Top 5 Terms to know BEFORE talking to your web designer:

When talking to a web designer, it is good to be familiar with some of the basic terms that will be using:

web design: This is the creative labor used to build your website. It normally includes any layout design (and related graphics), and setup of any initial pages needed in the main menu of the site. Logo design is normally not included with this.

web site: This includes is all files created / needed for proper display of your site on the web. This is what the web designer builds for you.

web host: This is a company whose primary purpose is to store your web site on special big computers (called servers) so they can be seen on the internet. No web hosting - means no connectivity to the internet. These fees are normally paid monthly, quarterly, or annually - depending on your particular contract.

TIPS: Most web developers/designers do not actually host websites, though many offer web hosting. If they provide hosting (or insist on providing web hosting) of your website, most will contract the hosting with a web hosting company, add to their costs (double/triple?) - and bill you accordingly. If a web developer is insisting that you host with them, they are locking in for themselves some additional monthly revenue. This is good for the web developer, but often provides little benefit for the customer.

Sample Web Hosts: www.DigitalWest.net, www.GoDaddy.com, www.sbwh.net

You should always consult your web designer when it comes to purchasing hosting. Some advanced e-commerce or CMS applications will not work well on the shared GoDaddy.com accounts. And when hosting, the web designer will need to specify whether their software works best on a Windows or Linux box.

All web hosts are not created equal. For example some provide email support only - and will get back to you about your issues within 1 business day. Some provide telephone support during business hours. A few (like Digital West) provide 24/7 telephone and email support by live humans. Of course, this means you pay a bit more per month for the extra support and security.

When I recommend a web host for my clients, I consider what type of website it is. If it is a 2-5 page website - with just HTML (and no advanced programming) I go with the cheapest option - normally GoDaddy.com. If the site involves advanced software - particularly where cool new features are being added incrementally - I recommend a hosting company like Digital West where I can call them at 2:00am to get an issue fixed if needed.


domain name: This is name of the website that you type in to get there. For example, with www.SpiderwebLogic.com the domain name is "SpiderwebLogic.com" . Domain Name fees are normally billed annually and ranging from $10 - 25/year. However, owning a domain name is one thing. To do anything with it you need web hosting and web design.

TIPS: Most web hosts also sell domain names, and sometimes offer deals on this as part of a hosting package. Also, there are services out there that exclusively sell domain names at competitive prices like www.123CheapDomains.com.

You do not need to consult your web designer if you want to purchase a new domain name.

e-commerce web site: Any website that somehow collects money from others over the internet. Commonly this is through PayPal or using Credit Card.

TIPS: Whether you accept PayPal or Credit Cards is a business decision. A Premier PayPal account allows you to sell products through PayPal without monthly fees. In such a case you pay a percentage of each sale. If you accept Credit Cards, however, you normally start with fees around $30/month plus a percentage of the sales.