Whether you have been using the web for years or are taking the first steps, understanding how web sites work, what is required and the components of a well designed web site can be overwhelming. We have put together some of the most common questions to guide you through the process. |
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A domain name is used to uniquely identify your web site to the internet community. A domain name generally takes the form of: "www.yourwebsitename.com" where "yourwebsite" is an identifier for your business or organization. The "dot com" extension at the end of the domain name is called the "top-level" domain. There are many top-level domains available such as:
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.com |
.info |
.us |
.net |
.org |
.biz |
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.ws |
.name |
.tv |
.edu |
.gov |
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A domain name has to be registered with ICann accredited company. If you are ready to register a domain, we have partnered with Adventures In Growth to provide domains at a very reasonable cost. If you prefer, we can purchase a domain as one of the services when we design your web site |
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What is a URL? |
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URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. The URL is the address that your browser would use to reach a particular web site or file. For example, to browse directly to the products page for the "yourwebsite", you would type http://www.yourwebsitename.com/products.html. |
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How do web pages work? |
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Web pages are constructed in a language called HTML. A typical page contains many HTML "tags" which define all the elements, graphics, colors and text. The HTML pages for a web site reside on a web server. When a user browses to your web site, the requested HTML pages are downloaded to the user's computer and displayed as a document based on the HTML code. |
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How are web pages written? |
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Web pages can be written in a simple text editor, however, most people use page editing software such as Microsoft Front Page or Macromedia's Dreamweaver. Editing programs provide a very simple way to define and layout the elements of a page without having to manipulate the underlying HTML code. Most professionals use Dreamweaver to develop and manage web sites. |
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Do all web pages look the same in all browsers?
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Web pages do not appear the same in every browser. There are particular nuances with the way browsers handle errors and render certain HTML tags. There are also variations in these nuances between different versions of the same brand of browser. |
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Can an e-mail address be set up from my domain?
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A web hosting provider will typically allow for one or more e-mail addresses to be setup under your domain. This will allow you to setup personal mailboxes or general mailboxes such as info@yourwebsite.com. Southwest Equipment Services partners with Imagineering Design for web site hosting and will provide e-mail addresses and general mailboxes for your web site. |
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How will people find my web site?
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Most people discover web sites by using search engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc. Search engines are web sites that people can use to search for a particular topic. Search engines provide users with a list of web sites that are most relevant to the users search term. Another way that users are directed to web sites is through the use of online advertising. These advertisements can take many forms ranging from banners to pop-ups. Since people have started blocking pop-ups and banners, pay-per-click is becoming more common. This type of advertising generally provides you with some prominent placement on a major site. When a user clicks the link for your site, you pay the advertiser a fee. |
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What is the difference between an engine and a directory? |
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Search sites employ two different means of gathering pages. The first method is to electronically scan a web site for information and index the information in a directory. Sites that populate their directories using this method are considered to be "Search Engines". The second method of populating a directory is for real people to review a web site and include the information in the directory. Sites like Yahoo and Snap are built using human reviewers and are actually considered to be "Directories" rather than search engines. For simplicity, both types of sites are categorized under the same heading. |
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How do search engines work? |
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Search engines work by looking for "keywords" and indexing your site according to the occurrence of those keywords. If you sell hats on your web site then you might use keywords like "hat", "baseball cap", etc. In general the more your site has these keywords the better, however, your site can be penalized and rejected if you abuse the use of keywords or attempt to hide them. |
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Where should keywords appear on my pages? |
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The keywords can appear in the following places: |
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Page Title |
Body of the pages |
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META Tags |
ALT attributes of the IMG tag |
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Links |
Comment Tags |
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Do all search engines work the same? |
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NO! Each search engine works differently. Just because your page ranks well in one search engine is no guarantee that it will rank well in another. |
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How do I get my site into a search engine? |
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Many search engines now require a fee to submit your site for inclusion. This fee can be minimal or substantial depending on the engine chosen. For instance, Lycos charges approximately $30 to submit a site while Yahoo charges $300. |
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