Anyway, you must try to keep the domain from becoming too long as well because the longer the domain name, then the harder it is to remember.



• Create a unique name - If you create a unique name like yahoo or Amazon, you will have a greater chance of getting a shorter and catchy domain name. If again I take the above example – time management can take the shape of tima or mytime.



• Domain Extensions or Types - There are many domain suffixes to choose from for a given name, i.e. .com, .net, .org, .name, .fr, .us, etc. Once you have a great web address (read domain name), the next step will be to find an equally great host to take your site to the internet world. So let’s choose a web host for you.

Consider these when choosing a web hosting provider:

• Disk Space - Decide how much disk space you will require. Normally most web hosting providers now offer unlimited disk space so this should not be an issue. Disk Space is a measurement of the number of files in weight on your server. Just be sure to check with your web hosting provider that there is unlimited Disk Space. Bluehost or Lunarpages are a few examples of web hosts that offer unlimited disk space.



• Bandwidth - This factor is usually overlooked until the bandwidth limit is reached. If you go over your allotted bandwidth, you will have to pay a lot more. If you are running a site with lots of downloads, or a site with lots of images, audio and/or video your bandwidth will be a lot higher than a site with mostly text. And again, most web hosting providers offer unlimited bandwidth.



• Uptime – An uptime guarantee of minimum 99% is becoming more of a standard these days. Make sure your web host has great uptime.



• CGI Bin - This is now an industry standard. If you do not have access to your own CGI Bin, you cannot install scripts and programs. You can’t do without scripts.



• MySQL - MySQL database is needed to hold the data in your website. Again this is something you cannot avoid. You will probably need a minimum of one database.



• PHP - Many new scripts and programs require PHP support. Most website use the Linux and PHP support unless you are on a Windows server. Again, this feature is almost standard these days.



• FTP Access - Unlimited and unrestricted FTP access to your site is essential. You will need an FTP program to transfer files.



• Control Panel – A Control panel should be easy to use. Some control panels require hours of learning. If you select a plan where you cannot preview your control panel before you buy, you can always use the money back guarantee to get out of it if you are not happy. Most web hosts have a 30 day guarantee. Most of the good hosts have a demo version of their control panel.



• Customer Support Service – Without a doubt, simply the most important feature you can look for. If your web host does not provide any kind of 24/7 Customer Support, then you really need to look for one that does. Most web hosts now provide around the clock support.

So by now you have the basis of choosing a great domain name and also a great web hosting company. Happy hosting!!!!!

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