Posts Tagged ‘hosting’

Sites Down Again!

// March 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // General, Projects

For the third weekend in a row my sites are down – and this time it will be the last time! I have lost countless hours over the past month to server problems which is hampering my efforts of running the BuddyPress Theme Contest, as well as increase traffic to Explore With Me.

I planned to work on Explore With Me v2 this weekend, as I did last weekend and the one before that. It seems that each Friday night the sites go down for the weekend. It has probably cost me over 2000 hits this month and some revenue.

I have decided to setup VPS hosting at FutureHosting. I figure this is the best solution as I can host unlimited domains. Initially I will start with 4 domain names which would be about $200 a year if I got individual hosting packages for each domain.

The VPS is costing me US$39.95 a month, however I can host unlimited domain names so it will work out cheaper once I setup a few more sites. I am using the base package to start with which gives me 10GB of space, 300GB bandwidth and 256MB which I think should be enough to start with.

Hopefully the sites are all up and running by Monday or Tuesday. This site may be down for a few hours as I migrate it to the new server.

Things to Do When Creating a New Site

// January 12th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // How To, The Internet

I have created a few websites and blogs over the years and each time I tend to do exactly the same things in terms of setup, design and marketing. In the early stages of creating a new site, each site is pretty much the same no matter what kind of content you are going to upload.

Every website needs a domain name and a host server. The domain name is normally dependant on the type of site you are launching and choosing a host will depends on your needs. Unless you have a massive website with a lot of videos, music and photos, generally the basic hosting package is enough. Most good hosts now offer anywhere between 1 and 5 GB of storage as their basic package, storage shouldn’t initially be an problem.

Other things to consider when looking for a web host are mySQL databases, PHP, ASP, Windows or Linux and E-Mail addresses. It will depend on your needs as to whether you need a Windows or Linux based server, but generally Linux servers are cheaper and support both PHP and mySQL. If you are creating an ASP or .NET based site then you’ll normally need a Windows box.

In terms of design I normally create the site for 800×600 browsers as when I was taught web design this was the most common screen resolution. I should probably increase this now as monitors are getting bigger and bigger. It is also a good idea to test the site in a number of web browsers as they all interprete HTML differently.

Once the site is uploaded to your server, the next task is to bring traffic to the site. There are a number of things I do to get the site bringing in some traffic.

  • Submit your site to search engines: There are plenty of free websites where you can submit your URL to search engines. Most services will submit your site to Google and Yahoo, and also a bunch of other search engines.
  • Add an XML site map to Google: To assist Google in finding your web pages you should create an XML sitemap and upload it. If you search for “Google XML sitemap” you’ll find a number of websites who offer this service.
  • Social networks: Submit a few pages of your site to social bookmark networks such as Digg and StumbleUpon. Twitter is also a good way to promote a new site.
  • Forums: If you find a few forums that cover the topic of your website then add it to your signature and make a few posts. Don’t just create a new post to advertise your new site as it will most probably get you banned or your post removed.

Once the site is up and running, designed and listed in the search engines, then it is time to improve the site and generate more traffic. No project is ever complete…

What do you religiously do each time you create a new site?

How to Start a Blog: Part 2

// September 27th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // How To

So you have decided on the topic of you blog, so the next thing you need to do is find a suitable domain name. There are plenty of free blog hosting websites around on the Internet, but if you want to be taken seriously you are best off registering your own domain name.

Choosing A Domain Name

Your domain name is the most important identifying factor of your online presence. Your domain name should relate to the title and name of your blog and also represent your niche. Choosing a domain name that represents the type of blog you are going to create will also help your potential users find you a lot easier and will also fare better results within the search engines.

Things to consider when choosing a domain name are:

  • Keep it short
  • Avoid numbers and hyphens
  • Avoid trademark words or brands
  • Make it easy to remember
  • Make it unique
  • Register a .com or .net where possible, and even both
  • Register it NOW. Don’t procrastinate too long as it might be registered from right under your nose.

There are millions of domain names registered already, so chances are the first attempt you make the name you choose is going to be taken already. It is best to try and have a few different alternatives just in case you are unable to register you first choice.

Registering A Domain Name

Now you have decided on your domain name it is time to register it. There are a number of places where you can register a domain name and every person has their own personal preferences due to factors such as cost, location and service.

If you are registering a .com or .net you shouldn’t pay anymore than about US$10 a year. I use a number of different registrars depending on what kind of name that I am registering.

Whoever you choose, most companies operate the same way when it comes to registering the domain name. You will normally have to type in your desired domain name and search to make sure it is available to register.

Once you find an available domain name you will be prompted to add it to your shopping cart.

Hosting Packages

Once you settle on a domain name you most likely will be prompted to purchase a hosting package. This again varies on the company you are registering with, however they all are basically the same.

There are a few things to consider when choosing a hosting package – such as Windows or Linux based, bandwidth, disk space, e-mail, online tools.

This of course depends on your needs, however as you are starting a blog from scratch is it best to start with the lowest package available and then as your blog grows you can increase your package as you need to. There is no point in spending the money at this stage.

You will also need to make sure the package you choose meets the below requirements if you are going to run WordPress:

  • PHP 4.3 or greater
  • MySQL 4.0 or greater
  • The mod_rewrite Apache module

Once you choose the package you are happy with, and meets the WordPress requirements, add the package to your shopping cart.

It is now time to check out and complete the purchase. You will be prompted to enter some personal details such as name, address, e-mail address and payment method.

Depending on the type of domain extension you registered you will receive confirmation and approval within 24 hours, but if it is a .com or .net address then you should receive the confirmation almost straight away.

Your hosting details will normally be sent in a seperate e-mail and contain your user name and password for the admin control panel and FTP server addresses. This may take 24 hours or so to come through and be setup, depending on your hosting company.

Keep these details in a safe place because next time we will be downloading and installing WordPress!

5000 Premium Expired Domains Per Month

Nameseek.com.au

// May 15th, 2008 // No Comments » // The Internet

As mentioned in the last post, I have been working on my new domain name auction website over the past few weeks – Nameseek. I am currently testing the script, and will aim to launch on June 1.

You can visit the site at the moment as I have not locked it down while testing so at the moment it is free to add a item.  Actually if you do have a domain you are looking to buy/sell check it out and it might even help me with the testing!

At the moment I have not set up any advertising, text link ads or affilate programmes. I will worry about getting the site functional and working and spend the first month or two driving some traffic to the site. I don’t have a plan of attack yet, but I think I might aim at some web and domain message boards and forums to try and spread the word, and even target domain registrars.

The target audience to begin with will be users who are looking to buy/sell the .au domain name. I will use this as the basis of promoting the site, even though the site will allow users to sell websites and sripts.

As the site hopefully gains some interest and hits, I will find a decent domain name reseller and sell domains on the site, as well as hosting and use my own skills to offer web design services for users who are looking for a complete package – though that is a few months down the line! For now lets just concentrate on one thing at a time!

So don’t be affraid to check it out – http://www.nameseek.com.au!