Professional web site: advice needed.

[Bluestar]

Hello.

While I am an experienced Web author who has managed several personal web sites in the past, this is only my first time to attempt running a professional/business site. So I need advice.

First of all, what do I need to look for in a server to make sure I get my money's worth? Which web hosting service do you prefer?

Second, I need to use secure forms in my site for my customers. What programming do I need to learn for this? I don't intend to use my computer as my own server, by the way.

Third, how can I promote my business site? Any advice?

Fourth, what payment method works best for online business? I must mention that I live in the Philippines and not many people there use credit cards. Then again, not many there have Internet access. If there is anyone here who is from the same country, I'd appreciate advice on how to run a professional web site for profit. If you have any insights to offer - such as how difficult it is, what to expect, and so on - I would be thankful to you.

Fifth, is it necessary to have my site hosted in my native country? Or can I have it hosted in the US without legal or other impediments?

Sixth, what’s MySQL and PHP? I read so much about these recently. Do I need to know about them?

Thank you.

[curtiss]

Originally Posted by Bluestar

First of all, what do I need to look for in a server to make sure I get my money's worth? Which web hosting service do you prefer?

I don't know if I can really recommend one that I prefer, but I can offer one that I would not recommend (they used to be fantastic, but have really gone downhill the last year or so). Do not, under any circumstances, sign up for an account with WebHostingEtc (AKA t3link). I have found a company called PenguinHost that appears to offer some very nice services at some very good prices, but have not yet tried them, so I cannot endorse them.

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Second, I need to use secure forms in my site for my customers. What programming do I need to learn for this?

There are quite a few ways to accomplish this. Probably the most popular at this point is PHP. Of course, you will also want to do some research on Secure Socket Layers (SSL).

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Third, how can I promote my business site? Any advice?

Registering with Search Engines is the best way to go. Of course, it helps to have some brochures and ad specialties (magnets, pens, etc.) made up with your web address on them so that you can pass them out. I had a bunch of Post-It pads made up at iPrint a while ago, and they were very helpful (something that's actually useful for people, and I still use them myself, even though all of the info on them is incorrect now).

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Fourth, what payment method works best for online business?

That really depends on what payment method you're comfortable accepting (and really kind of depends on what service and/or products you're offering). If you are considering using credit cards, you should check the topic called "Online Credit Cards" in the Programming and Scripting forum

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Fifth, is it necessary to have my site hosted in my native country? Or can I have it hosted in the US without legal or other impediments?

As far as I know, there are no legal restrictions whatsoever on where your domain is hosted.

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Sixth, what’s MySQL and PHP? I read so much about these recently. Do I need to know about them?

SQL (stands for Structure Query Language) is a language used to interact with databases. MySQL is a particular brand name of SQL (and is the most popular). Generally, when people refer to SQL, they are actually referring to the databases themselves, rather than the language. So, if someone recommends that you use SQL, they are really telling you to make sure you have databases that are compatible with SQL.
PHP is another language. PHP interacts extremely well with SQL and SQL databases. PHP is kind of like a super-charged form of dynamic HTML. It is a server-side scripting language (whereas javascript is a client-side scripting language), which means that it is capable of actually making changes to various files on your server (it's extremely helpful for interacting with SQL databases to store information). It is extremely powerful, and, if you know what you're doing with it (which I don't), you can accomplish almost anything on a web site.

On a side note - have you looked into any e-commerce solutions yet? osCommerce and ZenCart seem to be the most popular. Check the Online Credit Cards topic, and the Helpful Links sticky in the Programming and Scripting forum for some more information.

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Thank you.

You're welcome. I hope I helped a little.

[Bluestar]

Thanks a lot. I haven't checked e-commerce yet because to be honest, I really have little clue as to how to proceed. I had never considered using the Net to earn money before. I just ran personal web pages as a hobby.

I envision a site where I sell items directly through it. People can place their orders securely there, pay either by credit card or through a bank, and then as soon as I get my pay, I will email them or airmail them the items.

I have never really learned any programming language other than HTML. And I've heard that domain names can be expensive. Seems I have a lot to consider!

[necrotopsy]

Originally Posted by Bluestar

First of all, what do I need to look for in a server to make sure I get my money's worth? Which web hosting service do you prefer?

Here is a site that you may find helpful in your web hosting: Host4Profit . This is a proffessional web host specifically designed for Internet Marketers.

Originally Posted by bluestar

Third, how can I promote my business site? Any advice?

Since your launcing this new site that you talk about, one of the best things to do first is to submit your site to Search Engines and Directories. Some great and widely used search engines include: google // AltaVista // overture etc. (I am sure you get what I mean). Also, once you are done visit selfpromotion.com, here you can submit your pages to Additional Engines and Directories. There are also some tips as to how you may want to organize your promotions. Give me shout if your interested.

Originally Posted by Bluestar

Fourth, what payment method works best for online business? I must mention that I live in the Philippines and not many people there use credit cards. Then again, not many there have Internet access. If there is anyone here who is from the same country, I'd appreciate advice on how to run a professional web site for profit. If you have any insights to offer - such as how difficult it is, what to expect, and so on - I would be thankful to you.

I am not bashing your opinion or anything, but considering it is going to be an Internet buisiness, does it matter whether you live in the Philipenes or not? Considering the fact that if your market becomes big enough, it is going to be used world wide?

[Serverextreme]

Hello well you have hit some good topics for sure. When looking for a good host
you should always look for what they have to offer you.

Depending on what your needs are having good Tech support is a plus.
Not all Webhosting services give you good support all they want is your money and nothing more

Payment Method (Paypay) Is a good thats the one I have been using for years.


Serverextreme Hosting
http://serverextremehosting.com