Web Design
Web Hosting
Marketing
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WEB HOSTING FAQ
• Why bother with a web site for my
business?
Having a web site on the Internet is increasingly critical in today's market
and broadens the scope of your business. Today's consumers shop and
compare a great deal more than they have in the past, and the Internet gives
them a new and powerful way to do so. Every day thousands of people
log on to the World Wide Web - many of them looking to buy products and
services like yours. A website helps you reach new clients by tapping
the online customer population, and you can make sure that your customers have
all the information about your business that they need to make good
purchasing decisions. Consider these points:
Your website will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer questions
about your business and offer customer service even when your business is
closed at night and on weekends and holidays.
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• What is web hosting?
Web hosting involves setting up a computer with access to the Internet using
fast connections, and storing the Web pages on that computer to be accessed by
Internet users. Such a computer is normally referred to as a Web
server, or a web host.
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• What are the advantages of shared
web hosting?
Most businesses cannot justify the costs of having a dedicated server,
dedicated Internet connections and all the hardware that goes with it.
The initial outlay runs into several thousand dollars, and ongoing necessary
maintenance costs are steep as well.
Web hosting companies enable such businesses to share the equipment necessary
(and therefore the costs) to enable them to maintain an impressive Web presence
at a fraction of the cost of setting it all up themselves. Furthermore,
businesses need not invest in in-house expertise and technical staff to deal
with all the installation and troubleshooting associated with computer
hardware and software. Another, often-overlooked advantage is that
serious web hosting companies upgrade their equipment and Internet connections
as new technology emerges - this saves businesses the cost and trouble of
having to write off obsolete equipment and also invest in replacements for
it.
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• What is a web server?
When someone enters your Web address (URL) in their Web browser, it looks up
the location of the computer associated with that domain name.
This 'host' computer then sends the files that make up that particular
web page to the person's computer that requested it. In other words,
it's your server or host that makes your website available to the world.
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• What is a hosting account?
A domain, or hosting account, means having your own domain name
(http://www.YourBizName.com) without having to install expensive server
hardware and software. With a hosting account, you utilize our server's
storage space. However, you are still professionally represented via
your own personal Internet Web address domain name (YourBizName.com) and
by your own personal email address domain name (You@YourBizName.com).
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• What would the costs be to set up my
own Web in-house server?
Having your own complete setup for connecting to the Internet would require
that you purchase a leased line or frame-relay circuit from your local common
carrier from your office to an Internet Service Provider (ISP); purchase or
lease a high speed CSU/DSU (a device similar to a MODEM) for your office and
maybe a second CSU/DSU for your ISP, purchase or lease a high speed router
(a networking device used for converting the signal you get from the CSU/DSU
into something your server can use) for your office and, again, maybe for your
ISP; purchase Internet bandwidth from your ISP; purchase an Internet server
computer for your office configured with a good amount of memory, disk storage
and a tape backup system purchase and install a server operating system (such
as UNIX or Windows NT/2000) for the server; purchase, install and configure Web
server software, electronic mail software and firewall software for the
Internet server; purchase an uninterruptible power supply and possibly a backup
generator.
Depending on the ISP, speed of the connection, equipment and software you
buy, it may cost between US$5,000 to US$10,000 just to set up a server on
the Internet, and between US$1,000 to US$20,000 a MONTH for ISP and common
carrier charges.
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• Won't my website be slow if I
don't have a dedicated server and connections?
No. This will not be the case if you choose the right web hosting
provider. A serious web hosting provider will not allow websites that
hog bandwidth to be sharing with other websites. A serious provider
will respond quickly to deal with possible problems and will take the
necessary steps to anticipate others. Unfortunately, finding a serious
hosting provider is often a painful process involving a few disappointments
and frustration along the way. US-Webmasters.com has eliminated this
uncertainty by ensuring that the web hosting service is fast, reliable and
comes with responsive support.
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• How much does it cost me for
US-Webmasters.com to host my web site?
Generally, a one-time server setup for your domain name is $25, and the server
hosting is $15 per month on a six-month term or $10 per month on a one-year
term.
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• Why is the price higher on a six-month
term?
In order to take advantage of the $10.00/month rate, there is a minimum
one-year term required to be paid in advance. We are passing on to you
our lower administrative costs for a one-year agreement.
You can choose to pay six-months in advance. In that case, the monthly
rate is slightly higher at $15.00 per month, which brings your total to
$90.00 for the six-month period. For specific pricing and payment terms,
see the table on the
Web Hosting Inquiry Form.
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• How long does it take to set up a new
account?
