Crocker Web Design & Hosting

• What is a domain name?
• What is a server?
• What is a virtual domain?
• What is the difference between .com and .ca?
• Will people be able to find my site?
• Once the site is up how many visitors will come?
• How much will a site cost to make?
• Can I change my site after it is done?
• Can I use the Web space that is supplied by my ISP?
• What does ISP stand for?
• Why in Windows do you click on a button named "start" to shut the computer off?

A domain name is the unique name for a web site, such as www.crockerwebdesign.com, so that anyone on an Internet connected computer can type into a web browser to connect to the site. This makes it simpler for people to remember an address. The alternative would be to have a long number, which would be difficult to remember.
 
To be more precise, we should ask what is a web server? It is a computer connected to the Internet that holds web sites on a hard drive. On request, it will serve a site. Typically we use a web hosting company for this purpose. They have computers connected to high-speed lines running software specifically designed to serve web pages.
 
Web hosting companies provide what is referred to as a virtual domain. When someone types in www.yourdomain.com the web browser accesses the site you requested on a computer that might hold hundreds of such sites. To clarify most web sites are not served up from the actual physical location of a business, but from a web hosting company with computers connected to high-speed lines. Any individual can have the same presence on the Internet as a huge company who may really have a bunch of computers in a back room serving up their web site. Most companies do outsource this service.
 
The .com top level domain is available to anyone who is willing to pay. The .ca top level domain is a Canadian designation and is available still on payment but also meeting one of the following conditions.

• Aboriginal peoples
• Canadian association
• Canadian corporation, federally or provincially incorporated
• Canadian citizen who is ordinarily resident in Canada
• Canadian federal, provincial, territorial, municipal or local government or agency
• Hospital in Canada
• Canadian library, archive or museum
• Legal representative in Canada
• Her Majesty The Queen
• Person protected by subsection 9(1) of the Trade-marks Act (Canada)
• Canadian political party
• Permanent resident within meaning of the Immigration Act (Canada)
• Owner of a trademark subject of a registration under the Trade-marks Act (Canada)
• Canadian trade union
• Canadian trust

People should be able to find your site if they type the business name into a search engine. Trying to find your site by searching for the service or product you are supplying will be much more difficult, unless it is extremely unique. One has to remember the Internet is global and has millions of sites. The sheer volume of pages out there lowers the chances of your site popping to the top of the list. Google is my favourite search engine. I have found it to be the best at listing new sites I have put up. This is proof to me it is current and updated often.
 
I would like to be able to say thousands will come and your phone will ring off the hook, but in all honesty I can’t. The success of your site depends on how it is promoted and the target it is aimed at. The best way to get your site noticed is by linking to other sites and promoting it in other mediums. A web site is a great way to show off your particular product or service. A huge amount of information can be made available to literally millions of users of the Internet.
 
The cost, that is a tough question to answer. Basically the longer it takes us to build it the more it will cost. You can save money by pointing us in a direction right from the start. Surf the web and look at similar businesses to yours to learn what you like or dislike. We have no problem quoting a fixed price as long as the content of the site is clear and a design has been approved. In certain situations a design development fee may be charged if we are asked to present many different design options. Having said that, we realize there will be changes as the site is developed, so our set price includes a reasonable amount of flexibility to achieve a look you will be proud of.
 
Absolutely! You can change your site as much as you like whenever you like. Depending on your level of html experience you could make your own changes or we can do it for you at a very reasonable rate. If you have a page on your site that needs to be updated frequently we can set it up so this can be accomplished on any Internet connected computer by a person with very little technical ability. The great thing about web sites is they can be changed whenever there is a need as opposed to a pamphlet that you order a thousand copies of and then notice there is a typo.
 
You could use your web space that's bundled with your Internet connection, but if people wanted to get to it they would have to use a URL like http://members.shaw.ca/roncrocker/.
 
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. Shaw is one, as is Telus - both of these companies supply high speed connections for consumers, but in reality most consumers use dial up connections. An ISP supplies a connection to the internet for a monthly fee.
 
I have no idea.
 
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