You should read, print and save this file for future reference.

The information contained in this document is intended to help guide you through important decisions regarding an internet presence. We will attempt to give you as much step-by-step BASIC information as possible so you might avoid costly mistakes and waste precious time getting your information or products up on the internet. ALREADY HAVE AN INTERNET PRESENCE? The information below may still be helpful to you but if you're having issues with your internet service provider, web page designer, etc., see report2 ( "Mistakes were made, now what?" ).

Having your own Domain Name on the Internet or World Wide Web (www) or Information Super Highway...is a lot like the old saying...

~ ~ ~ ~ "I live in a house on a street, in a city" ~ ~ ~ ~

The city being the (Registrar), like the company Register.com for example
The street being an Internet Service Provider (ISP) a.k.a. Web Page
Hosting Company. The house being the space where you store your web pages with an (ISP).

When you register a domain name, that name is given an address known as a DNS Address. It tells everyone that the name is registered and to whom and that it currently resides where it was registered.

When you purchase Web Page Hosting Space with an internet service provider you're also given a DNS Address. Once your Web Pages are completed it's a simple matter of contacting the Registrar and putting in a change of address from the DNS Address that they gave you to the DNS Address that you received from your hosting provider.

What happens then is that all visitors from the web who type in your web page address will be directed to your hosting provider and they will point the way to where your web pages are located on their server.

SECTION 1 - Covers Purchasing a domain name through a Registrar.
SECTION 2 - Covers Hosting with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
SECTION 3 - Building the house on the rented space.
SECTION 4 - The Street is in and the house is built. (Now What)?
SECTION 5 - Search Engine submission, placement and popularity

************
SECTION 1 - I don't have a domain name, where and how do I get one?
************

Register.com is known as a Registrar = Place to buy a domain (URL); You register and purchase the rights to use the Domain Name for whatever length of time you want. (At this point it's just a name being held by them until you're ready to take the process further)

1. You want a domain name that speaks to what you do, is short, easy to remember and easy to spell. We recommend that you first try to find a (.com) that's available or second choice would be a (.net). If Register.com says that name you've selected is taken, they will offer other suggestions of names that are currently available. Avoid all the new 2 character extensions such as (.cc)(.tv)(.to)etc. Stick with the more popular three digit extensions that we've all come to know, the .com, .net & .org (.org only as a last resort)
2. Best place to test for an available domain name and where you should register your domain name(s) is with Register.com
3. Register.com has an online manager which allows you easy access to make changes to any domain that you purchase from them. Once your first domain name is purchased any additional domain names can all be listed under your first account. The method for doing this is when you request another name that's available they will ask if you're an 'Existing Users'. You need to enter the username and password that you used when you established the first account. This will add the new domain name to your current account. By adding all your accounts under your first registered domain name it allows you to manage all your accounts through that one username and password.
4. Once you decide on a domain name that you like you'll be prompted through the signup process. You will be asked to enter a username and password. THIS INFORMATION IS YOUR 'KEY' to your account. You should keep the key to your account in a safe and trusted place. DO NOT LOSE OR FORGET THIS INFORMATION.
5. NEVER allow anyone to register any domain name for you! (Having someone register the name and list themselves as "Administrative Contact" is like, buying a new car, calling a total stranger and saying I want to register my new car in your name and give you the car 'KEY' (Who would do that)??
6. 6 ) Make sure when signing up for a domain that you use a working e-mail address. In order to make changes to your domain name account with Register.com or any registrar, they will send an e-mail to the address you provided when you purchased the domain name. If you do not reply from the address that they have on file, your requested changes will never be confirmed and never take effect. (This is for security reasons and your protection)
7. 7 ) Once your Domain Name is registered with Register.com you may decide to list someone you're working with and trust as technical contact on your account. This is done simply by going to the 'Manage My Account' area which allows them the ability to help you by confirming changes needed during the process of setting up your account with a hosting provider.

