Web Presence Decision Helper
Info Revised 12/22/2010
Welcome
Calvin of 1030Design.com will share with you his secrets for procuring, developing, and marketing your website at the absolute lowest cost.
Domain Name
Plenty of websites cover the topic of how to select a domain name, so I won't bore you with that here. I want to help you save money on domain name purchase(s) because my objective is to help you make the best financial decisions regarding web presence.
If you plan on owning your domain name for three or more years, purchase from GoDaddy.com and use a coupon code (save 30%). Just Google the keywords "GoDaddy coupon codes" and you will find a current coupon code (they almost always make them available on the Net).
Many hosting companies include "free" first year and/or "lifetime" domain name with hosting account. Obviously, if it's free, take advantage of it, just be aware that If you renew/purchase the domain name from a hosting company, in general, you can expect to pay up to %50 markup on the name (over several years).
When you purchase the domain name from GoDaddy.com, in general, you will want to skip all the additional offerings. GoDaddy.com is notorious for pushing additional useless and or greatly marked-up services. Just click NO THANKS to all the other stuff. If you have questions about a specific GoDaddy.com offering, please feel free to call us or drop us a line (sales@1030Design.com). Some offerings from GoDaddy.com are quite useful. For example, hiding your identity in the WHOIS database (a repository that's publicly available) is a good way to prevent junk mail (and undesirable people) from reaching your business/home address.
Hosting
The section below is under construction.
Here is where it gets a little tricky. I've attempted to break it down for you.
First Question:
What is the purpose of your site:
a.) Personal (informational & non-commercial).
b.) Hobby (informational non-commercial).
c.) Small Business (non commercial).
d.) E-Commerce (commercial).
e.) Custom App-Based (commerical , enterprise.
Blogging:
Marketing
When you publish your name on any type of marketing material, be sure to use CamelCase. For example, let's say you are a general contractor with a business name of Forest Green Builders. If your domain name is forestgreenbuilders.com, don't write it on the side of your van as forestgreenbuilders.com, but instead ForestGreenBuilders.com (camel cased).