New accounts are generally set up within 24 hours from the time we receive your
order. Once an account is setup, an activation notice will be sent to
you via email including your user-ID, password. You can then begin
uploading files to your new website immediately.
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• How and when will you bill me?
You will receive a monthly notification via email with a due date and address
to send your payment.
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• What is a domain name?
A domain name is a two-part Web address unique to your specific website, for
example: YourBizName.com. While the first part is who you are, the
second part, "com", stands for commercial. Once registered,
you'll have your own unique Web address as well, for example,
http://www.YourBizName.com/. Your domain name cannot be taken by
anyone else, and will make your Web address easier to remember and look
up.
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• How do I get a domain name?
You can find out if the domain name you want is available here:
Web Domains.
While you will still be responsible for making payment for the domain name
($15 annually), US-Webmasters.com can handle the registration process for
you.
If you would like to register a domain name, please make a request using our
Inquiry Form: click here
or email us: Info@US-Webmasters.com),
with your request.
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• Do you handle the domain registration
process?
Yes. We will process the domain on your behalf - to request either a
new domain name registration or a domain name modification (transferring an
existing domain to our servers).
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• Does the web hosting include registration of
my domain name?
No, it is a separate payment. We can register your domain name for you,
but it is something that you pay for separately ($15 annually - similar to
paying for your registration with your local Chamber of Commerce). You
will be billed directly for the domain name(s) you register.
Normally when you register a domain name, you need to specify the 'DNS' servers.
The Domain Name Servers are kind of like directory assistance for the computers
on the Internet. Whenever you make a request to view a site in your Internet
browser, that site is 'looked up' in a DNS server, and directed to the
corresponding 'IP' address. IP (Internet Protocol) addresses are a
string of numbers that specify a particular location on the Internet.
US-Webmasters.com's registration service will enable you to park the domain
on our servers until you are ready to use it.
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• What are the specifications for a domain
name?
While the total length of a domain name may be up to 63 characters,
the only characters allowed are letters, digits, and the hyphen (dash). A
domain name cannot, however, begin or end with a dash. The
"www" which almost always comes before the domain name in a Web
site address is not, in fact, part of the domain name.
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• What are my domain name options?
1. We can host any domain name that you own. This includes
.com, .net, .org, etc., or any country code domain (e.g.: .au, .uk, .de, etc.).
2. We will register your .com, .net, or .org domain name for you.
3. The registry of the domain name you choose will be billed to you separately.
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• What does it cost to register a particular
domain name?
$15 annually for .com, .net, or .org domains.
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• How do I know if a domain name has
already been registered?
US-Webmasters.com will do a search to determine if the specific domain
name you have selected is available. There is no charge for this service.
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• Can I check domain name
availability?
Yes. You can find out if the domain name you want is available here:
Domain Availability Check.
Also, when you complete our online hosting form, you can enter your domain
choices in the order form and we will check if the domain name you have
chosen is available and also offer alternatives.
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• How long does it take to register a domain
name?
Once an available domain name is chosen and applied for, the confirmation is
immediate but the processing takes about 48 hours before it is available to
your designated servers.
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• How do I place an order for
US-Webmasters.com to register my domain name?
You may make a request by filling out our
Web Hosting Inquiry Form.
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• How long does it take before my
domain name is active?
It usually takes about 48 hours before it is active.
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• Can I access my domain address with or
without the "www"?
Yes, you will be able to access the domain address with or without the
"www" in front of the domain name. Example:
http://www.YourBizName.com or
http://YourBizName.com whichever you prefer.
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• Can I transfer an existing domain
to your servers?
Yes, just be sure to specify that you are requesting a transfer and not a new
domain. You should keep the service with your current provider while
waiting for completion of the transfer process. All email and Web
pages will still be accessed from your current site until the changeover
is completed.
Upon completion of the transfer, there is a 72-hour 'propagation period' where
visitors could go to either site. At the end of the 72-hours you should
contact your previous host to cancel your hosting service with them. If
you use this same provider for your Internet access you will not be able to
access your domain site until they update their DNS servers.
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• Won't my site be down if I change
my web hosting provider?
No, your site will not be down, not even for one second. We upload
your site to our servers and create all the necessary files and folders for
you. Once your old site is duplicated on our servers, the DNS record
is updated, and this information propagates throughout the Internet.
During this 72 hour propagation period, some people will be viewing your site
with the previous hosting company, and some will be viewing your site on
the new server. However, after about 72 hours, most everyone in the
world will have access to your site on US-Webmasters.com's server and you will
have switched over, not missing a minute of uptime.
