Domains: What you need to know for your business.

May 2nd, 2012

1. What IS a domain?

Your domain name is the address of your website. Just like your business might be located at 123 US1 South, your website has to have a unique address so people can find it online. Our domain name, for example, is oldcitywebservices.com. 

2. How do you purchase a domain?

Domains can be purchased by the year for up to five years at a time. Reserving your domain for multiple years is better for the search engine optimization of your website. A search engine like Google looks at a site that has a domain reserved for multiple years and sees a reliable business that plans on being around for a while.

3. What domain should you choose?

Picking a domain name can be a tough choice. You want something that is relevant to your business, memorable and also search engine friendly. It shouldn’t be too long and you should avoid dashes and other characters than can confuse people. Where possible, try to stick with your business name as your domain name.

4. Is it okay to use multiple domains?

You can register multiple domain names and use them to point visitors to your main website. However, search engines (and people) can sometimes get confused if you have multiple domain names. Most of the time, simpler is better.

5. How often should you check your domain registration?

It’s CRITICAL to keep your domain name registration info up to date. If you have an old email address listed on your domain registration you will NOT receive a notice when your domain is expiring and could lose your domain name for good. If your domain is registered with OCWS you will periodically receive an email from us asking if any of your information has changed. We will also contact you personally when your domain is within 90 days of its expiration so that we can take care of the renewal for you, leaving you free to focus on your business.

Old City Web Services can register a domain for you! Call us and we can get your domain registered in a matter of minutes. All domains registered through OCWS include privacy protection to hide your name and contact information from basic searches. We also lock the domain so that it cannot be transferred without your knowledge.

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Email: 5 Things You Should Know.

April 18th, 2012

1. We have a step-by-step tutorial for setting up your OCWS email on the iPad.

Our Help Desk on OldCityWebServices.com was recently updated with the addition of a step-by-step tutorial with screenshots to help you set up email on your iPad. Click on the link to check it out!

2. Old City Web Services has a new mail server.

We are in the process of moving our email clients to a newer, faster email server. If you’d like to move over to the new server sooner, give us a call and volunteer to make the switch!

3. You can have your email forwarded to another address.

OCWS can set up an email address at your domain to forward to another email address so that you don’t have to check multiple email inboxes. This gives you the professional appearance of an email address at your domain but the convenience of one inbox.

 4. Up to 10 email addresses are available at your domain.

If you host with OCWS, your monthly hosting charges include up to ten email addresses at your domain. Use them to divide your reservations and customer service inquiries or set up email addresses for your employees. It’s free!

5. Clear out your junk and trash folders once a month. 

Once a month, go through your junk and trash folders to delete old email. Performing this small maintenance task will make your email run faster!

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Wading through domains and hosting.

April 20th, 2011

Important information every business owner should know about domain names and hosting.

Whether you host with Old City Web Services or not, there are a few important details that you should know about your website. Every website has to have a domain name and a host. But what are these things? Who owns them? How do they work?

We’ve put together a quick list of frequently asked questions that we receive along with some simple explanations that will help you manage your business presence online.

Questions:

1. What’s the difference between domains and hosting?

A domain name is the exact URL where you website can be found (i.e. www.oldcity.com) whereas hosting is the storage and maintenance of your website files. Think of it like this: Your domain name is like your office building, your hosting is like your utilities. You pay rent to occupy the space where you run your business and you pay the electric bill to keep the lights turned on. You can have a domain name without hosting, but you won’t be able to run your online business without it.

2. Who owns my domain name?

You should personally own your domain name. Be wary of any web designer or associate who wants to put his/her name on your domain—this is the Internet equivalent of someone else putting their name on your lease or property title.

3. How can I update the contact information on my domain name registration?

It is critical to keep your contact information up to date on your domain name registration. If you do not have your correct e-mail address listed, you will not receive notifications when your domain comes up for renewal, which could lead to you losing your website. If your domain is registered through Old City Web Services, we can update your contact information free of charge.

4. Why do I need to know where my domain name is registered?

Almost any time you need to make changes on your website, you’ll need to know the log-in information for your domain and/or hosting account. The same goes when you launch a new website. Your designers and developers have to be able to access your website files to make any changes.

5. What are the advantages to registering my domain with Old City Web Services?

When we register a domain for you, our contact information goes on the registration along with yours so that we receive the same notifications that you do. This is an extra, personal measure to protect you from losing your domain when it comes up for renewal. We notify you at 90, 60 and 30 days before your domain expires to make sure that you have a chance to renew your domain. We can also update your contact information on your domain registration at no additional charge.

6. How much does it cost to register a domain at OCWS?

Domain registrations are ordered in annual increments up to five years at a time. We charge $20 per year or a total of $90 if you register the domain for five years. The longer you register your domain for, the better it looks to the search engines. It’s a sign that your website is legitimate and will be around for a long time.

7. What is included in my hosting charges at Old City Web Services?

In addition to regular hosting and technical maintenance of your website, your hosting service with us includse 500 MB of storage space and up to ten e-mail addresses at your domain, with more available for a nominal fee. You will also receive three free listings on OldCity.com (a $25 per month value) and a link in the footer of your website to OldCity.com. This link reciprocation will enhance your website’s search engine rankings.

If you have a question about hosting or domains that we haven’t answered, please feel free to give us a call. The best thing about hosting and domain maintenance from Old City Web Services is the personal attention we give to your business. Don’t get caught in the changing tides of technology, we’re here to help.

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