A website consists of three elements; Domain Name Registration, Your Website and Website Hosting.

Domain Name Registration A domain name is also known as a website address or URL (Unique Resource Locator). For example, www.cpnwork.com is the website address of this website. Each domain name is unique and it must be registered.

Registration gives you permission to use the domain name for your business for a certain period of time - usually 12 - 24 months. At the end of this time you simply pay the renewal fee to continue to use the domain name.

At this stage, typically, your site does not exist or it is being developed.

Your Website

The Purpose, Content and Design

Initially decide what purpose your website will serve. Once this is done the next part is to determine what content your site needs. Existing business documents can often provide this information.

The overall look of any website should be considered a part of your business and not just tacked on. Basing the design on your existing brochures, business cards and other existing business documents is a good starting point. This also helps to keep costs down. You can also use a template that already has design elements in it. These can be altered to match your logo and other business advertisting document colours and themes.

Overall this part of the process known as 'the build'; all the elements of purpose, content and design come together.

Once your website is completed you need to host it.

Website Hosting

A website cannot be 'seen' or visited on the Internet unless it is hosted. Hosting is the term given to the activation of a website's domain name. If you think of the domain name like your driver's licence, then hosting is the equivalent of a car. Hosting a domain name gives you two things: the ability to display your website on the Internet and have email addresses such as info@yourbusinessname.com.au.

Email Hosting

However, you can get a hosting package and not create a website, but just have email addresses that use your domain name. Having an email address such as info@yourbusinessname.com.au is considered more professional than mybusinessname@optusnet.com.au or mybusinessname@bigpond.com