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Gmburns2000
Aug 3, 2012, 1:39 PM
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Anyone have any advice on which registrar is the best / most reputable / cheapest / best value / etc. for registering a domain name?
The four I've checked out are: GoDaddy, Dotster, Register, and 1&1 Internet.
It seems the $9.99 per year is pretty standard, though GoDaddy is $12.99 and Dotster is $14.99. 1&1 is offering a first year price of $3.99, but it's normally $10.99. Some of the registrars offer $6.99 for a transfer of a name, so I could always go cheap with 1&1 and move it after a year if I felt the need to.
But still, I have no idea what matters when buying a domain name from a registrar. Yes some (if not all) offer an e-mail address with the domain name for free, and that seems helpful, but what else matters with regards to registrars?
At the moment, I'll likely plug the address into blogger and use that as the host. I may build a website later on (thus I'll need a new host for that), but right now probably not. Any sales that could possibly be done will probably be through paypal, ebay, or etsy, so the site isn't really an e-commerce site.
Also, as a separate question: If I wanted more than one domain name with all of them directed to just one (the live name), would I have to pay the $9.99 for each name each year? I can't seem to get a clear answer on that on any of the sites. Maybe I'm just blind.
OK, that's it. Suggestions? Thanks!
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Gmburns2000
Aug 3, 2012, 1:42 PM
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Forgot to mention Blogger / Google at $10 per year as an option, too.
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iknowfear
Aug 6, 2012, 8:26 PM
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Gmburns2000 wrote: Anyone have any advice on which registrar is the best / most reputable / cheapest / best value / etc. for registering a domain name? The four I've checked out are: GoDaddy, Dotster, Register, and 1&1 Internet. It seems the $9.99 per year is pretty standard, though GoDaddy is $12.99 and Dotster is $14.99. 1&1 is offering a first year price of $3.99, but it's normally $10.99. Some of the registrars offer $6.99 for a transfer of a name, so I could always go cheap with 1&1 and move it after a year if I felt the need to. But still, I have no idea what matters when buying a domain name from a registrar. Yes some (if not all) offer an e-mail address with the domain name for free, and that seems helpful, but what else matters with regards to registrars? At the moment, I'll likely plug the address into blogger and use that as the host. I may build a website later on (thus I'll need a new host for that), but right now probably not. Any sales that could possibly be done will probably be through paypal, ebay, or etsy, so the site isn't really an e-commerce site. Also, as a separate question: If I wanted more than one domain name with all of them directed to just one (the live name), would I have to pay the $9.99 for each name each year? I can't seem to get a clear answer on that on any of the sites. Maybe I'm just blind. OK, that's it. Suggestions? Thanks!
Yes. Its that amount per domain name, you just activate a redirect towards your main adress. Some registars offer discounts for multiple registrations, so look out for that. Subdomains (such as cool.gmburns.com, climbing.gmburns.com) are (depending on the hosting) mostly free though.
go with godaddy if you like shooting elephants.
go with google or another big corporation if you like big corporations and bureaucracy.
go with a small one if you want to transfer your domain before one year and have a huge hassle.
Imho, the registar does not matter, hosting is where its at.
cheers
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erisspirit
Aug 6, 2012, 8:52 PM
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I like Dreamhost they gave me a pretty good deal when I started up with them... other than that however I don't really have strong opinions either way
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Gmburns2000
Aug 7, 2012, 12:57 AM
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Thanks. I went with Google just because I'm using blogger and apparently google is planning to integrate the two.
Works so far and not that expensive. Plus, google offers the privacy thing and e-mail for free.
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happiegrrrl
Aug 8, 2012, 9:03 PM
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You'll be able to make your blogger site into a website when you want, through adding pages(as opposed to posts). Better, I think for SEO ranking to have your blog on same as website rather than separately.
You can also make it eComm with PayPal, by creating buttons through PayPal, which you paste as html into the page. The issue is designing the pages so they navigate well as e-comm. You''l want to be able to create an attractive layout that is professional. probably with multiple images that can be enlarged.
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Gmburns2000
Aug 9, 2012, 12:35 AM
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happiegrrrl wrote: You'll be able to make your blogger site into a website when you want, through adding pages(as opposed to posts). Better, I think for SEO ranking to have your blog on same as website rather than separately.
I understand some of this, but not all. So right now my website is hosted by blogger, but it looks kind of like a website and not 100% like a blog. With my limited skills, I did it that way. I also added meta tags, etc., to the template and to each individual post (probably not needed since blogger uses "labels" but I did it anyway for the posts).
