Three classy things to learn
First, class, is the website address. This is the part that is visible and advertised to everyone. For example, Alliant’s address is, AlliantTechnology.com. Making the address, or domain name, more readable by using capital letters is a helpful marketing tool and has no effect on the way the Internet sees your address.
To make sure that you alone have the right to use the address for your website, you must register the name. The domain name is registered with a Domain Name Registrar for an annual fee. If you forget to renew the registration, you lose the right to the name.
If you register your domain name for more than one year – say 5 years in advance – your website is viewed as being more durable and permanent.
[A helpful definition explaining the difference between DNS Hosting and Web Hosting.]
In a nutshell, web hosting is essentially the space where your website files are stored. While DNS hosting is what connects users to the site and keeps the domain online.
Hosting
Second, there is the hosting. Registration and hosting often get seen as one and the same thing. They are not. The problem exists because many companies who agree to register your domain, also offer services to host your website.
This points to a clear distinction. You register just the domain name. Nothing more. No content has been hosted as yet. But when you set up an account to host the content, then the registered name becomes the website identified by the content.
File Transfer
Third, is the answer to the question, “How will I get my content to the website?” You have pictures and articles. You have written FAQs, Contact and About Us information. But how does one go about getting that data from your computer to the website? And once there, to edit, update, correct or even delete?
Most website hosts have tools to help you accomplish this. One tool is FTP, File Transfer Protocol. This tool helps you to upload the content of the website so that the right information appears on the right page. FileZilla is an efficient and easy to use FTP solution which markets itself as “the free FTP solution.” As open source software, FileZilla is distributed free of charge.
Need Help?
There are many other things to learn about making a classy website. But these three simple elements are helpful to have in mind when you decide it is time to establish or upgrade. When you are ready, Alliant Web Services will help walk you through the steps.
