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Blogging
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Setting up your own blog has become so much simpler since the first web logs started to appear back in 1992 we are going to focus on hosting your blog with a web host as this is the only way to have full control over your URL and full control over the design of your blog.
There are so many blogging clients available such as wordpress and typepad, I started off with wordpress as it is free the most simple to get started with, and the most popular and hence the best supported so I will focus on them.
If you are looking to set up a blog you will probably have a pretty good idea about your subject matter, if not – take time to think about what content you are going to display, as good content is the most effective way of attracting visitors to your blog.
Next you need to decide upon a web host, all blogging software uses a database to populate your blog, this form of content management is what makes blogs so easy to maintain as the information (posts) are drawn from the database and then passed to a template for display – this achieves a nice uniform feel for your blog and requires absolutely no knowledge of web design (unless you want to – but that’s a post for another day).
Because of the database driven nature of blogging, choose a host which offers a MySQL database with access to it via the control panel, good examples in the UK are FastHosts, 1and1 and JustHost. In the USA JustHost again and HostGator provide a great service.
Once your hosting plan is up and running, you need to go to wordpress.org and down load the latest stable version of their blogging software, they offer a famous 5 minute installation guide, which involves unzipping the package, entering your database details, password and host server into the file called wp-config.php and then uploading the files within the wordpress folder to the location on your server where you would like your visitors to go – note if you just upload the folder, your blogs adrdress will become www.myweblog.com/wordpress as opposed to www.myweblog.com.
Once uploaded you can now log on to configure your blog, choose a password and write your first post, change the templates and add/remove widgets – there are thousands of free templates to choose from that enable you to customize the look and feel of your blog, many of these templates can be further customized to display your company logo and other information.
Popular blogs are the ones that are most regularly updated, so keep good content flowing to your blog cultivate a few links to your blog from others and watch your popularity increase.
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Web Hosting
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Access - MS Access is a popular database solution for most web sites, MS Access requires Windows Hosting and is not as powerful as MySQL or SQL Server
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) - Asymmetric here refers to the fact that the upload speed is different from the download speed.
ASP (Active Server Pages) - A form of Microsoft Scripting allowing dynamic web page creation.
Apache – A powerful type of server platform run with open source software such as Linux
Bandwidth - Amount of data transfer per second
CGI Program – CGI Programs handle input and output from Servers
ColdFusion – Web Development Software
Dedicated Server Hosting - A form of hosting in which you have your own server that can be customised to your own specific requirements
Disk Space - Disk Space or Storage refers to the physical amount of memory available for you on the server
Domain Name – A web site’s identifier such as whichdomainhost.co.uk
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) – A connection which uses telephone lines
Firewall – A security filter which can restrict access to or from a network
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) – One of the most common methods of transferring data to/from a server or other computer on a network
IMAP – A protocol for sending or receiving Email, used to collect Email from your server using a client program such as Mail, MS Access, or Entourage
IP Number (Internet Protocol Number) – A unique number which indentifies every computer on the internet, like your computer’s address
Java – A programming language
Linux Hosting – Means your server runs on the Linux operating System, Linux Servers are generally more powerful and more reliable but you will be unable to run MS Windows programs.
MySQL – A database program for servers more powerful than MS Access, and open source.
POP Email – Post Office Protocol Email is used to collect Email from your server using a client program such as Mail, MS Access, or Entourage
PHP – Similar to ASP, a server side scripting code that allows you to create dynamic web pages
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) - A standard for connection multiple disks to the same server for higher security, speed and performance. Often used on web servers.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer security) - a must have for anyone intending to take payments over the internet, it is a way of encrypting transfers that makes paying on line safer and more attractive for your customers.
Unix - Computer operating system like Linux. Mostly used for servers and web servers, usually offers cheaper hosting due to reduced licenscing costs.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) – Your address on the Internet
(like: http://www.whichdomainhost.co.uk/)
Virtual Private Servers (VPS) - A type of hosting which uses software to mulitlex a single server into several VP Servers isolated from the the rest and offering the benfits of dedicated hosting at a reduced cost. |
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Web Hosting
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Virtual Private Servers offer the same features as a dedicated server by using software to split a single server in to several virtual servers, this means that the cost of renting the actual server is greatly reduced as it is split between several customers without compromising the security or administrative control that is associated with dedicated server hosting.
