Website Advice advises that when you start thinking about a website for a small business you think carefully about choosing the address of your website ( this is call the domain name or URL e.g. www.google.co.uk ). It is the same as choosing your company name and your branding — it requires a lot of thought and research. Your domain name is your identity on the web; you want to make sure you choose a name that not only fits your business but is also easy to find and to type and remember. (Advice: You can use letters (abc), numbers (123) and dashes/hyphens (—). Spaces are not allowed, and the domain can’t begin or end with a dash.) When choosing a website name make sure it fits your business and is not similar to a competitor. Makes it easy to remember, and have the suitable domain extension i.e. .co.uk, .net. .com etc

Example

Not so good ® www.wecutdowntrees-anddisposeofthewaste.co.uk

Better ® www.tree-felling.co.uk

URL is the short form for Universal Resource Locator, also called a website address because it’s the address of your website. It’s what you type into your browser when you want to go to a website.

Web hosting is the service provided by a company to store all the information and files it takes to make your website.  You “rent” this space for a monthly fee; this gives you space on a computer to store your website. The hosting company will also make sure that your website can be accessed by visitors using the internet.

Computers aren’t very quick in reading and understanding written text, they can however read numbers quickly. As far as websites are concerned the IP address is the address of your website in numeric form.

The Internet has become a way of getting information searching for company websites. As more and more people connect to the Internet every day, the Internet has become an ideal place to promote and even conduct business. Small business owners can promote their business online displaying your product or service. A professional website for your company can helps establish trust in the company in the eyes of customers.

The cost of building your website with Website Advice is low and has monthly and annual subscription. Your website is your online brochure therefore, there is no need to create and distribute leaflets and brochures, because you can simply post all the information on your company’s website.

With your website, you can instantly update specifications, availability and pricing simply. Additionally, your site will be available 24 hours a day. Your customers can go and ask at any time of the day. As you probably know, most people are busy and do not have time to check out the shops or read brochures.

Customers who have questions or concerns can contact you immediately through your website. These are just some of the things that may be useful for your site.  Most importantly, a company’s website can significantly increase trust and professionalism of your business.

Web hosting is the service provided by a company to store all the information and files it takes to make your website.  You “rent” this space for a monthly fee; this gives you space on a computer to store your website. The hosting company will also make sure that your website can be accessed by visitors using the internet.

Computers aren’t very quick in reading and understanding written text, they can however read numbers quickly. As far as websites are concerned the IP address is the address of your website in numeric form.

There is a padlock icon which is displayed in a web browser. This indicates that secure communications between your browser and the destination website is in operation.  Communications between browser and destination website are encrypted. You will see the padlock icon on websites where sensitive data may be transmitted e.g personal details or bank information. However, these days all websites should operate in secure mode called SSL (see below for explanation).

You will own the website contents and the website address where you have paid for it in advance. If you are paying monthly, you will not own anything until the 12 months payments have been made. You should be aware that you have to continue paying for your site to be on the web every year.

The short answer is Yes however, you cannot use pictures that you find on Google on your blog or website. If you or someone in your company took a photo or created an image, you own it and can use it without permission. You normally have to buy an image to use on your website this can be anything from a couple of pounds to thousands of pounds. Here at Website Advice we show you the source of free images so that you can use them without being sued for using someone else’s images. In some circumstances, you can use logos and product images from the manufacturer without permission, it’s important to check or ask for permission before using them.

It’s not good for branding as visitors get the impression that you’re not professional if you are using a website name like rolypoly.wix.com. A lot of the instant websites are built on Flash technology, which many mobiles or tablets don’t display. This means you’re reducing the number of visitors seeing your website. Google penalises these kinds of websites and your site will be harder for visitors to find.

These types of websites load slower than those built on WordPress, this will disappoint visitors to your website, and they may not return. If you outgrow your website, you can’t move to another hosting company.