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Domain Name Registration Tips
1. Don't pay $35.00 per year for domain name registration. Registrars like DomainSite, Dotster and Budget Register provide the exact same service for about a third of the cost. 2. You can transfer existing domains to a new registrar easily. Hosting Cost When it comes to web hosting, the lowest price isn't necessarily a good thing. You'll usually find cheap prices mean poor customer service and reliability. If you care about your website's uptime and overall performance, shop around, do your homework and check out customer service before you sign up. If you have the option to host month by month, I suggest doing that for a few months before locking yourself in for a year or more and then finding out their service is non-existent. Cooperation from your hosting company is critical to your website's overall performance, and signing up with a good company will absolutely save you time, money and headaches. What to Look for in a Hosting Company 1. Uptime percentage - 99% or better if downtime will hurt your business 2. Procedure for equipment or power failure 3. Redundancy in equipment, hardware, systems, connectivity... 4. Are you paying for features or services you don't need? 5. How are customer questions and complaints handled? 6. Contract length and penalty for early termination What to Look for in a Web Designer 1. Ask to see real examples of their work 2. Get a written estimate up front 3. Don't pay more than half of the total cost up front 4. Be clear about what you are paying for 5. Ask for references if you have any qualms about the designer's reliability 6. Ask how long the website will take to complete, get the launch date in writing 7. Check the progress of the website at various stages of construction to be sure your website is being constructed to your liking 8. Have realistic expectations and tell the designer what you want your website to accomplish before construction begins 9. Communicate with your designer before and during the construction process 10. Designate one person to work with the designer to avoid communication problems If you have any questions, shoot me an email, I'm happy to help. - Lori |