Now, are you saying that I'd get more hits if I had a website and had a blog on that website vs. the way I have it now (the blog IS my website)?
In reply to: You can also make it eComm with PayPal, by creating buttons through PayPal, which you paste as html into the page. The issue is designing the pages so they navigate well as e-comm. You''l want to be able to create an attractive layout that is professional. probably with multiple images that can be enlarged.
Thanks Terrie. I'm already planning this. At the moment, it's going to be just for displaying things. Once I get prints made then I'll be able to sell them. Right now, I can only sell the original product unless there is a good print-maker out there who can make prints for me without me being able to inspect (and who can also ship internationally).
I'm waiting for a photographer friend to come over this weekend to teach me how to take good pics of the art before going live with both the facebook and web pages.
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Gmburns2000
Aug 9, 2012, 4:23 PM
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erisspirit wrote: Gmburns2000 wrote: Now, are you saying that I'd get more hits if I had a website and had a blog on that website vs. the way I have it now (the blog IS my website)? Last time a class I took went over SEO, they said the reason it is good to have a blog on your website is that part of what brings it to the top of the list is how often its updated as well as hits... so If you update a blog on that site regularly, supposedly it will show it is updated often and move up in the search results... ***This class was awhile ago, so take that for what it's worth... and hopefully if I remembered it wrong, someone can correct me 
OK, so presumably a blog acting as a website would do the same thing.
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happiegrrrl
Aug 9, 2012, 5:06 PM
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In reply to: Now, are you saying that I'd get more hits if I had a website and had a blog on that website vs. the way I have it now (the blog IS my website)?
What I mean is:
- Do not create a separate website in the future, and link your blog to that. Use the blog template you already have AS the website. When you are ready to make the blog more "websitey," you will already have ranking from the blogging.
Then, when people come to read your blog posts, this will be good for your "website."
If you have the blog, and then make a separate website, then both urls will have to perform and develop. SEO has evolved to the point that any backlinks from blog to website, owned by self, is not going to have much power.
Getting people to read the blog itself, and then they are already ON the website, makes it more likely they will click around to see other aspects of the website. getting them to click from one to the other, as separate entities would be more difficult to achieve.
I admit, I did not look at your blog before posting and now I have, and see that yes, you do have it set up with the pages as a website look. Of course it is still very clearly a blog.....But, once you are ready to move to a more formal website look, you know how to do it., which is good!
In reply to: Right now, I can only sell the original product unless there is a good print-maker out there who can make prints for me without me being able to inspect (and who can also ship internationally)
You might want to post that query on Supertop. There are several photographers who sell high quality prints and may be able to suggest printers. Not that there aren't qualified people here on rc.com, but...well, this place is pretty much dead when it comes to serious topics.
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Gmburns2000
Aug 9, 2012, 5:14 PM
Post #11 of 20
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happiegrrrl wrote: In reply to: Now, are you saying that I'd get more hits if I had a website and had a blog on that website vs. the way I have it now (the blog IS my website)? What I mean is: - Do not create a separate website in the future, and link your blog to that. Use the blog template you already have AS the website. When you are ready to make the blog more "websitey," you will already have ranking from the blogging. Then, when people come to read your blog posts, this will be good for your "website." If you have the blog, and then make a separate website, then both urls will have to perform and develop. SEO has evolved to the point that any backlinks from blog to website, owned by self, is not going to have much power. Getting people to read the blog itself, and then they are already ON the website, makes it more likely they will click around to see other aspects of the website. getting them to click from one to the other, as separate entities would be more difficult to achieve. I admit, I did not look at your blog before posting and now I have, and see that yes, you do have it set up with the pages as a website look. Of course it is still very clearly a blog.....But, once you are ready to move to a more formal website look, you know how to do it., which is good! In reply to: Right now, I can only sell the original product unless there is a good print-maker out there who can make prints for me without me being able to inspect (and who can also ship internationally) You might want to post that query on Supertop. There are several photographers who sell high quality prints and may be able to suggest printers. Not that there aren't qualified people here on rc.com, but...well, this place is pretty much dead when it comes to serious topics.
Thanks Terrie. Actually, I think you saw my climbing blog, which is definitely set up to be a blog. The art blog / website looks a bit different. I'm not looking to sell anything I do with the climbing blog.
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happiegrrrl
Aug 9, 2012, 5:23 PM
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Yes, I saw your climbing blog....send me a link to the art on(if you don't want to post here)!
