Last updated

17/01/2010

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Server side requirements

Server side requirements

1. Domain name
   A lot of thought should go into choosing a name.  It should reflect the business not necessarily the trading name. Search engines use the name in their database and analyse it as part of their scoring scheme for the whole website, this effects where your site could be positioned in their listings.  It should be as short as possible, easy to spell and remember able .  Check to see if the chosen name is available and be prepared to select something different.  Also, examine what ending you want after the name, such as .co.uk, .com, .org, etc
2. Web space
   This is the same sort of space as used on a personal computer.  The finished website depending on its content and use, will determine how much space is required.  Generally website hosting companies supply more space than realistically can be used.  For the hosting company this looks good as they are seen to be offering loads of space, but in reality they know you will not be using all the space and they will use the surplus for other websites.
3. Email
   Email is usually in the package that comes with the domain name.  Depending on the service purchased the email specification or required will be different.  In all situations you will be given a choice of what goes before the ‘@’  and after it will be your domain name, such as info@a-website-4u.co.uk
4. Special features
   Depending on the features of the website the hosting space must have services compatible to ensure all the functions work.  For example, at its simplest, a form on the website that asks for information from the user will pass that information via email to the client, only if the service that does the transfer is available on the hosts server.  The same goes for e-commerce
5. Website optimisation
   At its simplistic it involves the inclusion of key words and page descriptions embedded in the code of the website This is a very complex subject and has its own industry, and there are two stables of thought as well.  In one the belief is that the website if well designed will contain all the necessary attributes necessary for the search engines to classify correctly our website and hopefully position it high in its rankings, but it is an on going task with continuous tweaking.  The other believes that a specialist should be employed.  This is not the place to discuss this subject in depth, but the client should be aware of the advantages and pitfalls of both.

Since this was written A Website 4u has been having regular success in managing to get website listed on the first page of Google on the first day of hosting.  There is no guarantee that this will happen with every website or success with every search engine.  As Google is the leading  and most popular search engine all the others are of less consequence.