Technical Terms

A web site is like any other form of advertising, you need to make sure that people see it. The best web site in the world is of no use if no-one knows it exists! So once you've had your new web site designed by us, we publish it on the web for you.

Domain Name Registration

The domain name is the name by which your web site is known - e.g. www.mywebsite.com. Whenever someone types this name into their browser, they are directed to your web site. Domain names have to be registered with an Internet Registrar, and once the domain name registration is completed, your name is available to anyone browsing the web, anywhere in the world.

You might have a particular name you'd like to use for your web site, however, be aware that someone might already have registered it for their own web site! We check the name you request, and if it's available we go through the process of registering it for you with an Internet Registrar. If the name you want isn't available, we will suggest alternatives.

Internet domain registrations are valid for two years at a time, after which they must be renewed. We will inform you in good time when this is due.

Hosting

Your web site is a collection of pages, photos and graphics files. All of these files are stored, or hosted, on a web server, which is simply a large computer with a very fast, permanent connection to the Internet. When your domain name is registered, it is given the address of the unique area of the server containing the files which comprise your web site. This is how someone typing in your web site name gets to see your web site, and not someone else's.

Web hosting is provided by specialist companies which maintain large "farms" of web servers, sited in secure premises and with high-reliability Internet connections. When your web site is completed and your domain name is registered, we load all the files comprising your web site onto a web server. We also set up email redirection so that all email enquiries from the new site are directed to your existing email address. We only use a premium server company, one which has given us exceptionally reliable service in the past. This helps to ensure that your web site will always be visible on the web.

Web hosting is usually paid for annually, and we will inform you in good time when the hosting fee is due for renewal.

Search Engine Placement

Once your web site has been loaded onto a web server, it's "live", and anyone can type in your domain name (or "web address") and see your web site. You can publish your web address on your stationery, in your adverts, anywhere you wish, and people can type the address into their browsers and see your site.

However, the biggest target audience for your web site is naturally the huge number of people searching the Internet every day for holiday properties to rent. Unfortunately, unless your web site appears in one of the Internet search engines, such as Google or Yahoo!, they will never find you! It's as if you started a business, bought a phone line, but didn't bother to put an advert in the Yellow Pages - no-one would ever call you!

In order to appear on one of these search engines, you have to tell the search engine operators about your web site. We can do this for you, and ensure that when someone searches for a property to rent in your area, your web site is up amongst the top sites listed. The search engine operators have sliding scales of charges which effect how prominently your web site appears when someone performs a search. Generally, we place web sites on Google, Yahoo!, AOL UK, Lycos, Wanadoo and MSN UK. This probably covers 95% of the searches conducted on the Internet by UK users. We provide this service "at cost", and our fee for search engine placement reflects the prices charged by the search engines at the time. When you place an order for a web site, we can give you up-to-date costs for search engine placement.