Frequently Asked Questions:
> What is a programming language?> What is a database?
> What would I use a database for?
> What are good colors to use for a website?
> How will people find out about my website?
> How many pages should my website have?
> What is a sitemap and do I need one?
> What is a domain name?
> What is web hosting and why do I need it?
> What should I look for when selecting a web hosting company?
> What are some important hosting features?
> What is the difference between a mailbox and an email address?
What is a programming language and how does it work?
To understand what a programming language is, one must first understand how a computer thinks. Computers do not think in words or even characters but in a series of ones and zeros. The ones and zeros represent open or closed electrical circuits within the computer's brain (CPU). Since it would be nearly impossible to work with the computer using such commands, there are several programming languages that have been developed to do the job. A programming language is simply a regulated code system by which a programmer can tell the computer when to do what. The codes from the programming language then translate into ones and zeros, which the computer understands. Some common programming languages are Pascal, Basic, C++, Java, Javascript, HTML, Pearl, ASP, VB, ColdFusion, SQL, and Flash
What is a database?
A database is a categorized list of information. Below is a sample database.
What would I use a database for?
Databases are used extensively for any website that ventures beyond simple advertising. Photo galleries are usually database driven, as well as customer lists, inventory lists, product information, bulletin boards, web stats, and endless other possibilities.
What are good colors to use for a website?
It is our philosophy that any color can be a good color if used properly in the design. That said, it is usually better to stick with the color of your logo/business card, if you have one. From there we create color schemes depending on what mood the website will be. Blue/Grey/White can create a clean professional look. Red and black could create a sporty look for example. Green and Brown could create a country feel or with a slight change in shade make for a very classy site. We usually prefer to design the color scheme based on one theme color of the customer's choosing.
> For more ideas click here to visit a color scheme generator
How will people find out about my website?
Websites are one of the most economic advertising systems but in order to take advantage of it you need to generate traffic to your site. There are a number of ways to do this. First, we can optimize your website for search engines, which will make it easier for potential customers to find your site. Second and more importantly, we strongly recommend putting your website address on all business paraphernalia and advertising, such as business cards, pens, t-shirts, flyers, yellow page ads, and signs. If you don't promote your website, the chances of receiving overwhelming amounts of random traffic over the web is highly unlikely.
How many pages should my website have?
The size of your website depends more on what you want to do with it than anything. There is danger in both fields. Small websites can be dry and large websites can be cumbersome. The key is to knowing what you want to portray and from there we help you develop a site with a clear navigational system.
What is a sitemap and do I need one?
A sitemap is essentially a web page that is a map of your website. Laid out like a family tree, a sitemap helps to show how the navigation and categorization occurs in a website. It is always good to map out a website on paper - especially when designing a larger, more complicated site. But it is our firm belief at Creative Computer Consulting Canada that a website's navigational system should be so clear and straightforward that it would be unnecessary to include a sitemap in the website. Except for very large websites, we almost never include sitemaps.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the address or URL of your website on the internet. It's what people will type in to visit your site. Our domain name is creativecomputerconsulting.ca. Domain names cannot be duplicated and that is why they need to be registered. The name that you select will be followed by a dot and two or three letters such as .com or .ca, which are the registrar's code.
What is web hosting and why do I need it?
Since you want your website to be visible to the world, it will need to be on a server. Simply put, web hosting is the task of housing your website on a server. This includes keeping the site up and running, making sure that the server stays virus-free, and providing email services.
What should I look for when selecting a web hosting company?
When trying to find a reliable and cost effective solution to hosting your website, there are a number of things you should look for:
1. Service - The quantity of customers doesn't always determine the quality of service (or lack thereof). You want a company that will give your site the attention and priority that it needs. What kind of technical support does the company offer? If something unexpected happens and your website goes down, you want a company that will put everything aside to get it set up again. Speed of response time is a key factor.
2. Reliability - Investigate the strength of their system. How good is their connection to the internet? Of what calibre are their servers? Do they have a backup power supply? How much down time did their servers have over the past year? Do they create regular backups of their websites? These are all questions that need to be asked before selecting a web hosting company. And we provide our information on all these questions and more under our hosting system information.
3. Options - Many web hosting companies have restrictions on the file types that can be part of your website. If you ever plan on expanding your website to include dynamic elements, such as database driven pages, how much will the hosting price increase? Also look at server space options - how much room do they allow you and how much does it cost to upgrade later?
What are some important hosting features?
At a very basic level you need to look at these features:
Domain Registration - If the package doesn't offer yearly domain name registration, you will need to be aware that it will cost you extra every year.
Server Space - This is th room on the server allotted to your website and is usually measured in Megabytes (MB). Take a look at how much is included in the package and ensure that it will be adequate for your site.
Email - Most hosting companies offer email addresses with every website but many of them limit the number of addresses. We offer unlimited addresses (anything@yourdomain.com), but limit the number of server mailboxes.
What is the difference between a mailbox and an email address?
An email address is an address. A mailbox is where the emails are stored on the server before you download them. A mailbox may receive only emails directed to a particular address or may receive all emails directed to a particular domain name. For example, if you had only one mailbox, you could have anything@yourdomain.com arrive to the server, but the server would channel them all into one account for your retrieval. For larger businesses it may become necessary to have several mailboxes.