Website Basics-Why Register Dot Mobi Domain Names?

by: Richard James

Dot mobi domain names are here to stay. With today’s society becoming ever more mobile, it makes sense that in the coming years people will more and more depend on mobile devices. It’s already happening; people use their mobile phones and pda’s for everything from scheduling appointments to making purchases to surfing the web. Consequently dot mobi domain registration is on the rise.

Just like dot com is the domain name ending for many Web pages on the wired internet, dot mobi domain names are the suffix for Web pages that are formatted for cellphones and other wireless devices. The principle behind the dot mobi domain name is that it will make finding websites designed for use on mobile or cell phones easier. It is also hoped that the release will herald a new age of mobile internet with the inclusion of industry standards. Above all else, though, the hope is that mobile Internet browsing and surfing will become as commonplace as the cell phone itself. Running a dot mobi domain name website could potentially be very profitable

The mobile Internet is virtually untapped. As the price war wages between mobile Internet providers and the quality of the mobile network increases, there is a very real chance that the majority of the population that owns a cell phone will start to regularly access the Internet through their cell phone browser. You could be one of the first to take advantage of what could be the next big communication revolution- dot mobi domain names.

It’s pretty much common knowledge that at the present time trying to access most web sites on a cellphone is difficult if not impossible. This is because most companies web sites have not yet accommodated the scaled-down version that is necessary for mobile devices. Actually creating a dot mobi domain name site is very easy compared to a standard computer accessed dot com site, the tools used are little more than a text editor, which is good news for anyone with an idea for how to build a better mousetrap out there.

Even if you have no current plans to pursue a dot mobi domain name type website at the moment, you are well advised to register your current domain name also as a dot mobi domain name to protect your brand. Any worthy commercial site should plan to, if not already be in pursuit of, a mobile ready version of their site.

Lastly, some are interested in the dot mobi domain name as an investment vehicle, in remembrance of the original dot com land rush. And indeed there seems to be a mini land rush on for dot mobi domain names at the moment. Dot mobi registration is building momentum. There is some merit to this, but pick your categories carefully, as not every website is likely to transition smoothly over to mobile devices. And keep it short…remember, the dot mobi domain name is being typed into a cellphone!

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/web_design_and_development/article_1312.shtml

Website Basics-Fine Tuning a Domain Name

by: Richard James

OK, so now you’ve found the domain name you want, but someone else owns it. Can you still get it? The answer is a qualified YES. You can still possibly register that coveted name even if someone has beaten you to the punch. In the next article we will discuss how to go about registering a domain name that is already taken. But for now, lets look at some alternatives to that:

Hyphenated Names Sometimes it is a good strategy to just take the same domain name and hyphenate it as in turning bobsautoparts.com into bobs-auto-parts.com. Is it always the best strategy? Yes and no. If you are dealing with an already well known name, generally the answer would be no, as most web surfers would usually just enter the non-hyphenated version in, and end up at your competitors’ website instead. Not a good strategy. Also, the longer the name you have chosen, the more tedious and error prone it becomes for the surfer to type in the name correctly, again foiling the chances that they will end up at your website. Definitely shorter is better. But if the name you have chosen is already taken and there is no chance of getting it from it’s owner, and the owner either has no website or a poorly designed one with little traffic, this can be a good strategy in purchasing a name.

Longer or Shorter Domain names can be up to 67 characters long. At 63 characters, thelongestdomainnameintheworldandthensomeandthensomemoreandmore.com claims to be the longest domain name in the world, and it may very well be. But who would want to type it into a browser? Our website, www.StartMyWebsiteToday.com features a name that in a few words encapsulates the purpose of the site. It is helpful also with search engines. In as few characters as possible the name of the site, the purpose of the site, and the keywords of the site have all been neatly put together in a domain name. Shorter is better here. Nuff said.

Brand Name or Generic The answer here is it depends. If your business is your brand, of course it is the best possible strategy to try to register that domain name. For instance, Nike.com is a well known brand name site, although there is nothing in the domain name to suggest that it is a site about shoes. Still, Nike is such a well known brand name to the public that people automatically know what they will be shopping for when they get there. If your brand name is well known, definitely try to obtain your brand name as a domain name. But if you are Nike or Coca Cola don’t discount the idea of buying shoes.com or soda.com if they are available as well. People often search the web using generic terms, more so even than brand names. A person is more likely to search the internet for shoes or footwear or sneakers than to search by a single brand name, even one as big as Nike. So if possible cover all the bases, but a generic name if your business is new or not yet well known can get better results, if you can find a good one.

In the next article, we discuss strategies for buying a domain name that has already been taken.

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/web_design_and_development/article_1314.shtml

Easy Web Design Software For Home Businesses

by: Charles Brown

Designing your own website from scratch that you're proud of is not as hard as you may think. Especially nowadays, because there is software available that takes on much of the work that used to be relegated to the webmaster (which is you!).

