"Web Site Design, Development & Search Engine Optimization"

FAQs (Frequently-asked questions) about web site development

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is the human-readable form of an Internet location that is actually defined by a set of numbers such as "222.444.222.222." It's easier for us to remember "www.mashed-potatoes.com" than the number. Domain names are managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). In turn ICANN contracts with various companies such as www.moniker.com to handle domain name registrations.

Does Genesee Webmasters handle domain registration?

We will use a company such as www.moniker.com or www.register.com to determine is the domain name you want for your web site is available. If so, the name can be registered for up to 5 years and is renewable.

How long does it take before my domain name is active?

Although the domain name becomes active immediately, it may take up to 72 hours for the "Domain Name Servers" to record the IP address (the set of four numbers that computers actually use).

What are browsers?

The program which contacts the web site and renders its pages for you to see is called a browser. The most common browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer but there are others such as Netscape, Mozilla, Opera, Firebird and Konqueror. In some cases browsers will interpret a web page differently resulting in an unsightly page. Hence, cross-browser compatibility is important aspect of web site design.

What is a shopping cart?

A shopping cart is a web site's equivalence of a store's shopping cart. It is a place for customers to place items for later checkout/purchase.

How much does it cost to have a site on the Internet?

This cost can vary enormously depending on the complexity of the site and its purpose.

What is the atvantage of having a web site?

For most businesses, its the ability to reach new customers at reduced costs.

Why do I need a web site?

In the first quarter of 2004, Americans spent more than 17.2 billion dollars on the web. A business should only construct a web site if it can gain a share of that money either through sales or increased retention of old customers by better support and service.

How much information can I have online and do web sites have a size limit?

The size of the web site is proportional to the information you want to publish. Some sites have over 10,000 pages.

Can I start small and then expand my web site later?

An important part of web site planning is creating an initial design that will handle growth.

How is a site kept up to date and can we do updates in house?

Smaller sites will find it most convenient to designate one or more employees to prepare updates and new information and have us place it on the site. Larger sites will want to place updates directly. We can help you choose and set up a "Content management System" to automate this process.

What is a secure server?

Internet messages can be intercepted. A secure server causes the information you send to it and the information it sends back to be encrypted so that, if your message is intercepted, it cannot be read by the unauthorized receiver.

How do I know if I'm on a secure page?

Every browser has an icon (picture) of a padlock somewhere on the page. If the padlock is closed, you are on a secure page. If not, beware!

What are search engines?

Google, Ask Jeeves, Yahoo, MSN and others provide the surfer with the ability to enter a "search term" and have returned pages that contain the desired information. Search engines index a significant fraction of all Internet pages so that they can provide you with the page you want. They use robots or ?bots? or spiders to find and index the pages.

What are search engine robots?

These are automated programs that follow links through the web to find and index as many pages as they can. They will usually record the pages title, description and approximately 200 words of additional text.

How do search engine robots list a site?

The search engines guard this information jealously to prevent manipulation. But there are some things we know. The robot looks at the pages text (at least some of it), looks at where links on the page go to and where links to the page come from. Based on the search engines algorithm, can then rank that page for various search terms.

Will my site be in any search engines, if so, which ones, and how long does it take?

Most search engines have a manual submission process and some, such as Yahoo, have a paid submission process. On the other hand sites which have links from other sites already in the indexes are found automatically by the robots. So, the most cost-effective way of being listed is through links from other sites (called backlinks).

Can't I just resubmit my web site every month to ensure good search engine rankings

No. In fact, repeated submissions may cause your site to be banned (removed from the search engine's index).

What is PageRank?

PageRank is a registered term and describes what has made Google the preeminent search engine of today. It is a voting system in which Google counts each link from another web site's web page to one of your pages as a "vote" for that page. More links = more votes = higher PageRank.

Didn't find what you were looking for here? Try our glossary of search engine optimization terms.