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So you want to jump onto the personalized email and website bandwagon? Don't know where to start? Do not fear, our simple yet concise getting online guide is here to help.
Domain NamesBefore you can setup your website or begin emailing from your own unique web address, you will first need to purchase your domain name. When purchasing a domain name you will have the option to register the address for a particular length of time, as a domain name cannot be purchased outright. The longer you register it for, the more it will cost. For this reason it is important to give your correct details when signing up for your unique domain name to ensure you receive the relevant reminders to renew your address.HostingOnce you have a domain name, you must then host the domain with a web host. The web host provides access to its email and web site services allowing you to email from your unique domain name, upload/ftp your website, check visitor statistics and access many other features. You can start using a web hosts services by signing up to a hosting package and changing your domain names DNS (Domain Name Servers) to point to your web hosts systems. Without any hosting, your domain name is simply a name that you own.DNSDomain Name Servers (DNS) allow us to use our domain names for various services on the internet. Once you have purchased your domain name, you will then need to point it to a web hosting companies DNS server to start using your website, email and other features. If you purchase your domain name and hosting package from the same company, you do not need to do this. However, if you purchased your domain name from a separate company and need to use another companies web hosting services, you will have to logon to your domain name control panel to update the DNS details accordingly. For .co.uk addresses you will need to update your IPSTag instead of your DNS details. If you need help updating your details, please feel free to give us a call.For example if you purchased your domain name from a company other than innerhosts.com or innerwebs.com, you will need to change your domain names DNS servers to the following: Here at innerhosts, we do the email account creation for you, so you don't need to worry there, but in some cases you may need to create your email accounts manually by accessing your hosting account control panel. There are two ways to access your emails, via web mail and via POP3. Webmail allows you to check your email from any internet connection, similar to Hotmail, Yahoo, Etc. You'll need to type http://webmail.yourdomain.com, at which point you will then be asked for your email username and password. Once in, checking your email is very simple. POP3 is a method where you check your emails through any email client installed on your PC such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Entourage plus many others. The benefit of using this method is that your email client will have many professional and business like features that are not available via webmail. For example, you will be able to create email folders, setup rules to automatically filter emails and many other handy services. To begin using POP3, you will first need to enter a few details into your email client. The first being your POP3 server. This is your web hosts email server and allows you to receive your emails via POP3. Here at innerhosts, your POP3 server is mail.yourdomain.com. You'll then need to enter a SMTP server (Simple Mail Transfer Server). This server allows you to send emails from your email client. Your SMTP server comes from your Internet Services Provider (ISP). For example if your internet connection is with BT, you will need to use their SMTP server. You should be able to get these details from your ISP. Now that you have setup your client to use any email sending (SMTP) and receiving (POP3) server, you will now have to enter your account details in your SMTP client. This is simply your email address and email address password. Once all the details are in, you should be able to receive your emails via your POP3 email client. Please note that most email clients download and remove your emails from web hosts POP3 servers as default, but you can change your settings within your client to 'keep a copy on the server' also. Hosting packagesWhen looking for a web hosting company to host your website, there are many variables to compare besides price. One important thing to compare is the type of servers the companies provide. Some programs/scripts on your site may only run on a Windows based server but some hosting providers only have Linux based servers or the other way around. It is important to know what you need and what the company provides before you sign up for a web hosting plan. Here at innerhosts.com, we offer both Windows and Linux and you can change between the two as and when you like.Storage space and bandwidth are essential when choosing a web hosting provider. You need a web hosting plan that your entire website can fit on with room to grow. You also don't want to be restricted by monthly bandwidth limitations, which depict how many visitors can access your site. You may not have many images, videos or flash animations on your site now, but you may want to add some later. You don't want your site to be restricted because your website hosting plan has a limited amount of bandwidth and a small amount of storage space. Sometimes people may not consider uptime when doing a web hosting comparison . If you take the time to make a website, you want it visible to the public at all times. Any downtime of your website could result in loss of revenue and/or customers in general and you should find a web hosting provider who guarantees a high level of uptime. Separately, the web hosting provider also needs to be able to handle the traffic their customer sites are bringing in so their servers don't crash. Where the actual web hosting control room is located also has a large effect on the uptime a provider can offer. If the web hosting provider is located somewhere prone to natural disasters they could experience longer periods of downtime. For example our servers are stored in the London Internet Exchange, which is one of the third largest Internet hubs in the world with a very high level of security. You can rest assure that your data is safe with us. Customer Service and Tech Support is also a very important thing to consider when comparing website hosting companies. Some companies offer Tech Support 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Your website is always running so why should the support only be available during business hours? Something could go wrong and any time of day therefore there should be someone to help you fix your site. It is also important that the customer service team is very polite and helpful while working fast to help solve your problems efficiently - after all your data is in our hands. |
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innerhosts are consistently helpful and great to deal with - event this with us totally "non-technical" people - we wouldn't go anywhere else!
www.hulse-rodger.com
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