What Kind of Web-Site Suits Your Business?

It's now widely accepted that web-site is essentiallarger web-site (not host). Your internet address
for any kind of business over Internet. However,(URL in Internet lingo) looks like or The later (also
before embarking on website design - spend somecalled sub-domain or micro site) is little more
time on planning. Why do you need a web-site ?prestigious and may suit some businesses. While such
What are your expectations from it ? What is theweb-presence is inexpensive, convenient and
target audience ? How do you blend yourmaintenance free, it may not suit your purpose in
organizational goals with website goals ?To help youlong term for following reasons: Like rented office,
in your thinking process - here's a checklist of issuesthe address is temporary. If decides to throw you
and considerations that could be helpful in yourout or closes down its business - you will have to
planning. This is a general checklist, there may belook for another place and consequently another URL.
special issues related to your business. You may addThis could be suicidal as your customer will not be
or subtract from this list to construct your ownable to locate you and all your money spent on
website design plan.There are essentially four issues -search engine promotion will go down the drainYou
that you should address before starting work onwill never be able to use business e-mails like There
your web-site. These are:What is the purpose of thismay be severe restrictions on bandwidth usage
web-site or, to put it differently - ask yourself 'WhatThere are many other reasons against such
exactly am I expecting from it ?' What kind ofweb-presence, but the most important is poor cost
hosting solution should I consider What will be thebenefit ratio. This kind of web presence might have
content and how to manage it How to promote thebeen cost effective during initial days of Internet
web-site Purpose of Web-Site Design of web-site iswhen web-hosting was a costly affair - but is no
critically dependent on your business goals. Web-siteslonger so today. Falling price of web-hosting has
are used for various purposes, such as: Puremade this option mostly redundant. Virtual Server
Dissemination of information. For example, web-sitesThis is perhaps the most popular and cost-effective
of very large corporations, Newspapers, Governmentoption today where you enjoy fair amount of
organizations, Educational institutions, Businessindependence and a permanent Internet address
associations etc Extension of existing services, such(URL) for a moderate price. Like apartment in a large
as banks using web-sites for on-line transactionmansion - you get space earmarked for you in a
processing. Customers can enjoy many services fromserver or host along with many others like you. Unlike
home without physically visiting bank premisesapartments - you will never lose your Internet
Marketing products and services - where it acts asaddress (URL) as domain name remains same even if
online brochure. Most companies use web-sites foryou change server or hosting provider. You will enjoy
this purpose Selling Products on-line - where it notalmost all facilities that a dedicated server or
only markets products but also acts as store-frontbungalow owner gets like business e-mail, own
for selling products and services, popularly known asprograms, databases etc. Your web-site will look and
e-commerce. Customer service where customers useact like independent of anyone though in reality it is
web-site for troubleshooting, lodging complaints,not (it is part of a server) - hence the name virtual
request information etc. Examples are web-sites ofserver.The disadvantages of this mode of
hardware, machinery, equipment manufacturersweb-presence areBeware of cheap service providers
Facilitating interaction among a group on subjectswho cram hundreds of web-sites in a single server
common to all group members - such as discussionchoking processor efficiency and bandwidth. Your
boards, consumer activist forum etc. Above is merelyweb-site in such a server will be slow to respond,
an illustration - there are many other applicationsresulting in lose of customers. Research has shown
(such as BLOGS) and more will emerge in future.that a typical website visitor does not wait beyond
Important point is to decide the purpose of your20 seconds for a web-site to load. Make sure your
web-site - which may be one of above or a mixture.web-site does not keep visitors in a queue - else all
A helpful tip is to write the purpose clearly on a pieceyour investment goes down the drain. Stingy service
of paper and discuss it with your design team. Useproviders may not invest in server resources or
feedback from your friends, colleagues, technicaluser-friendly web-administrator software resulting in
team and customers to evaluate and if necessary,slow server and time consuming web site
change your web-site plan. It is better to develop aadministration Over enthusiastic hosting service
plan first as mid-course changes are alwaysproviders may impose unreasonable service
expensive and time consuming. Hosting Solution forrestrictions One can not grow beyond a certain limit.
Your Web-Site Web-Site is composed of html files,An apartment owner can not build extra rooms. Like
computer programs, databases, Java Scripts etc.apartment owner - you should not do anything that
Once this stuff is placed on a special kind ofmight cause inconvenience to other apartment
computer called server - your web-site becomes partowners such as too many visitors, too much use of
of World Wide Web (WWW), visible from any partcommon facilities etc. All said and done - this is an
of the world. Such servers are called 'Host' in Internetexcellent option for all "Small and Medium Enterprises"
lingo and the process called hosting. Hosting Solutionwho take necessary care to select a suitable hosting
means zeroing on a suitable server that will host yourservice provider. True, there are limits in such
web-site. There are two broad issues that will largelyweb-presence but in reality - it may take quite some
determine the nature and extent of yourtime for you to reach that limit. Till that time - it is
web-presence - one is technical and the othercost effective to use virtual server. Dedicated Server
financial.Technical Considerations Apart from technicalAs the name indicates, you get a whole server to
specifications of host - you need to considerhost your web-site - no sharing of resources. There
followingOver 90% of servers that constitute WWWare almost no limits in usage and everything is good in
are either Windows or Linux/Unix based. Windowsthis mode except cost. You need to spend quite a
and Linux are a kind of computer software calledlot for a dedicated server and hire highly skilled
"Operating System". In internet lingo - they are calledtechnical professionals to maintain it. Normally, a small
platforms. So, your first job is to select the platformor medium enterprise may not need a dedicated
for your web-site host. While static html files willserver, not at least in the beginning. Conclusion Apart
work perfectly from both kinds of servers, computerfrom above basic issues, there are others relating to
programs and databases are largely platform-centric.content and promotion. Nature of content
So, if you are going to use databases and software -determines, to a great extent, internal working of a
better select the platform first. Linux is consideredweb-site. For web-sites where content changes
more robust and faster than Windows. Besides, it israpidly (such as newspapers, commodity prices etc.),
far more capital-inexpensive as most databases andstatic html files may not be sufficient. Databases may
software for this platform are available free (calledbe required in such cases for storing dynamic
open source in Internet lingo). However, it is easier tocontent. Promotion in search engines is another issue
find a Windows programmer than Linux, as mostthat will surface once basic issues are resolved. One
teaching schools use Windows. So maintenance costshould be aware of all these issues and considerations
of Linux software may get higher than that ofin the design phase and earmark resources
Windows. Financial Considerations Apart fromaccordingly.Amit worked in blue-chip Indian and MNCs
selecting hosting platform, you also need to decidefor 15 years in various capacities like Research and
the extent of your web-presence - mainly dependentInformation Analysis, Market Development, MIS, R&D
on financial consideration. Based on budget and otherInformation Systems etc. before starting his
considerations - there are essentially three options ine-commerce venture in 1997. He writes regularly for
your web-presence: Your web-presence is part of aGreat Indian Bazaar - export import trade point &
larger web-site - like a rented room in a building Hire abusiness directory serving exporters, importers,
Virtual server - like owning an apartment in a high-risemanufacturers, buyers and sellers since 1997 You
buildingDedicated Server - like owning a house ormay find more articles by Amit at FAIDA -
bungalow Part of Larger Web-site Like a rentedNewsletter Articles on Export Import Trade Over
room, in this mode you hire some web-space from aInternet.