Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Just as your mailing address, phone number, and social security number are specific identifiers for you, a domain provides you with a specific identifier on the Internet. This is why you must register a domain because the process is carefully monitored so that each domain is only owned and used by one individual or company. Domains do come with 3 letter extensions such as .com, .net , .org, .gov, .edu, etc. If you started a company called "Smith's Construction Company" than you might be interested in acquiring the domain "smithconstruction.com". If you don't have a domain, we will help you choose one, research its availability, purchase and register the domain, and keep its registration up to date. If you already have a domain that you want to keep then we can save you money by transferring and maintaining its registration.

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A Internet Service Provider is a company that offers access to the main backbone of the Internet network. Earthlink, AOL, Time Warner and others allow us to connect to the Internet and communicate with other computers using phone lines, cable lines, satellite links, etc.

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A database is a file or files that act as a storage center for information (or "data"). The database is set up to allow data to be drawn from it in an organized way. For example, if you were a real estate agent, we could set up a database that contained information such as: the address, number of bedrooms, total square footage, year built, asking price, etc......and even pictures! We can then design a control panel that you can securely access over the Web that allows you to easily add information/data to your database. In designing your web site we would add some programming that would cause the web site to immediately update itself as you made new entries into your database. That is why we call ourselves "Site Control 24/7".

A server is a computer that is set up to share files/information with other computers on a network (either intranets or the Internet). This allows visitors to retrieve/download files from the machine. When you design a web site on your home machine, you can view it...... but no one else can! You want visitors to be able to access your web pages but not have access to all your other personal files. Therefore, what most people do is let someone "host" their web page files on a machine that is specifically set up to allow the public to read your files (but not change them!). You must transfer your files to a machine that will "host" your pages and "serve" them to others on the WWW.

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Most businesses can't survive without a consistent advertising effort. There are many ways to reach a potential customer: yellow page ad, television ad, radio ad, magazine ad, etc. What is true about the ones mentioned is that they are very expensive and you are extremely limited in the amount of information you can share with your potential customer. A web site is unlimited in how much information you can share with your visitors. You can also be very creative in how you choose to get your message across. Some businesses shy away from web sites because they don't think anyone will ever find them on the vast Internet. What we recommend is that the web site is used in conjunction with the advertising efforts already underway. If you already have a yellow page ad, reduce its size and prominently display your web page address where potential clients can learn much more about your business. Display your web page prominently on your business card. Your yellow page ad can be used to catch someone's interest and then the web site can be used to tell the whole story.

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From our experience, web sites for many small businesses fail because the owner doesn't have the time or expertise to maintain the site. If they hire a company to serve as their "webmaster" then they have to constantly send updates to the webmaster, wait for them to get around to your changes, check to see if the changes were made, and then its time for more changes. Small businesses need immediate control of their web site without having to learn all the skills required to build web sites. The EZUpdate tools allow you to have a professional web site that is constantly updated without the hassle of relying on a third party. We create customized databases to fit your company's needs, program your web site to interact with your database, and then create a customized control panel (that is securely accessed over the web) that allows you to quickly add information to your database. As you add information and update your database, your web site will instantly reflect these changes. Go to our testing area to try it out.

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"Hosting" refers to having your web page files stored on a special computer (a "server") that is specifically designed to allow the public to read your files (but not change them!). Your web pages are kept/hosted on the server and then "served" to the public when they type your web address into their web browser.

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We are here to help you and give you the best experience possible. Contact us first by email. Hopefully, we can immediately solve the problem. If not, we will give you a call.

g@sitecontrol247.com
j@sitecontrol247.com

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We can only estimate a date of completion once we have a clear idea of what your project entails. Contact us and we will do the best we can.

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• Your domain name. If you already have one - great. If you need one, we will help you acquire the one you want.
• Your company logo. If you already have one you're happy with - super. If you need one, we can design one whether you are just getting started or just need a refreshing change.
• Your preferred color scheme. Your other advertising efforts may have already established a color scheme for your business. Don't worry if you don't have a preference, we enjoy the creative freedom.
• Any slogans or messages that you want featured in your site.
• Pictures...the more the better. Already digitized is great but we can also scan photographs.
• Take out  a sheet of paper and brainstorm about what you think is most important for a potential customer to know about your business. Now see if you can divide this information into about 5-8 main sections. These can serve as the main links from your "home page".
• We will need content....lots of content. If you want a section called "Company History", you will have to supply us with the company history. We will need "soft" copies of content. "Soft" meaning that it is already digital. Maybe it is typed up as a Microsoft Word document. That would be terrific. If we have to type all your content from paper copies, the time and cost required to complete your project will significantly increase.
• Your contact information. Addresses, phone numbers, email, fax,....etc.
• If you choose to incorporate one of our EZUpdate tools then we will need to consult with you about what information you want to display and how you want it to look.