Starting an online business? Looking to get your existing business online?

What do I need to get a website on the internet?

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Whether you are looking to get your existing business online, starting a new online business or searching for ways to make money online, the following guide provides basic procedural information and helpful hints that are beneficial during the entire website establishment process.

Registering a Domain Name

A domain name is a requirement to getting a website online, and it should be chosen very carefully. In Australia, au domain names often require an ABN or business name to complete registration.
Domain Prices generally vary according to domain extensions. If you are running a business in Australia, we definitely recommend registering a .au domain name as they are the most popular and instantly display to any visitor that you are an Australian business / company - Register domain name

Web Hosting

Web hosting is another requirement to getting a website online. Hosting refers to a computer storing your website files including images, text, databases and email accounts that will be configured onto your domain name (i.e. www.yourdomain.com.au). This computer must be stored in a secure location - often a temperature controlled room - for reliabilty and security of data. Digital Pacific offers a range of web business hosting packages, which start from $14.90 per month.

Designing Your Website

Digital Pacific unfortunately does not custom design websites. We do, however, offer a number of DIY alternatives to getting your website online. In order to proceed, we need to know whether your website is going to be information based, or a place to sell products. Information based websites can be designed using one of the following options:

• Our sitebuilder platform is used for building basic websites, and it will do all the building for you. Sitebuilder can be tested for free here.
• Open source content management systems are a free alternative to building your own website. Joomla!, Drupal and WordPress, for example, offer an easy-to-use interface for adding text, images and other files to your site through a simple browser. The only difficulty may be with installation, but we offer an installation service to help for a small fee. You can also download or buy pre-made templates from the internet to easily create the look and feel of your website with no drama.
  
• If you have a bit of time up your sleeve, you could always learn to code. Coding is definitely the most difficult option for building a website, but also the most customisable. There are a number of great resources for building websites on the internet including: tizag.com, w3schools.com, htmlgoodies.com, and webmonkey.com.
  
• The alternative to these first hand design methods is to simply hire a web designer to do the work for you. Just remember that there is a price tag involved with this method. A good web designer will actually think way beyond the design aspect and try to tie in SEO standards and navigation techniques that maximise the overall effect of the finished product.

Shopping Carts and Websites to Sell Products

If you require a website to sell products, you're in luck. Digital Pacific has released various shopping cart packages that feature everything needed to get your website selling online including:

• Shopping Cart Software - Fully featured - Web Designer Not Required
• SSL Certificate - Protects details for users and credit card payments.
• IP Address - One included in package.
• Web Hosting - Business Hosting Package
• User Guide - Details all shopping cart software features.
• Maintenance - Bug Fixes and New Features

Try our demo shop to see how easy it is to start selling online.

Search Engine Optimisation

The final step in getting your website online is Search Engine Optimisation. Now that your website has been built, it is important that search engines can crawl and index your website correctly. After years of experience, our SEO team can quickly diagnose any problems and get your website heading up in the search results. Any website hosted with Digital Pacific is eligible for a Free Website Search Analysis. Our DIY SEO hints and tips page will also give you some added direction.

So, why should I choose Digital Pacific?

• 99.9% Uptime Guarantee
• Australian Based Servers and IP Ranges
• Friendly Local Support
• Green hosting provider
• 30-Day money back guarantee
• No Contracts

Staying In Touch

Finally, staying in touch with Digital Pacific through our company blog will keep you up to date with the latest company news, promotions, and - more importantly - weekly tips on how to improve your website.

Twitter and Facebook are also media we use for service announcements, updates, tips, and what's happening in the company, including Digital Pacific fun.

If you require any further information on anything we have mentioned above, please do not hesitate to contact our very friendly sales representatives on 1300 MY HOST (694 678).