Publishing

There are many choices for getting your business online. Some of these are as simple as using the services provided by your dial-up service account, like AOL Personal Publisher, while others are as complicated as purchasing a dedicated computer system that is connected to the Internet with high speed telecommunications services. In the middle, are Web hosting services that provide you with an affordable and easy-to-use method to get your business online.

In order to publish your Web site on the Internet with a Web host, you will need to select a Web hosting service (and corresponding hosting plan); choose a domain name (www.yourbiz.com); and actually create your Web site using software tools available off-the-shelf or from your Web hosting service. You should be aware that registering a domain name and choosing a Web hosting plan can usually be done online, and only takes a credit card and a matter of minutes. Therefore, it is important that you take your time in choosing the right domain name for your online business, and get a plan that meets your needs.

Think of a Web hosting service as providing a location in cyberspace for your online business. It is much like the landlord you would deal with in the offline world, if you were setting up a retail store in a mall. For example, if you signed a lease with a landlord, then for a monthly fee you would get a certain amount of square footage for your store, parking for your customers, electricity for your equipment, and certain other standard services to keep your business running smoothly.

In cyberspace, a Web host is the landlord for your online business. For a monthly fee, your Web host provides you with a certain amount of disk space to house your Web site, bandwidth for your customers to visit, design capabilities to build your Web site, and many other services to help you run your online business. Your choice of a Web hosting service should be based on its monthly service charge; the amount of disk space you will receive; access to reports, phone support availability; and ancillary services like credit card processing.

Just as in the offline world, where there are many types of landlords, in the online world there are many different types of Web hosts. There are firms that specialize in hosting entire computer systems for very large and highly trafficked Web sites; there are firms that specialize in hosting thousands of small business Web sites; and there are even many free services that provide some sophisticated hosting capabilities. Some of the small business and free hosting services are shown in the following table.

Web hosting services	Type
Angelfire	Free
Concentric Network	Monthly fee required
Earthlink	Monthly fee required
GeoCities (Yahoo!)	Free
MindSpring	Monthly fee required
Verio	Monthly fee required
WebJump	Free
XOOM.com	Free

As you explore different Web hosting services, there are certain things you must consider. For instance, most of the free hosting services mentioned above do not give you the capability of having your own domain name (www.yourbiz.com). Normally, your Web address will include their company name, and look something like www.theirbiz.com/yourbiz. Other features and capabilities you should consider, include:

A domain name is your dot com, or your Web site address. It might look something like www.yourbiz.com, www.yourbiz.net, or www.yourbiz.org. Your domain name uniquely identifies your Web site from all of the other Web sites in the world. Whenever anyone types your domain name into their Web browser's address box, your Web site home page will appear on their computer monitor.

Today, there are two ways that you can get a domain name -- you can register a new name with Network Solutions (www.networksolutions.com) that hasn't already been registered by anyone else; or you can buy one from a domain name broker. Registering a new domain name is a relatively easy and straightforward process that can be accomplished directly through Network Solutions, or indirectly through your Web host. Either way you will have to pay $70 for a two year license of the domain name.

Since the large Web hosting services, like Verio and MindSpring, have direct links to the Network Solutions/ InterNIC database of domain names, it is often easier to select your Web hosting plan prior to registering a domain name. These companies make registering a domain name part of their process for establishing a Web hosting account. However, you can always register a domain name, and then choose your Web hosting plan at a later date.

Today, domain names have become very valuable pieces of online real estate. It is not unheard of for a company to pay millions of dollars for the right domain name. Therefore it is important that you choose yours very carefully. Make sure that any name you choose is easy to spell and conveys the nature of your online business. Ultimately, your domain name may be more valuable in terms of a "brand" than your online business by itself.

If you were going to build a house, would you begin by chopping trees down in the forest? For most people, the answer to this question is an emphatic "No." Likewise, if you want to build a Web site, you don't need to start by learning how to program with HTML or Java. There are plenty of software tools on the market that make Web site creation a relatively painless process.

You can visualize software tools as falling into two separate categories. The first category includes software tools and templates that are provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), Web hosting service, or online mall. These tools are integrated with the type of service you choose and are designed to get you up and running quickly. The second category consists of off-the-shelf software packages that are loaded onto your computer. These software packages give you more flexibility than the integrated tools, but still give you the capability to get up and running quickly. Some of the more popular off-the-shelf Web site development software packages, include:

The nature of your online business, will in large part determine which approach you take. If your site is going to be predominantly geared towards selling things (an e-commerce site), then you should look at the templates provided by the Web hosting services to determine if they meet your needs. Often, many of the security and credit card processing features required for e-commerce are offered as standard features through their e-commerce plans. On the other hand, if your online business is going to be more content oriented, then you should consider an off-the-shelf software package to create your Web site.

These are only general guidelines, since you can create a content oriented site with templates offered by your ISP, and you can create an e-commerce site using an off-the-shelf software package. The decision comes down to the amount of time you want to invest, and the design flexibility you need, to create your online business. Finally, you should be aware that e-commerce plans provided by Web hosting services tend to be more expensive than their simple Web site hosting plans.