What does it mean?
Getting Online can mean a number of different things.
Perhaps you just want an email address, and need to be able to send and receive emails.
Perhaps you need to website to promote you business, or perhaps you need a website to actually
sell your products online.
The First Step
The first step to getting online is to get a domain name. For example,
[
www.itzbits.co.uk ] is
a domain name. Once you have secured your domain name you then need to "host" it.
Hosting basically refers to the computer server on the internet where you domain name is
going to "live". The hosting company that you use, and the hosting package that you select
will depend on what you want to do.
As previously mentioned, you may just want an email address, or you may want a website as well.
If you want a website, then you will need to select a hosting package based on what it is that
you want to do with your website.
Types of Website
Websites can be split into two broad categories - there are those that act as "brochures" and
provide information to people visiting your site. Having read about what it is that you do and
the products and or services that you provide, you hope that they will contact you and become
a new client.
The second main type of website is a website that allows a visitor to buy something online,
without any contact with a human being at all.
Websites that sell online require more sophisticated, and therefore more expensive, hosting
solutions.
Search Engines
For any type of website, you really want to be found on the internet. The majority of websites
are found through the Search Engines, so you need to ensure that your website is listed at the top
of the Search Engine results. How do you do this? This is achieved through
website optimisation, and if
you want to get online AND be found, then your website needs to be
optimised.
Cost
So how much does all this cost? Registering your .co.uk domain name for two years can cost as little
as £5.00. The cost of hosting a website, with an email address can be from as little as
£30.00 a year. And the cost of building a website can start
from about £150.00.
So, to get online with a website and email address can start from about £200.00.
What are you waiting for?!
