Web Hosting and Domain FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions:

What’s a domain name?
What advice can you give for selecting a domain name?
What is hosting and why do I need it?
What about free hosting?
What type of hosting should I buy?
What does FTP mean?

What’s a domain name?

A domain name is the web address you type in your Internet browser to visit a website, i.e. SporkMarketing.com is a domain name. When you type SporkMarketing.com into your browser, you arrive at our home page. Domain names can only contain letters and numbers; no special characters or spaces are allowed.

Domain names can be registered with a variety of endings. The most popular domain name endings include:

• .com – This type of domain name is best for business websites.
• .net – Less desirable than .com, but a reasonable alternative.
• .org – Often associated with non-profits, .org domain names are available for any purpose and also a reasonable alternative to .com domains.
• .tv – Very popular with video websites and an excellent addition to your .com domain if you plan on offering videos to your visitors at some point.
• .info – Technically no different than .com and .net, .info domains are often associated with spam and are not recommended.

What advice can you give for selecting a domain name?

A great domain name is reasonably short, easy to remember, and ends in “.com.” Unfortunately, these kinds of domain names are getting a little harder to find every day. Here are some general guidelines to help you find a good business domain name:

YourBusinessName.com is the best possible domain name you can buy, provided of course your business name isn’t too long (three to four words max).

WhatYouDo.com is also a good domain name, where “WhatYouDo” is your occupation or trade, i.e., ColoradoFamilyDoctor.com, DenverTaxAttorney.com, etc.

Avoid domain names with dashes, i,e,. Your-Business-Name.com. Dashes are hard to remember and hard to type (and they make your site look a little spammy too).

Beware odd or clever spellings (or misspellings) of common words because they’re usually hard for people to remember.

Feel free to include your city or state in your domain name if you have a local business, i.e., DenverCertifiedUsed.com.

If you’re having trouble finding the domain name you want, think about synonyms you can use. Look at www.domainsbot.com, which is an excellent tool for helping you find an available domain name (just be sure to register your name at SporkHosting.com!).

If you offer a professional service, consider using your title and name – DrKoop.com, for example.

If you’re looking for some help finding a good domain name, contact us for some free suggestions and ideas.

What is hosting and why do I need it?

If you imagine that a domain name (such as SporkMarketing.com) is like an address (say 123 Main St.), then hosting would be the house that your website lives in. Hosting is needed because without it you have no place for your website to live.

What about free hosting?

Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as free hosting. There’s ad-supported hosting, but it’s not conducive to business and is not recommended.

What type of hosting should I buy?

Hosting comes in a lot of different configurations, and the answer will depend upon the site you’re trying to build and what you’re trying to do. Generally speaking, most Spork Marketing clients purchase our Linux Deluxe Plan on an annual basis. If you’re not certain about which hosting to buy, feel free to contact us and we can help you out free of charge.

What does FTP mean?

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and it’s an excellent method of moving files across the Internet from one computer to another. If we’ve asked you for your FTP information, what we’re looking for is your FTP address (likely your domain name), your login, and your password. If you’ve purchased your hosting from SporkHosting.com, you selected your FTP login and password when you initially setup your account.