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ranveer12
Aug 10, 2012, 6:37 AM
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Hi,
The cost of registering is not important you should check if the domain name provider is reliable registrars and also check if they provide best domain registration services. I registered my domain at http://www.thewebpole.com/ a few years back and work good for me.
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Toast_in_the_Machine
Aug 18, 2012, 10:25 PM
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My advice - take it for what it is worth (all information 100% accurate or twice your money back).
Having spent much of my free time trying to get my wife's online jewelry store up and running, I feel qualified to give a RC.n00b level response.
First, domain registration doesn’t really mean much. Hosting is slightly more important, but only marginally so. Where you need to focus is on content management. I used WordPress, Droopal, and Joomla and went back to WordPress. You can spend your life going down the path of looking for free or paid themes, in the end I ended up learning to modify the code and setting up a “child” theme. You may want to start with a theme that that is friendlier for photos and modify as needed.
Also, as Hapi said (and thanks T for the help) PayPal link is the easiest to setup and the easiest to initially use. However, I recommend looking into using an e-commerce plug in. While I’m on the subject of plug ins, that is another area where you can piss hours away looking for just the right tool or conversely find a tool that saves you hours from mucking around with your CM tool.
One problem with PayPal is that the payment will be on the PayPal site which, for some users, can be distracting and disconcerting. My next call after this post is to call someone who didn’t successfully checkout that way. You can update PayPal to the “advanced” for $5/month where you can then have the PayPal form embedded into your site. The next step up for PayPal is at $30/month where you do all of the processing. The $5/month one will also involve a third party which will likely add about another $10/month. Depending on how much you are asking for the photos, you may need the higher / more secure look, and it also depends on how many sales / month you expect to get. One other thing you can do is with the base PayPal business account you can get one of those credit card swipes for your cell phone. With those you can also take credit card by phone (assuming you have a second phone there for the call) or onsite. The credit card device is free once you download the app, which is also free. Basically in 30 minutes anyone can setup your phone to take credit cards.
Other banking / connecting services (Square, et al.) work in similar manners and with similar prices.
As for “Search Engine Optimization”, congratulations – you have now entered the world of free content provider! While linking was key for Google years ago, because of the explosion of “link farms”, content on your site is now king. Google cares about relevancy to what your site is supposed to be about. Get Google’s Webmaster and check your site’s keywords. Make sure your images have alternate text and use the most descriptive text available. Get Google analytics but don’t sign up for Adwords until you are ready. You get $100 free advertising with a limited time usage when you sign up for Adwords, but if you aren’t ready to sell, it is an ad that will not generate anything. Best/worst free $100 I ever went thru.
Since the game your (and I) will be involved in is “how to get myself, legitimately, to the top of the Google search for free” there is a game you will now play called “fill my site with related keywords and information on my topic”. For example, Ann’s Jewelry site has articles on pearl buying, contact dermatitis, and metals. More articles (blog posts) are coming and soon we will add video. The key is to add information to your site that is relevant to your goods. So if you are selling your photography, the more information about how and where you took the photos the more likely you are to be at the top of the search. Remember, you want people to your site that you don’t have to pay Google to get there. This bring us back to AdWords. You want to guess what someone will type in to hit your site. The “category” you plan to play in. For Ann it is under “Artisanal Jewelry”, so, you guessed it, she has a blog titled “artisanal jewelry”. SEO is nothing more than having a great deal of content on your site with the words related to what you want someone to search on. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
Next part is letting the world know about your site because that also influences your search position. Besides the obvious linking here at RC.com, links in FB and Google+ count as well as e-mail (SPAM!) and other web sites help. While links are no longer king, they still factor in to results position. I can’t confirm it, but I suspect that the more “google” like your site is based (i.e. blogger) the higher Google will place it.
My wife’s site is http://www.annsummersjewelry.com. PM me if you want a discount certificate. To any of y'all regulars I'll cut you a deal. Ann also will do custom work, so if you want just the right piece (say for a wedding) she can do that too. And yes, Ann wears this stuff while climbing and doing Martial Art and she looks damn fine in it.
My other site is http://www.its-on-gear.com/blog where I sell Martial Arts cups (for men) made of Kevlar. (It is about 50% thru with construction). If anyone needs a custom cup, PM me. I have a way to measure so that the fit is perfect and by using Kevlar it is very light and very strong. (I've tested it myself). Working with Kevlar has been effing fascinating and last week I shot a pellet gun at the cup and the pellet bounced back and hit the hand I had the gun in with nary a scratch to the cup. But that is a different story.
