Frequently Asked Questions
What is a domain name?Why don't you register domain names for clients?
What about private registration for my domain name?
How can I register my domain name?
What do I need to do once I register my domain name?
What is a Nameserver and DNS?
What happens next?
How do I update my site?
What are your fees?
What about an email address?
What about optimizing my website for search engines?
What is a domain name?
This is the name or address for your website (your_website.com). Names that are short and descriptive are always best - something you can easily say to clients, something they will remember, and with a spelling that will be clear or easily explained. "Dot com" (.com) endings (tld's) are usually best as they're most prevalent. You may search for and register domain names here.
Why don't you register domain names for clients?
We recommend doing your own registration because this is your web identity and you should always control it! If you don't know where your domain is registered or don't know when that registry expires you could find someone else owning YOUR name down the road. This requires little effort or time, and the registrars offer assistance as needed. Allowing someone other than you to control your online business name can cause numerous headaches in the event they disappear or quit offering service.
What about private registration for my domain name?
Domain registration fees are charged per year and you can choose the number of years you desire. You may purchase privacy for your registration if desired. This prevents visitors from seeing your personal information (name, address, tele) should they do a "WHOIS lookup" of your site. If you have a brick and mortar establishment privacy may not be important to you as you can use your business credentials, but private registrations are recommended in other cases.
How can I register my domain name?
You can use any registrar, but we recommend GoDadddy for pricing and service. Although they will offer you a host of other services during sign up and registration, for now you only need to register your desired domain name and add private registration if desired.
What do I need to do once I register my domain name?
Contact us and we will discuss setting up your website and tell you how to send us content. We will begin drafting your site and work with you until you are happy. Once your site is finalized, you will need to point your DNS entry to our webserver (see below).
What is a Nameserver and DNS ?
DNS is short for "domain name server". After your website is ready you will need to go where you registered your domain name (GoDaddy) and specify a Nameserver for your website. This 'hooks" your domain name to the actual location of the server hosting your website. We will send you this information when your site is ready. This process takes about 2 minutes, and any registrar can help you with this. Alternately, if you're using GoDaddy, you can assign us as a temporary Account Exec and grant us permission to designate your DNS for you (in your GoDaddy control panel go to "Domains" then choose "Assign an Account Exec").
What happens next?
After you change your DNS it may take a day or two for the changes to propogate across the internet. After this, your website is 'live'. We suggest you "proof" everything and make certain all links are working as desired. Contact us if you want any final adjustments. Once you are satisfied with your site, we will bill you for designing your site and 1 year of hosting your site. After payment is received you can request a download of your site files so you have them as backup.
How do I update my site?
If you need to update anything on your site just email us your desired changes. Please make clear which page/paragraph/etc you want to change and also your website address. We're always happy to do occasional changes. If you need to restructure your website or change/add significant amount of content, additional fees may apply.
What are your fees?
We pride ourselves in personalized service and reasonable fees. Because we have limited time, our focus is working with clients needing sites with 5-10 informational pages. In these cases we can generally provide a professional, fast loading website for about $100/year. Fees for other services vary based on client needs - contact us for an estimate.
What about an email address?
We can create an email address for you at your domain (me@your_website.com). However, most clients using the Easy Sites service find it simpler to use an existing email address on their website contact page. We obfuscate all email addresses to reduce spam.
What about optimizing my website for search engines?
Pages in the Easy Sites program are set up with a common keyword set throughout the website which is optimized for your particular needs. Individual page titles are defined to improve search engine placement as well. However, much of Search Engine Optimization depends on well written content which you must provide.