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• But isn't changing web hosts a big
hassle?
We've made your job easy. Just sit back and relax! We
handle everything! We download your site from your existing host,
recreate your site on our server, and handle the DNS transfer. We
even make a back up of your existing site in the process.
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• Do you promote and submit my
domain to the search engines?
Yes. Besides hosting, we have a number of other services, like search
engine submission. We provide a basic submission procedure, as well as
an advanced procedure.
Advanced search engine placement procedures take a bit of time, but
we can usually get top 10-20 placement on many search engines - depending on
the keywords.
This process usually takes about 10-15 hours, so be prepared to pay around
$500-$1000 initially for this service. The annual maintenance for changes
and resubmissions to the search engines is billed at our hourly rate and is
around $150 / year.
It's also important to understand whether we go the 'advanced' search
engine placement or the 'standard' route, it usually takes 1-2 months before
your site will start to appear in the search engines.
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• Can I know how many people are visiting my
website, when and from where?
Yes! Irrespective of which hosting option you choose, your Web server
will generate log files that can be analyzed using off-the-shelf software
designed for the purpose. You will have the choice of downloading the
log files and running the reports yourself, or else we can take care of this
for you and provide you with regular traffic statistics reports.
Depending on which software is used to analyze the log files, the
following information can be derived:
- the number of visitors to the website,
- the most frequently visited pages,
- the referring websites - this will show where the website traffic is
originating from,
- the countries visitors come from and in what quantities,
- the days and times that are most popular for visits,
- the most popular browsers that are used to view the website,
- the most popular operating systems that are used by visitors who view
the website
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• Do you offer POP email accounts?
Yes, a minimum of 5 POP email accounts come which each server plan.
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• What is an email alias?
This feature is simply email forwarding. Forwarding means that any
email sent to a specified mailbox will be automatically sent to another
specified mail box. It allows you to setup email accounts with
US-Webmasters.com that will automatically forward email to your personal
or business account.
For example, if your domain name is JoeAndKarensWidgets.com,
then any of these email addresses would be directly forwarded on to your current
email address:
Sales@JoeAndKarensWidgets.com
Info@JoeAndKarensWidgets.com
Joe@JoeAndKarensWidgets.com
Karen@JoeAndKarensWidgets.com
AnyName@JoeAndKarensWidgets.com
Email aliases don't have usernames and passwords; they just redirect mail
sent to them to another email address that you specify.
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• What is an autoresponder?
Autoresponders are messages that are automatically sent to anyone who sends
an email to a certain address.
For instance, if you are going to be out of your office for a week, you may
want to set up an autoresponder. If anyone contacts you via email, you
would still receive their message in your POP3 account, but the sender would
immediately receive a message back letting them know you are out of town and
will contact them at a later date.
Another useful example for using an autoresponder would be to set up a
marketing response to anyone interested in your company. If someone
sends an email requesting information to Sales@YourBizName.com, you may
have an autoresponder that immediately sends a reply to your customer
thanking them for their inquiry, and letting them know that you will be in
touch with them shortly.
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• How do I transfer files to my web site?
Files must be transferred to the Web server via File Transport Protocol
(FTP). We recommend
WS_FTP or
CuteFTP.
Other FTP software can be found at Shareware.com. Shareware.com is a
source for the latest Internet applications with ratings and reviews to help
you decide which application is best suited for your needs. An FTP
tutorial is also available for beginner users who may not be familiar with FTP.
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• Will I have unlimited access to update
my pages?
You have unlimited access via FTP 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. As such,
you can create and maintain your Web pages on your own computer and upload
files to your website at your leisure.
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• Do you support Microsoft Front Page
extensions?
Yes, we support the FrontPage server extensions and the ability for you to
publish and maintain your site using FrontPage.
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• Can I use FrontPage2000 to build and manage my
website?
Yes, the FrontPage extensions we provide are compatible with all versions
of FrontPage.
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• But what about my Microsoft ASP
scripts?
Microsoft ASP scripts are not supported on our servers. However, we
do support scripts written in PHP. PHP is a widely-used general-purpose
scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be
embedded into HTML. It has the advantage of being open source
software, and works well with MySQL, a high-quality DBMS for small to
mid-sized databases.
We feel that PHP offers advantages which will add value to our clients'
websites without the higher development costs of ASP, while supporting our
concern for performance, server security, the security of our other customers
and of course the security of your site. If there are problems with
your scripts, our technical support representatives are well versed in PHP
and are available to help out.
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• How do I transfer to
US-Webmasters.com?
