We have broken this guide up into the following sections:
Domain Names
A key part of any website is the domain name and the hosting. The type of domain a website is on can influence how it is seen before people even see the homepage. Websites with a .org domain for example may lead people to think you are non profit making organisation. Websites on .com and .co.uk domains are generally seen as being more trustworthy in the eye of the general public.
When thinking about people giving out your website address its important to make sure its short and snappy and above all easy to remember. You also want to avoid words that could be easily miss spelt.
Where possible you want to include a word that identifies you industry. Ideally including a vets practice would want to include the word vets but if that is not possible maybe use practice or surgery. Doing this will help people and search engines match the service you provide with a service they are looking for.
You also want to avoid using free domains and subdomains as they are generally not taken as seriously as the main domains which will have a knock on effect on how visitors will see the information on the site. Subdomains specifically also rely on the main parent domain, should something happen to that it will also affect your website.
Website Hosting
For a website to be visible on the world wide web it will need to be hosted somewhere.
The quality of service and the prices for hosting can range a lot but be careful. Cheap web hosts may not be as reliable and may go down more frequently. Some servers may not be backed up as frequently or may have limits on bandwidth.
Even the other websites that you share a web server with can influence how your website performs. If you are on the same server as a dodgy gambling website for example this may affect how your website performs in search engines.
Lastly its important to make sure you renew your web hosting and domain name. There is a common belief that if you buy a domain it is yours forever. Unfortunately this is not true, you need to renew your registration each year. Many domain registration companies will do this automatically but if you do not renew your domain and the current registration runs out anyone will be able to register your domain name.
