Domain Names

This is the name address of your website; it is a ‘friendly’ way for people to know where you website lives. Instead of having to remember a numeric address, you get to have a name. So, Sally the real estate agent wants a website. She can get a name that either will identify her or her business to her potential customers. These domain names are leased from a registrar for X number of years and are fairly inexpensive. Generally, you can pick up a domain name for $8-$15 a year.

For example: sallywallace.com, sallysellshomes.com or knoxvillehomesonline.com

I’m not providing a link to a registrar (and there are TONS of them) because I don’t want you to go out and buy one on a whim. You need to think carefully about what name you should get. Your domain name will become part of your brand, so it needs to be well researched. (And, by that I mean you need spend some time figuring out what choices you have and why one would be better than another.)

Domain names come in several flavors (extensions), the most common being .com, .net, .org, .info and .us.

Website Hosting

Hosting is a service that gives a ‘home’ to your website. Essentially, it is a server (computer) on the Internet that will house the web pages, images and other media that make up your website.

Web hosting is also not expensive. You generally pay by month or year, and it can vary from $6-$25 a month. The most important thing you can do is make sure the company you go with has a good reputation. There are thousands of web hosting companies, so it should not be too hard to find some people who have experience dealing with one.

More to come soon!