All you have to do is
place an order
for the hosting package of your choice from our website. Once you place
an order for with us we can facilitate the transfer of your site to
our server. - Simply select 'transfer existing domain' on the
online order form.
Once your account is set up, an email is sent to you which will include your
login information, user name, and password. You can begin uploading
your files immediately.
Once your site has been uploaded, we can update the DNS server information
with the Domain Name Registrar. Once the DNS information has been
updated, the propagation of this information takes up to 3 days to propagate
throughout the Internet.
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• What are the costs involved in switching
providers?
There is a one-time setup fee that covers: downloading all your website files
from your existing host, backing up all files and then uploading them to our
servers. The fee also covers complete testing of all forms, links,
navigational aids, etc., on your site before going "live" on our
servers.
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• How long does the entire process take?
We can usually have your site up and running on our servers within 3-5
business days.
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• What
happens to my e-mail? Will I lose my e-mail address?
You will not lose your e-mail address. If you currently use your
company's website address as part of your e-mail, for example:
Your-Name@Your-Company.com: your e-mail will now be routed to our servers
without interruption. You will continue to get your e-mail, using all
your existing company e-mail addresses just the way you always have.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE ANY EXISTING E-MAIL ADDRESSES! This
includes e-mail aliases such as Sales@Your-Company.com,
Support@Your-Company.com, Info@Your-Company.com, etc.
Simply continue using your existing dial-up service.
If you are using a personal e-mail address, such as judy@aol.com,
bob@earthlink.com, or bill@your-isp.com, you can keep those as well.
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• Do you offer tech support?
Yes. We encourage our customers to send email to
Support@US-Webmasters.com
with questions or concerns about their website. We are relatively
quick to respond to support e-mail weekdays between 10 am and 6 pm CST.
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• What kind of support will you
provide?
If you have a question or problem that has anything to do with your website,
the Internet, our servers, or our services, we are here for you! We
provide all the start up configurations, all the necessary information
exchange, and all the technical expertise. We do our jobs
quickly...and leave you free to do yours. No more headaches!
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• What about backups of my website?
Part of the web hosting service includes backups, both on mirrored hard
disks for safety and also offsite backups. However, we recommend you
also keep backups of your website on your local hard disk to make certain that
you will not lose any updates that may be in progress.
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• How secure is e-business conducted on your
server?
US-Webmasters.com ensures that data sent from your viewer's Internet browser
will make it to our servers safely. If someone should intercept the
data in-between your viewers browser and our server, it will be encrypted
and they won't be able to do anything with it.
We will provide you with a portion of your site protected by the Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. This protocol allows users to put
sensitive information (like credit card numbers) into a form and have it
transmitted to your Web server without the risk of anyone being able to
decrypt and use the data. With access to our SSL server, the URL to
access your secure pages will look something like
this:
https://www.YourDomain.com/SecurePage.htm
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• How secure is my Web site?
We employ the standard method of safeguarding against any malicious entry
to a website on our server. This is done through the standard usernames
and passwords that are assigned to each of our clients. We assign
passwords that are designed to be impossible to guess. This makes
them impervious to the standard password cracking programs. Other
security measures are also taken to ensure the security of your site.
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• How reliable is your service?
We have triple redundant connections to the Internet. We have battery
backups as well as on site generated electricity if necessary. We continually
monitor the functioning of your site from multiple nodes on the Internet.
We aim for your site to be up 99.9% of the time or better.
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• What other services do you offer?
In addition to basic web hosting, we can provide you with almost any service
you need to get your site going.
- We offer complete Web design.
- We can also handle domain forwarding. For example, any traffic
to MyDomain.org or MyDomain.net can be forwarded to
MyDomain.com.
- We can also set your site up with multiple HTTP headers,
password-protected directories and custom DNS entries.
- If you need special email or database services we can do this too, as
well a number of other services you won't find at most ISPs, (site design
and programming, for example).
If you need a service that is not shown on this website, please contact
us via our Inquiry Form or email us at:
Info@US-Webmasters.com
and let us know what you have in mind.
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• Do you offer dial-up Internet access?
No. In order to access your website and send and receive e-mail, you
will need a local Internet Service Provider.
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• Does US-Webmasters.com accept International
orders?
Absolutely, we welcome potential clients from all over the world. We
can even host your non-US domain name extension. To place an order
click here
to fill out our
online order form.
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• How do I order a website hosting
package?
You can order a website hosting package from our
online order form.
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Hopefully, we have covered all your questions. If you have any other questions, please contact us:
Web Hosting Inquiry
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