************
SECTION 2 - I've purchased a domain name, now what do I do? (Hosting Provider)
************

1. The very first thing is DO NOT sign any contract with anyone that expects you to remain hosted with them. Find a provider that allows month to month billing and if paid annually gives discounted rates. It's a good idea to ask, "If I pay for a year and find that I'm not satisfied with your service, what is your refund policy"? If they don't know or don't have one, move on and find another company.
2. As long as you are listed as the administrator of the account and have listed a working e-mail address you will always be able to move your account if not satisfied with anyone, for whatever reason.
3. There is nothing wrong with signing up directly with a hosting company or a web designer who refers you to a hosting provider. Some hosting providers do offer a very small fee to designers who refer their clients for hosting. Where you sometimes can get into problems is if you sign up under a hosting reseller who doesn't want you to have control over your account. Resellers buy space from hosting providers and sell the space to others for whatever they think you'll pay. If a reseller is listed as your hosting provider and you've allowed him to list himself as administrative contact you could find yourself in serious problems down the road. If you're not listed as the Administrator over the account, have no access information because you had somebody do all the work for you, it's possible you'll regret it in the near future.
4. Make sure when signing up with a provider that you get a 'FLAT RATE' per month. If they mention additional charges monthly per page or image... RUN don't walk to the nearest EXIT!!!!
5. A very good judge of a company's 'Technical Support' is to ask for the number you would call to reach their 24 / 7 technical support department. Call the number several times, different times during the day, before signing anything and see how long it takes them to answer the phone. Most companies these days have automated phone systems taking their calls. Some companies that I've personally called take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to answer the phone, as a rule of thumb, these are national hosting providers. I believe that customer service is someone picking up the phone in a timely manner and offering to help. Some companies may not put their top-level techs on the phone but that's understandable and certainly tolerable. In many cases just having a human being who answers the phone and can take messages down is enough to get the job done.
6. I see most hosting providers claim to be UP 99% percent of the time or above. I'm not sure I know what that means exactly because issues with downtime can come at anytime to any service provider. We are all hooked up to the phone company, power is an issue these days, traffic on the internet, peek times where internet traffic is overwhelming at times, etc.
7. The Internet Hosting Provider I recommend to anyone, client or not is a company called 'VitalStream'. Anyone reading this documentation should consider this company for their internet hosting needs. Information about this company is listed on Webflare Enterprises, at the following web page address http://www.webflare.com/hosting.htm
8. Signing up with this California based company is very affordable and setup on a month-to-month basis. They answer their telephones with an automated system, but once you've selected the department you need they are just a few rings away from answering. They have a number of highly skilled technicians who have always been very friendly, helpful and made sure that issues I called about were fixed in a timely manner.

************
SECTION 3 - Building the house on the rented space.
************

1. Now it's time to locate a good web page designer to develop your website. It's a good idea to look through examples of their work they've created and ask for a few references before signing or agreeing to anything. It's important to ask questions of anyone that you're thinking of hiring to develop your website. I suggest that you ask which HTML editor they use. If they use Microsoft FrontPage or Publisher they're not the designer you're looking for. I recommend that you ask about copyright information and who owns the rights to the site once it's completed.
2. Some developers require a 50% good faith deposit on any job (which is reasonable). After checking with a few of their references you should feel comfortable enough to accept their terms. If asked to pay the entire amount on any contract be very sure that you've contacted several of their references and verified that previous clients were well satisfied with their work.
3. When considering a developer it's always a good rule of thumb to pay particular attention to several clues. Do they own their own domain name, use a domain e-mail address when responding to you by e-mail, do they have examples of their work and testimonials listed on their site.
4. The information you provide any developer is your information (content, pictures, etc.). It should be agreed that they belong to you and that YOU OWN ALL RIGHTS to them... Period! Even if a developer creates images for you it should be agreed that you're paying for all time, graphics and layout created and you own the rights to keep, manage, maintain or move your site at anytime you see fit. I would make very clear up front that you expect full rights to everything uploaded to your hosting provider. Again it's very important to note that you provide them with access to your account and not the other way around. Should you have any problems or issues with anyone, (the person working with you on your site) you will be able to change access information and block them from accessing your account.

************
SECTION 4 - The Street is in and the house is built. (Now What)?
************

1. Connecting all the Dots now that you've hired someone to help you develop your site should be easy with any experienced professional web designer.
2. You or your web designer would go into your register.com account and change the DSN entry so it points to your new provider. Your Provider will then point all incoming visitors to your now finished website.

************
SECTION 5 - Search Engine submission, placement and popularity
************

1. Since some search engines only allow a one-time submission its very important that your site be complete. It's imperative that your site be search engine friendly and all elements in place before any submission is considered.
2. Once all web pages are completed and the search engine submission process has been considered, it's important that your site be manually submitted to the major search engines. It's not recommend that you submit your site through anyone who claims they can submit you to 1,000's of search engines. The only search engines that will do you any good are the major search engines listed below. Most of the remaining sites are nothing more then Free for all links pages and porno sites, etc. Major Search Engines: Yahoo, Alta Vista, Excite, Lycos, InfoSeek, Google, Northernlight, Looksmart, AOL Searh, MSN.com, NBCI, HotBot and Open Directory
3. If you're at all concerned about high placement in the search engines it's helpful to build site popularity through reciprocal links. Reciprocal Link is, exchanging links with other sites of similar interest, which target the clients you seek. If you're listed on other high traffic sites, which are linking back to you it makes the search engines view your site as being more popular. Increasing your ranking pushing your site higher up in the listings. It's a good idea to do everything possible regarding the search engines however it's extremely difficult to achieve and maintain high rankings. It is recommended that you focus your advertisement locally through conventional advertising and point as much traffic as possible to your website.

CAUTION - This message contains privileged and confidential information intended for the use and education of Clients and Visitors of Webflare Enterprises. You are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this documentation without prior consent is strictly prohibited.