Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions:


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.co or .com?

No longer are you limited to the traditional .com's, .co.uk's et al. Web addresses can now be virtually anything, the downside is that anything other then the usual addresses will be more expensive. The upside is exclusivity. With the traditional addresses, a .com address gives you sole ownership of the address world wide, for instance johndoe.co.uk may not be the same as the johndoe.au in Australia, whereas the johndoe.com will be the same all over the world. Some global companies register an address in each country so that they may appear more local
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Why optimise my web site

Optimisation covers the content of the web site in 2 ways.

First is optimising the physical size of the web site There are 2 basic aims here, and they are to ensure the site can viewed satisfactorily on various browsers and connection types. Whilst the majority of your visitors may have high speed broadband there is still a requirement to cater for the far slower 'dial-up' connection. A balance must therefore be sought, particularly with graphics and images, between quantity and quality. High quality images eat-up bandwidth; lots of such images gobble it.

Second is Search Engine Optimisation or SEO. This is the method of structuring the contents to gain the highest possible ranking on the search engine listings. All search engines, i.e. Google, Yahoo! etc., provide guidelines as to their preferred content structure. Unfortunately there is no quick fix in SEO. It is often a case of creating a good structure then a cycle of tweak and wait. The waiting period is to allow the search engine 'bots', basically algorithms that index web sites, to visit and rank your site.
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What is bandwidth?

Bandwidth is a measurement of information, usually in bits or bytes per second, that can be transmitted over a given connection.

An typical example would be if your connection speed is 128kilobits/second (usually dial up speeds) then you can transmit 128,000 bits of information per second. A typical broadband connection of 8 Megabits/second is, theoretically, 60 times quicker.

Bandwidth is also used as a measurement of total usage of a connection. As an example, if your web site is 1 megabyte and your connection is 8 megabytes, your web site can be downloaded 8 times before your bandwidth ceiling is breached.
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Should I use a free hosting service?

Free hosting services are businesses and need to make money. They will do this from advertising. By agreeing to use their 'free hosting' service you also agree to accept their advertising.

Whilst free hosting does have its place in the great scheme of things, if can distract from any message you want to send. Free hosting also generally means having a web address featuring the hosts name in the format http://www.host_web_address.your_address.etc

Not only does it look more professional to have your own exclusive web address, but greatly assists with the search engines.
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What can I include on my web site?

This depends on the nature of your business. Your visitors should be able to obtain sufficient information to allow them to decide whether or not to trade with you. Therefore you need to clearly illustrate and describe the goods and services that you provide.

I will be pleased to help you with this.
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How will visitors find my site?

Include your web address in all promotional literature, business cards and stationary. Your web site will be visited by the main search engines 'searchbots' within a short period of time. These main search engines cover over 95% of all Internet users.

If you cannot wait for the 'bots' to index your site you can pay to be included. Costs vary depending on inclusion requirements. Paid inclusion may have a site listed within days whereas free inclusion may take several weeks .

Ignore e-mail's that claim to be able to give you the #1 slot. Search engine methods are a closely guarded secret and any attempts to suborn these may result in your site being dumped off the index. (see: 'Why optimise my web site).

Several of the main search engines allow you to run advertising campaigns. For instance Google use 'adwords', the series of boxes that appear on the right of the screen, that allow you to select your keywords and target your preferred market. Costs for this service vary depending on the target market, number of keywords and frequency of "click thru's".

Each time your advert is shown and each time a visitor 'clicks thru' to your site, a charge is made. You can however limit the maximum expenditure per day and one that limit has been reached you advert is no longer shown for the remainder of the day.
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I want to include some artwork

Artwork, photos, graphics or logos can add interest, recognisability and information to your site.

Traditional or digital photographs are acceptable. The best results will be obtained where the original image is of high quality. If necessary have your pictures professionally shot as the quality shows.

A logo can give your site a unique identity and could be instantly recognisable; think if Nike, Tesco or the BBC - all with instantly recognisable logos.

There are many sources on the internet offering graphical images at low cost. Specialised artwork is again best created professionally.

To help clients find you, there are a number of sites that allow static or interactive maps to be downloaded and included on your site.
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Who will look after my web site?

Bizzywebs-Design offers a full maintenance and consultation service.

With a CMS web site you will be able to take control of the contents of your web site whilst Bizzywebs-Design takes care of other requirements including SEO and Accessibility.

Services may be either retained for a small monthly fee or on an ad-hoc basis.
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Where will my web site be hosted?

We can host our own servers that will allow us to host your web site
Click here o find out more about our hosting charges.


Contact Bizzywebs-Design to discuss your requirements and for a personal quotation