| Web Site Design For Photographers, III by Crimson Star |
Your test web site should be up and running, on your own computer, at this time. You have fine-tuned the HTML code and added the secret META tags that will attract photobuyers to your web site. You may even have added a few photo images. Now you are ready to go public. All you need is an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The good new is, that there are about 27-gazillion ISPs to choose from. The bad news is, that each one you try may seem worse than the last. In any event, it is time to take the plunge. Dive Into The Shallow End First You should select an ISP that can provide convenient and reliable access, flexible billing plans and host your test web site. Local ISPs offer access through a local phone number. You don't have to pay long distance charges to connect. Staff at a local ISP work "normal" shifts. You will be able to get help during normal business hours. Finally, local ISPs are usually more responsive to complaints from customers about busy signals, slow connect speeds, etc. The only serious drawback is that the local access number becomes a long-distance number if you are on the road and need to check your e-mail or update your web site from your laptop. Since most stock photographers travel quite a lot, this could be a problem. National ISPs have access numbers in most major US and Canadian cities. When you travel, you access your e-mail or web site through the closest number. If you spend a lot of time in major cities, these will all be local calls. CompuServe has local access numbers throughout the world, as do several other ISPs. A national ISP may not have a local access number in your town or community, in which case your calls from home will always be long-distance. Also, a national ISP may be in a different time zone, preventing you from reaching technical support when you need it most. Reliability is independent of size. Some small, local ISPs provide better service than CompuServe or Netcom. A recent news release suggested both AOL and CompuServe were facing serious financial difficulties and could collapse. The Internet is risky business. Reduce the risk of getting stuck with a bad ISP by opting for a monthly billing plan. If the ISP is no good, cancel your plan and sign up with another ISP. I went through five ISPs over a two year period. Remember that when you switch ISPs, you will have to re-submit your web pages to all those search engines, and they could take months to be updated! You want an ISP that will also host your test web site. Yes, it is still a test web site even though it will be open to the public. Your goal is still to determine how a web site really works and if a professional web site can benefit your business. Business or Pleasure? Most ISPs offer personal web sites to customers, for free or for a small additional charge. These personal web sites are usually limited to 1-MB of disk space, and may not be used for commercial or professional purposes. CompuServe offers its customers a free web site, limited to 2-MB of disk space, for personal or business use. Other ISPs offer a variety of business web site plans starting at about $25/month, although $350/month might be more typical for a site that provides lots of extras (which we haven't discussed). You do not need to place your web site with the same ISP that you use for normal Internet access. I actually use three ISPs, one local and two international. Once you sign up with an ISP, it is a simple matter to reconfigure your browser to access that ISP over your modem. It is also fairly simple to copy your web pages to the ISP and bring your web site to life. Remember to visit my web site for links to design guidelines, graphics info, additional HTML tags and other neat stuff.
© Crimson Star |