In days past, in order to build a website from scratch, you had to know HTML, or "Hyper Text Markup Language." And really, you are still better off knowing at least the basics of HTML. Nevertheless, it's not required. Especially if you find easy web design software that does most of the work takes care of this for you. Now, every single HTML editor on the planet now features a "WYSIWYG" interface. (What You See Is What You Get.) So, in theory, you shouldn't have to know the first thing about hand-coding a website.

The reality is, however, not all HTML editors (or "web design software") does WYSIWYG well. Little annoying problems tend to crop up. For example, say you typed the following sentence using your site builder:

"Discover the best places to SCUBA dive in the Cayman Islands." Say you want "best places" to be italicized and "Cayman Islands" to be bolded. Here's what's supposed to happen:

In the background, your HTML editor is supposed to 'type' the phrase as such: Discover the best places to SCUBA dive in the Cayman Islands. (I put extra spaces between the tags for this example, in order to keep the article publishing software from parsing it like normal HTML.)

But instead, this is what you get: "Discover the best places to SCUBA dive in the Cayman Islands." Even though you selected the words "best places" and clicked the little graphical icon on your html editor's toolbar that represented italics, your phrase comes out non-italicized. And your bolded words are not bolded.

Well, in this instance, you'd have to go to the "Source View" of your HTML editor and manually insert the above HTML tags to make these things happen. This is a very annoying problem with too many popular web design software titles nowadays.

Another problem that will frustrate the heck out of you, is seeing a totally different result in the web browser than you see in your desktop. For example, your formatting changes are (apparently) taking effect as you type--just as it should (remember it's touted as being WYSIWYG)...

However, they don't show up when you publish the page to the internet! I don't know why, but this problem still plagues most web design software to this day.

Fortunately, there are a few (very few) good software titles that work for cheap, while doing all the other things to make your site stand out and (if you're so inclined) draw visitors by the hundreds.

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/web_design_and_development/article_1315.shtml

Website Hosting - How to Select a Good Company

by: Brad Stone

Trying to select a hosting package is much like purchasing a new car—there are many different types and ways to go, but in the end it really boils down to how you are going to get where you want to be and the features you’ll need to get there. You certainly would not buy a Honda Civic to make an off-road journey across the Mohave Desert. Nor would it make sense to buy a Hummer to just drive around town.

So in considering the type of hosting package and company to host your website, you should first assess where you want your website to go and what you’ll need to get there.

But first, let’s understand what web hosting is exactly, and the many different features that need to be considered.

The Internet is a vast network of interconnected computer servers which house or host various pages of information, called websites. Hosting a website means to store and maintain a computer folder of various web pages. Hosting companies offer this service by providing computer hardware and software services. These services vary as much as cars do.

Some very important hosting features that should be a must for your hosting package, much like the importance of having a car with a motor and wheels, are the following:

* Security – Protection from Internet hackers.
* Space – Ability to grow my site without size constraints.
* Speed – How fast my website will load onto visitors computers.
* Up Time – Dependability of the hosting servers from crashing.
* Back Up – Protection from loss of data from my website.
* Support – 24 hours support to handle problems.
* Administrative Tools – For making changes to your site.
* Email – The number and size of email accounts.
* Hosting Company – History and track record for support.
* Search Engine Submissions – Submitting to the major search engines.

Now, let’s consider where you want your website to go and what you’ll need to get there. Some questions to ask:

* Do I want my customers to be able to look up information on my website? If so, you’ll need a database driven website with a hosting company that supports it.
* Do I want movement on my website? If so, you’ll need a web design company that can program flash for your site, as well as the ability to host the flash program.
* What type and how much email traffic will I anticipate? This helps to determine the size and amount of storage you’ll need for your hosted website.
* How many web pages will I need? This also helps to determine the size of space needed for your hosting package.
* Will I want to make ongoing custom changes to my website? If so, you’ll need a hosting company that supports ongoing custom design changes.
* Will my website have a lot of images and movement? If so, you’ll need additional space for larger web files for these functions.
* Do I want Internet Traffic to my Website? In order to receive traffic to your website, your hosting company needs to offer this service, or you’ll need to hire a third party for this service.
* Will I need Internet marketing help and consultation? In this fast-changing Internet world, it is important to have professional help and consultation.

The Better Business Bureau offers this advice:

“Choosing a Web Hosting Service for your Business Web Site. Is your business web site down again? Does it seem to have more downtime than uptime? You may want to consider changing your web hosting service. One of the most important decisions you will make for your business web site is selecting which web hosting service will display your web pages to the Internet. Choosing the right Internet Service Provider (ISP) to host your business's web site may feel like finding the right day-care center for your kids these days: Are they reliable? Will they be there next month? Do they know what they are doing? What services do they provide?"

Basically, it is important to find the right hosting company that will partner with you for all your hosting, design and consultation needs. The cheapest hosting is typically not the best route to go. It’s cheap because it is a bare bones package, with little, if any support. That is a sure way to online business failure.

source : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/web_design_and_development/article_1316.shtml