Web Terms
What is a 'host'?
This is the term given to the company that actually puts your Website into cyberspace. Think of the Website as an advertisement for a newspaper or magazine - you designed the advertisement but it needs to be published in order for others to see it - a Hosting company is the 'publication' source which provides access to your advertisement (web site). Like any publication, there are some good hosts and some that could be a little better. The important aspects to know about your host are a) can they cope with the 'type' of site you have, b) will their system be able to cope with the number of visitors your site attracts, and c) do they provide back up service in case of problems?
Is a Host an ISP (Internet Service Provider)?
Sometimes, ISPs do host Websites (the majority do). Others only host sites. With Nu World Web, you will still need your ISP for connecting to the Internet and Web viewing, but we will provide email service.
What is a server?
A server is utilized by the host company to store your web site (on disk) and provide the means for access to those pages by internet users.
What is Storage and How much do I need?
Storage is space on a hard disk on a server - This is where your web pages and images are stored, waiting for internet users to retrieve them and view them. How much you will need depends upon how many pages are in your website, how many graphics and images you use, etc. Compare Hosting Storage size with the size of your computer hard disk - once it's full, you either need more space or get rid of items you aren't using - storage space for your website works the same way.
What's Bandwidth and How do I know how much I need?
Bandwidth refers to how much data you can send through a network or modem connection. It is usually measured in 'bits per second' (bps). If your website is content rich, without the need for streaming videos or flash graphics, your bandwidth needs will be lower than if you want to provide streamed video or file downloads for your visitors.
What's ecommerce?
Ecommerce is simply the term given to purchasing products or services over the Internet.
What's a link?
A (hyper)link is a bit of text on a Web Page that, when clicked on, takes you to another Web Page or Website.
What's a search engine?
A search engine is a computer that reviews (and ranks in an order) the content of Websites. If a person enters 'golf' into a search engine, that person will be shown a list of sites to visit that contain the word golf. As an example, Yahoo! (on of the most popular search engine on the Internet) has 2,066,797 Web pages to choose from when 'golf' is searched for.
What is Search Engine Optimization? (SEO)
SEO refers to steps taken to maximize your chances of being found by search engines when a search is performed. Some examples of these steps are ensuring that your content includes keywords that are most often searched when someone wants to find the product or service you provide, and that your page title and description also include those words.
What's Web surfing?
Web surfing is the term given to reviewing Web pages by going from one link to another. A recent Website we did for a client contains a link to the 'Marriott Resort.' From here the surfer can go to the 'Dreamworld' site, onto the 'Antarctic Adventure' site, from here to the 'Bureau of Meteorology' and on it goes.
What's HTML, PHP, WebDNA, JavaScript, ASP?
All of these terms refer to programming languages used for web pages. Some are proprietary, meaning software has to be loaded on the server in order for your web pages to look right, others are open source, meaning no additional software is necessary or if needed, is low cost or free. While we can code in a variety of languages, we prefer to design our client's sites using PHP, an open source programming language. This gives the client the benefit of being able to have their site at any number of hosting service without the need to purchase additional (and sometimes expensive) software.