In contrast with shared hosting each VPS customer receives root access to their Virtual Server meaning they can customise their services to suit their individual business needs. Each VPS client has their own disk space, bandwidth, memory and allotment of system resources which will not be affected by the traffic or usage of the customers which co-habit the rest of their physical server, this is known as performance isolation. In-addition to performance isolation a VPS is isolated from errors, viruses and other problems which may be present in another VPS within the same bit of hardware, this functional isolation also provides greater security for businesses engaged in E-commerce and allows users to install their own software packages relevant to their business area allowing the use of customised shopping cart software.
Due to the great, secure functionality offered by VPS hosting it is often the next step from a medium to large shared hosting plan for those who wish to have greater control of their web space and enhanced security for conducting online transactions.
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Web Hosting
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On initial set-up you will probably decide to host your web site on a shared server, this is generally a much more cost effective and risk free option with the additional advantage of requiring much less know how and input on your part. But as your business grows so will the content of your website, and more importantly so too will the traffic your web site receives. Many shared solutions offer masses of storage and 'unlimited' bandwidth but it should be noted that this 'bandwidth' generally refers only to the maximum data transfer you may use in one month without incurring an additional charge from your web host and does not mean you are able to accommodate an unlimited amount of visitors at any one time. With shared hosting you share your server with many other websites and if any of them are receiving lots of traffic the speed of your site will be adversely affected, this is where dedicated hosting comes into it’s own.
Managed Server Hosting, is where you lease the Dedicated Server from your web host and they run it for you, managed server hosting costs slightly more than unmanaged server hosting but gives you the peace of mind that all up-keep, maintenance and required upgrades are provided by the host.
Un-Managed Server Hosting, is naturally cheaper that managed server hosting, but comes with some additional responsibilities, primarily that of maintenance. You will be expected to carry out any up-keep required including adding patches, security and software upgrades and altering configurations, you should only choose to host your web site on an unmanaged server if you are comfortable with how a server works and how to maintain it.
Dedicated Server Hosting as with shared server hosting comes with many choices, the first of which will be that of disk space, then of processing power and finally but very importantly of platform, Windows or Unix based. Your choices will be driven by the type of web site you are hosting, how many visitors you receive and what you are intending to host on it. If you are intending to run Windows based software such as MS Access or host windows media files WMVs for music or video then compatibility and licensing issues will require you to use windows based hosting. If you do not need to host these type of software, and will be using mp3, Vlc or Quicktime instead then you will be able to use a Unix based server, which can prove much more cost effective as most providers use the Linux form of Unix which is open source software and free, a saving which can be passed on to you.
Your dedicated server will usually be provided to you at a set cost per month which is made up of the lease of the server plus any extra packages including server management and software if you choose to have them. Most dedicated servers come with a graphical user interface in the form of a control panel not unlike many of those provided by the shared hosting options, although you will have much greater flexibility over the configuration of your web space as you are able to alter the server’s configuration yourself.
There is no limit (other than disk space) to the number of domains you can host which makes dedicated hosting a valuable option for those who want to avoid having to pay for each of those domains to be hosted separately.
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Web Hosting
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When choosing business web hosting there are a few more factors to consider than when just buying a family or personal web space, if your site is to do anything other than purely market your business or if you are setting up an E-Business your hosting plan will need to have some specific features.
Statistics, tell you who is visiting your site, when they are doing it and which pages they are looking at, it will also tell you which page they land on first, all of which help you to market you site more efficiently most even record which browser visitors to your site are using which can be invaluable information for targeting software sales for example.
Email, is a basic requirement of every web hosting package, but a business site will need more accounts and the ability to manage mailing lists for communicating with your subscribers, an incredibly valuable marketing tool. Another Email utility is that of an autoresponder, which sends out adknowledgments to Email enquireys and also, cleverly saves the contact information automatically to your contact database.
SSL, or Secure Socket Layer security is a must have for anyone intending to take payments over the internet, it is a way of encrypting transfers that makes paying on line safer and more attractive for your customers.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation is the process of getting your website indexed and then ranked by the top search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN, for the uninitiated this can be a very daunting and time consuming process and many good web hosts provide a Free rudimentary SEO service, in any event nearly all will submit your site to all of the top search engines for indexing. An additional incentive being offered although not really SEO ,is the inclusion of Free Google Adwords or similar coupons which help to get you started with one of the many pay per click ad campaign providers.
As you are no doubt aware it can take months of careful marketing for your website to start to rank in the search engines, this is all time when your site it not making you any money, so you may be loath to shell out for a top of the range business plan for this period. Fear not, help is at hand in the form of upgradeable packages or packages that enable you to bolt on extras, these plans enable your site to grow as required, and allow you to had more space, ecommerce options and additional domains as necessary.
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