Web Hosting Resources Tips
Read these 5 Web Hosting Resources Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Web Hosting tips and hundreds of other topics.
Webmail
E-mail and Webmail are basically the same – electronic mail. However the way you can access that information is different. Email you can download onto your computer using an e-mail software package such as Outlook Express. Webmail is e-mail that you can read online through a web browser. The mail remains on a web hosting server and you do not have the emails downloaded onto your personal computer. Webmail can be useful if you are traveling and want to read your e-mail from anywhere around the world where you can have access to the Internet. Some Webmail packages are limited in how much space you can take so you may not be able to receive large images or files, or you may have to delete messages often, or purchase more storage space. Some of the most popular Webmail services include Hotmail, Juno and Yahoo Mail.
Web Site Templates
Web site templates are great if you are a beginner and want to build a nice looking web site. Most web templates are easy to navigate and you simply add your personal information such as images and text. If you want to put a site together in a few hours, a web template is the way to go. When a web hosting company advertises that you can have your website up and running in less than an hour, that may be true that your site will be up, but actually adding your information generally takes longer than that, so be prepared to spend a few hours. Web site templates can also be good as a resource to see different designs and find something you like. If you can get templates which you can download and then customize that gives you the benefit of having a pre-built site, but also gives you flexibility to make it fit your needs. There are hundreds of free website templates available for downloading, so you can spend hours and hours looking through each one. But if you want a really good site design, you should expect to pay between $19-99 for web site template or hire a designer to build a custom site for $50-75 per hour.
Blog, Blogs and Blogging
What in the world is a blog? When I first heard the name “Blog” it brought to mind something slimy from a swamp, rather than anything to do with computers. However when you hear that blog comes from the term “Web Log” then it makes more sense. A blog is basically a personal journal that is kept on the Internet. Someone who blogs is called a blogger. And when you write a blog, you are blogging. There are hundreds of thousands of bloggers online now. Some blogs contain great information about specific industries written by entrepreneurs, analysts and experts. Other blogs are just the written thoughts and experiences of individuals without specific credentials. Blogging software is easy to use and quick to set up and blogs are becoming more popular. Warning: When you search the Internet you may come across a blog and think the information you are reading is accurate. Blogs do not carry the same restrictions as mainstream media, so the information does not need to have any accuracy. Just be careful that you do not believe everything you read.
Web Site Statistics
If you have a business web site you need to have good web site statistics in order to know your customer. If you know that you have 1,000 visitors each day and only 1 visitor purchases each week, then your conversion rate from visitor to customer is not good and you should find out why people are not making purchases. Does your ordering system need work? Do the customers feel their information is going to be secure? Are they searching for something you do not carry in your store? The more you know about your visitors, the better you are to meet their needs and turn them into customers. There are some free web site statistics packages available but they are generally not very detailed. Most web hosting companies offer some type of web stats, so ask if you can see a demonstration of what information is included.
Web Hosting Resources
There are many web hosting resources available today. Your web hosting provider will generally offer some free options such as hit counters, web templates and Webmail. Some web hosts offer free clip art or graphics, guestbooks and chat rooms. When searching for a web hosting provider, check and see if they offer free resources. Do they give you instructions on how to build an effective web site? Do they offer shopping carts or e-commerce resources? Do they offer bulletin boards, or message forums? What about blogging software, mini polls, site search and mailing lists? With so many web hosting resources out there you should make a list of the ones you want and either find a web host that will provide them or one that will allow you to add them yourself.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Sherril Steele-Carlin |