The other other site my wife has is http://www.annrbsummers.com. This site is for her food writing, but is in total re-write mode.
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Gmburns2000
Aug 19, 2012, 12:38 AM
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Thanks. That's helpful.
I'm not at a point where I'm going to need a link to sell my prints or anything, but I hope to get there at some point in the next few months. I can only hope I get to the point where I can justify $30/mo for anything that isn't called "rent," too.
But I'm going to keep your post in mind for then. It's helpful for sure.
BTW - I decided to stay with Blogger as the host. It works for what I'm doing right now. Anything more advanced is unnecessary. And google is my registrar, so I'll check out webmaster and analytics. I already know that adwords isn't needed at the moment (I don't have that much to sell!). But again, hopefully by early next year I should have some prints. We'll see how it goes, though.
Thanks again!
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Gmburns2000
Aug 23, 2012, 10:36 PM
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OK, I have google analytics now. I want to be able to track what happens on my facebook page, too. Apparently I can do that with google analytics, but reading the help documents doesn't help. i.e. - I know what they're saying, but I have no fucking clue what they're really saying.
Did you do this? If so, how'd you set it up?
I am now eligible for insights from facebook, but I'd like to keep my data in one place if possible, and google analytics seems to be a good resource.
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Toast_in_the_Machine
Sep 1, 2012, 2:30 PM
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I'm not a facebook guy (insert old / out of the loop / no friends comment) and my wife barely ever uses her page. However, I did find this a fun enough question to poke around for a bit (hence my delay in responding). Please take this advice as "schmo who hit google for a while" and not "really great insight".
There seem to be a couple of ways to do so. This site has one method, which basically seems to boil down to "host all of your facebook content on your web page and track it that way". http://www.lunametrics.com/...ok-part-1-implement/. It seems to kinda be defeating the purpose of using facebook, except that you have a facebook link which some people think their business needs. Since I haven't seen your facebook page, I'm going to assume that it is more "personal" than "corporate" in which case I wouldn't recommend this solution. Another (simpler) explanation of how to do it is here: http://www.facebook.com/...n-pages/325063857203.
While I like google's app (for instance I know that one person clicked on the link above and left instantly {a bounce} and one person clicked around to 17 pages and spent 9 minutes). My general recommendation would be to do the simple thing and just use Insight for Facebook: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/insights/. I can not attest for this, but it looks like it will do the basics that you need.
If you get your site in "preview mode" and you want a second set of eyes to look at it, feel free to ping me.
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Gmburns2000
Sep 1, 2012, 3:24 PM
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Yeah, I think I'll just use the Insights for Facebook. I'm not that interested in analyzing the stats; I just want an idea of who is visiting, that's all.
The site is up, actually: Greg Mason Burns
Again, it's hosted on Blogger. I'm currently playing around with Wordpress. There are some cool things with Wordpress, but there are some limitations, too. I really don't like the free layouts and I'm a little leery of upgrading to Pro because I don't know if it'll be that much better.
Anyone have any thoughts on if Wordpress Pro is really worth it? What I want to do have different pages for different products, and I'd like those pages to not look like "blog post labels."
Again, we'll see. I'm toying with WP at the moment, but not sure if it's worth it right now.
Thanks for info. It helps.
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Toast_in_the_Machine
Sep 2, 2012, 1:42 PM
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I haven't gone with the "WP Pro" version. The only thing I've done is to use "the cart press" for my e-commerce plug in (there are others, when in doubt just look hit google and type in "wordpress e-commerce plug in" to see reviews / links to plug ins.
The themes are relatively easy to modify (once you know where to modify). Google was really my friend. 9 times out of 10 it went back to the WP site for the source, but the answers were there. All you need to modify are a child theme and then the CSS code in it to over ride the setting in the parent theme.
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Gmburns2000
Sep 2, 2012, 2:30 PM
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Toast_in_the_Machine wrote: I haven't gone with the "WP Pro" version. The only thing I've done is to use "the cart press" for my e-commerce plug in (there are others, when in doubt just look hit google and type in "wordpress e-commerce plug in" to see reviews / links to plug ins. The themes are relatively easy to modify (once you know where to modify). Google was really my friend. 9 times out of 10 it went back to the WP site for the source, but the answers were there. All you need to modify are a child theme and then the CSS code in it to over ride the setting in the parent theme.
Thanks, I'll check it out. Right now it seems cumbersome and limited, but maybe I can figure something out that makes it worthwhile.
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