Archive for March, 2009

Hyphenated Domain Names

You think of a perfect domain name. It contains a keyword that is found in search engines, has no trademark issues and is memorable for website visitors. You try to register your domain name with a domain name company. It appears to be taken. So, you put a hyphen in it. That version of your domain name is not taken, but should you go on and invest in it? This article will explore what webmasters need to consider if they are deciding to use hyphenated domain names.

First, they need to think about their website visitors. Most people are not accustomed to using hyphenated domain names. Even if they like a website, it may be simply a matter of forgetting to include the hyphen. If this happens then the unhyphenated version of the domain name will be what receives traffic, which is definitely not what a webmaster wants. Of course, if a domain name is not hyphenated in the first place, then such an issue would never arise.

However, a hyphenated domain name that is keyword-rich has a higher chance of getting a good ranking from a search engine than a non-hyphenated domain that is not SEO optimized. A higher search engine ranking might outweigh the initial disadvantage of how inconvenient a hyphenated domain name is. This is because if a website has a high search engine ranking, people won’t need to type in the domain name in order to access it. They can simply click on the listing given in search engine results. And if they like the site, they will bookmark it, an action that is preferable, since it shows they are really interested in what the site has to offer.

Webmasters should also consider whether or not their domain name is more understandable if they use a hyphen. Consider the unusual domain name molestationnursery.com. This is actually in reference to a website that talks about mole nurseries, not molestation. Yet, what will most website visitors think if they saw the domain name in that manner? Including hyphens can make such a website much clearer.

It would also be better for SEO, since search engines would index mole-station-nursery.com with keywords related to moles.

So, basically, there are advantages and disadvantages to using hyphenated domain names. If a webmaster thinks their domain name is going to bring them a lot of search engine traffic, they should go for it. And in some cases, a hyphenated domain name is necessary to make its meaning easier to understand.

Otherwise, webmasters should try their best to create non-hyphenated domain names, since these are the types of domain names that rule the Internet world. If they are having trouble coming up with a better domain name, they can consider using a domain name generator. Many domain name companies provide rudimentary domain name generators if a selected domain name gets turned down. Webmasters don’t have to settle for these type though, since there are more sophisticated domain name generators that can offer even more suggestions.

What to Look for in A Dedicated Server

If you have made the decision to switch from a shared server to a dedicated server to host your website, you may be a bit overwhelmed at the thousands of dedicated server providers advertising on the internet. When choosing a dedicated server, you will want to make sure that the provider is reliable, continues to update equipment and has excellent customer service.

Nothing is more frustrating to a business website owner than the server being down. This happens occasionally, but if you cannot get in touch with the server provider, it can prove to be disastrous.. Imagine not being able to have customers reach your website for days! The revenue that you lose could be astronomical.

One of the most important things to look for in a dedicated server is good customer service from the provider. You will notice that there are many providers online that offer dedicated servers. Some of them seem to be very inexpensive. While an offer for a cheap dedicated server may be tempting, you certainly do not want to sacrifice quality for price.

If something goes wrong with the server, you will want to know that someone will be on call to help you with any problems. By having a dedicated server, you are, in fact, hosting your own website. Unless you are a computer whiz, or have an IT team on hand, chances are that you will need help from time to time. This is why it is so important for a dedicated server provider to have good customer service.

You will also want to check out the space available on the dedicated server as well as the space allotted for your website. One of the reasons why most businesses choose to have a dedicated server is to increase bandwidth. Bandwidth is what allows customers to visit your site. When you have a dedicated server, you do not have to share bandwidth with other websites.

Space is also an important consideration. Even if the space that you have now is sufficient, you may want to expand your website at one point in time. You can also use the additional site to host websites that are affiliates of your website that can earn revenue by receiving advertisements. There are many different ways to earn money with websites on the internet. By hosting your own site the sky is the limit when it comes to internet income.

In addition to good customer service, bandwidth and space, you will also want to find a dedicated server that you can secure. One of the best aspects of having a dedicated server is that you have control over the security of the server as well as your website. This enables your website to be more secure than if you were using a shared server.

Price may be a consideration when choosing a dedicated server, but it should not be the only consideration. A dedicated server is no good unless it can actually help your business. If run properly, you can make even more money by hosting your own website.

Best Dedicated Servers

If you have been looking for web hosting on the internet, you have probably observed the abundance of ads for dedicated servers. If you are a novice when it comes to computers and website hosting, you may not understand what a dedicated server is.

A dedicated server hosts only your website. You are, in essence, hosting your own website. You have total control of the bandwidth, space and security of the server. In most cases, the provider will give you the equipment that you need as long as long as you continue to use their service.

You can usually get a better deal with a dedicated server if you pay annually for the service instead of monthly. Most service providers ask for a monthly fee. Monthly fees for a dedicated server usually run a couple of hundred dollars. If you pay annually, you may be able to save a bit of money.

There is a risk of paying annually, however. If the provider goes out of business and the equipment becomes obsolete, you may be out of luck. If you become unhappy with your service provider and their customer service, or the actual server, you may find yourself stuck with them for a year.

To get the best dedicated server, you need to shop around. Make sure that you find a service provider that will give you quality service. If your server goes down, it will be imperative that you can contact someone for help immediately. The longer your service remains down, the more money you lose.

A budget dedicated server provider may offer such attractive incentives such as no start up costs. In order to get your website going, you will have to upload it onto the server. Most server providers will charge a fee for this. The fee to get your server going and your website up and running may be substantial. This sometimes puts some people off, but it is a one time fee. Once your business is up and running, you only need to only pay the monthly fee to the service provider.

Although it may be seem prudent to reduce costs as much as possible when starting up your website on a dedicated server, this is one area where you do not want to sacrifice service for cost. The best dedicated servers are reliable, offer excellent customer service and have large bandwidth and space. While you may find some budget servers that offer a low monthly rate, take a look at the bandwidth and space that they are offering. In some cases, it may not even be as much as what you can get on a shared server.

To find the best quality dedicated servers, shop around on the internet. It may also help to talk to other website owners that you know to find out if they can recommend a provider. Remember that good customer service is as crucial to the maintenance of your business as is the expanded bandwidth and space afforded by a dedicated server.