Designs On Fire has created this article for people who are new to the Internet or want to learn more about web sites in general. We feel that your web site project should not be stressful or intimidating and we are available to help you learn. If you have any questions please contact us, we are here to guide you and assist with each step of your web journey.

Here's a great analogy: Getting a website is like purchasing a telephone. They both have very comparable cost structures, and since you are probably familiar with a telephone... consider this. The website cost is like the cost of the phone and installation. You pay one time and the equipment is yours. The hosting cost is similar to your monthly phone bill — you own the equipment but you pay for the service of being able to use it. The domain name registry is like the phone number, a unique way to get in touch with only YOU.

Basic Ingredients:
These are the things you'll need in order to have a web site on the Internet.

1. Domain Name (www.yourname.com)
2. Hosting (stores the actual files of your website 24/7)
3. Website (your web pages and images)
4. Maintenance (keep your content current)

Basically, a domain name (a.k.a. hostname) is a memorable set of words that stands in for numeric IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. For example, when you type www.yourname.com in your browser, the DNS (Domain Name Service) reads the underlying IP address and sends you along to a web page on the Internet.

You will need to register a domain name to have a web site. There are millions of domain names already registered, and that number is growing everyday. You may be surprised when you search for a specific name if it’s taken already. Having a web site is a creative project from the beginning, so you may need to think of a domain that is unique or use hyphens (-) in the name. The great thing about domain names is that once you register a name, it is unique to you and no one else can use the same one. When it comes to buying domains, the word “register” should actually be “lease” because domains must be renewed on an annual basis.

You can go ahead and register a domain name without having a web page or website. This is called parking your domain. It’s a great way to secure the domain name you want, while you wait for your site to be developed. Parking domain names can be abused by people (known as cyber-squatters) that purchase domain names with the intent on making a profit by selling domain names at much higher prices than they were purchased for. Often times, this is frustrating for people who need the domain name for their website and who are not able or willing to pay an exorbitant price.

Sometimes, domain names can violate trademarks, tradenames, and intellectual property. For example, it is a violation of trademark to own a domain with the word “Disney” unless you can prove it is part of your actual name, business name or product. Disputes over domain names are handled according to the ICANN Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. ICANN is the governing body of the Internet, created to preserve stability and adherence to global standards.

You can choose to purchase brand new names as well as already-owned or expiring names. Domain names can vary in price, depending on the extension (.com, .net or .us, among others) as well as the company you purchase through. Originally, Network Solutions was the sole registry and registrar for the .com, .net, and .org top-level domains from 1993-1999, pursuant to a cooperative agreement with the United States Government. Then in October 1998, the US Government allowed companies to compete directly with Network Solutions. Now that the former monopoly is over, domain names can be registered for much lower prices. Try GoDaddy or depending on your hosting plan, you may get a free domain. We’ll discuss that next.




Hosting, or specifically web hosting or web hosts are companies that provide space on a web server they own for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. They store your website files, pages and images so they are accessible to users on the Internet. Each time someone types in your domain name, a request to your hosting provider's web server is sent. The server fetches the home page (named index.html, default.html or similar) and sends it to the web browser for viewing.

Depending on the hosting provider, the client is offered a variety of hosting features, such as a certain amount of storage space, data transfer (commonly FTP which uses bandwidth), POP e-mail accounts (yourname@yourwebsite.com), CGI-bin, site statistics, MySQL databases, content management and support for various programming languages, programs, and multimedia. Hosting fees occur on a monthly basis and are typically paid annually.

It’s important to choose a hosting company that will provides these common settings and features. Most of our clients are using SUS4 Hosting Services and we’ve found they are the most reliable and cost-effective hosting solution with the most handy features and easy access to your web site settings. If you need help selecting a hosting provider, we are here to help.




A website (also spelled web site or Web site) is a collection of web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several web server(s), accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN (local area network). If you have limited knowledge of programming and graphic design, you may find it difficult to "do-it-yourself." That’s why it’s best to hire a web design professional. Our years of experience and knowledge will provide you with a site that is viewable on multiple browsers and platforms, usable by the general public (including those with disabilities), and is skillfully, creatively and aesthetically designed to optimize your chances of being one of the top listings in search engines, among many other important reasons.

We offer budget-friendly custom website and graphic design. Our professionally designed websites feature quick-loading graphics and photos, ease of use (even for beginners), free optimization using metatags and text content for search engines, and much more! If you'd like a website, we can design a competitively priced site for you, submit it to search engines, and maintain your site to keep it fresh and updated.






And finally, once your site is up on the Internet you will need to keep it updated. You want to keep your visitors coming back! Site maintenance can take the form of entire site redesigns to freshen the look or changing content so that visitors have something new to read. We offer maintenance services and packages based either on a monthly fee or an hourly rate. Maintaining your website is essential, you must tend to your garden and water your plants if you want them to grow.



Written by: Kaiti Lenhart
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