Web sites by Alexander Internet Services

Steps in Developing Web Sites
From Dial Up to Hosting Your Web Site
Alexander Internet Services

Select an Internet Service Provider, ISP. There are two distinct types of ISPs.
a. The first type provides its front end software and maintains it by downloading updates to your computer. The most popular ISPs of this type are AOL and Prodigy. These ISPs generally charge about $20 per month. They provide you the ability to get started quickly and enable you to access the internet from nearly anywhere. Most PCs with a modem can be used to access these ISPs.
b. The second type does not provide a software front end. You must acquire your own internet software such has Netscape Communicator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. This software is generally made available by your ISP at a minimal cost or you can pick it up at your local computer store. The rates are a little more flexible. Some ISP charges range from as little as $100 per year to several hundred a year for more bells and whistles. These accounts generally have some disk space available to you for a web site. The disk space varies from 1 MB to 5 MB and you can purchase more space if needed. The address for your web site would be "www.yourweb.host.net/~yourname" . You need to look for ISPs that have a local phone number for your city. All ISPs do not cover every city in the U.S. Not all ISPs have 1-800 numbers available for those who travel. If this is important, ask about whether they have 1-800 numbers available. This type of ISP gives you more flexibility to develop your own desk top environment for the internet. Some people begin with the first type and later switch to this type of ISP.
How to build your own web site is the next step. First you need to ask yourself, what do I want to accomplish by making a web site? What type of information do I want to make available to browsers on the internet? Once you have answered these questions, you need to decide if you want to design and code your own web site or pay someone else to do it for you. Prices for this type service begin around $100 and can go as high as you can afford. There are many software packages available to you that enable you to develop HTML, Hyper-Text Mark-Up Language, code without learning the HTML language. Microsoft has Front Page 2000 for about $100 and Netscape Communicator software package has the Composer in it. There are many other programs available in you local computer stores and on the internet. What ever method you use, be sure to plan out what you want the web site to show. The better you plan the easier it will be to get it right the first time which saves time and money. You need to balance your web page design between number of images and speed of loading the web page. If you have too many pictures, it will take forever to load the images and people will not come back to your web site. By designing your web site with several pages, it will help speed up the loading of your web site. One large web page can take forever to load.
Where do I put my new web site? There are several places you can host your new web site. If your web pages are being developed using Microsoft FrontPage, your host must support FrontPage extensions. Ask your potential host or ISP if they support FrontPage 2002 extensions.
a. Your ISP may provide you disk space for your web site. Most internet accounts come with some disk space where you can put your web site. If space is not provided, you can purchase disk space.
b. You can also pay someone to host your web site. There are sites that will put your web site under their domain. They will charge you a yearly rate for this service. Many of these domain sites will help you code and maintain you web site and also make available email accounts under their domain. Your web site may have an address like www.abc.com/yourwebsite . Email accounts may look like the following. yourname@abc.com This hosting method is probably the best for small businesses because the cost can be less than the next method. For information about this method of hosting, email ais@go-texan.com . These host sites do NOT furnish you a dial-up account. You must have a ISP for that service.

c. This method is the most formal and most expensive way to host your web site. This method involves two decisions. The first is to select a domain name and second is to select a web site host. This will cost a minimum of $500 for the first year. These host sites do NOT furnish you a dial-up account.

Now what is a domain name? A domain name is a specific name for you or your company that has an exclusive IP Address pointing only to your presence on the Internet. Domain names may not be duplicated. In other words, a specific domain name points to only one Internet presence, i.e., www.abc.com. However, www.abc.com is not a duplication, but is instead a unique and different domain name. All domain names must be registered with Network Solutions, Network Solutions charges $70 to register a new domain name. Their fee covers the first two years. After two years, $35 per year will be charged. Network Solutions sends invoices via e-mail and regular mail approximately 1 week after the domain has been registered. Registering for multiple years may results in a yearly reduction.

A web host provides disk space for your domain name account. Most host will assist you in the domain name registration for a setup fee of $50. This space will become your unique address that people from around the world can use to reach your site. They also provide you with e-mail addresses based on your domain name, so, if you switch providers, your e-mail name/address stays constant. This web hosting depending on your requirements may range form $225 to $600 per year.
How is your web site maintained? Once your web site is active, there is the question of how to maintain the web site. If you contracted the design and development of your web site to someone, you may want to continue their service to maintain your site. This service can be on a monthly bases or by the hour. Most support services range from $40 to $150 per hour depending on the complexity of the web site.
Typical pricing estimate summary for the first year.

$500 - Web site design and development

(starting at)

70 - Domain registration for 2 years

50 - Web hosting setup charge for domain name

250 - Web hosting for your web site

300 - Web site maintenance and update charges(optional)

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$1170 - YEARLY ESTIMATED TOTAL

Current Page Updated on March 18, 2007

If you have additional questions, send email to ais@go-texan.com

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