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This is always the great debate. You can visit many forums and get a variety of opinions on the subject.

Your hosting provider will have a control panel for you to use in setting up and running your site. The control panel is the back end of a web site. This is the part that only you see. From here you set up such things as email accounts, MySql databases, subdomains and redirects. It is also where you can see the statistics for your site. How many visitors etc.

Many companies use Cpanel as their interface for their customers. It is an excellent and powerful control panel. It is also very popular. Our company uses Direct Admin for it’s control panel. Personally I feel it is easier to use than Cpanel and is an excellent and powerful interface for our users.

Before choosing a hosting provider you would also need to have a test drive of their control panel. It is very important to choose well because you will need to live with your decision. Most web hosts will have a test drive option on their site while you browse.

You need to check out the control panel for ease of use as well as the power it supplies you in the tasks you need to perform. From the control panel you will be able to fulfill such tasks as creating email accounts, set up databases, set up subdomains and many more tasks. The control panel makes all these tasks easy. In most cases you would not need to go for instructions as they are self explanatory. In most cases control panel instructions are readily available.

So you need to choose such things as the hosting plan. How much disk space you need? What bandwidth will you require? How many domains can you run on one account? How many email accounts? How many MySql databases are you allowed? Can you use CGI scripts? Can you run PHP scripts? There are plenty more questions you will need to ask. The control panel is just one other thing you will need to consider in choosing a hosting provider.

Lucas Heijn operates a web hosting company called LinksParadise. This company specializes in hosting sites for internet marketers. They are dedicated to the success of their customers as this is where their own success stems from. They have also included a follow-up autoresponder as no internet marketer can operate a successful business without one. http://www.linksparadise.com

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You sit down at your desk determined to design the perfect Marketing plan for your business. You have considered all the essential aspects of the marketing game: who buys (Demographics), why they buy (Psychographics), and where they buy (Geographics). Having given a lot of thought to who the company’s most probable customers are, you have eliminated the need to please everyone. Focused Marketing–that’s the answer. After all, nobody wants a vanilla product. Now you turn to consider the exact message and the messenger that will bring this new found clarity to the customer base you have selected. You can feel the excitement. Something is finally going to happen.

Next you consider the cost factor. Should you spend your resources on print, radio, video, internet and referral, or should you be so bold as to find huge billboards on which to spread the message? Perhaps you don’t have the money to do more than one. It doesn’t really matter, because you have taken the time to analyze everything and have decided on the perfect arena in which to spend your capital. It is done and you are totally focused and determined to get the result. Let’s make it happen!

In my experience this is where most small businesses stumble. It was fun conceiving the plan, researching options and dreaming of unforgettable successes. Unfortunately, most small business marketing plans stall right here. They never survive long enough to grow legs and walk the earth. The reasons for this are twofold. If the initial push is successful, the owner gets too busy with a temporary sales hike to continue thinking about marketing and the plan ends. After all, there are sales and all of the issues that follow must be dealt with. On the other hand, if the plan fails to bring a measurable response, then panic and fear kick in. What if we spend all of our money and nothing happens? It is simply easier to go to “sleep” and forget the plan than it is to be in the moment and in pain.

Most small business marketing plans travel down the road of a wish rather than a burning desire and an unmovable goal. In the end, the owner wishes for an effective plan but settles for the status quo. Don’t let this happen to your business. Marketing is essential to every enterprise, but we ought to stop looking for the “WOW” experience. Even if there were a “WOW” experience, most of us probably aren’t equipped to handle it. I often ask my clients this question, “If your business doubled or tripled tomorrow, could you handle it?” The answer is a predictable and instant, “sure” followed closely by “no, we couldn’t.”

The answer lies in doing the work described above while adding to or extending your time perspective. Look at marketing as a yearlong planned task. Incorporate accountability and monitoring systems that don’t rely only on you. Measure risk against reward, and once a direction is chosen, follow through. Instant gratification is not what we seek with marketing. We seek the satisfaction of slow and predictable growth, new clients calling and the message being spread. Our marketing plan is a goal that never ends, an essential part of what our business is. Most of all, it is a statement to the world that we believe in our business, our employees and our dream.

Bob Scott specializes in coaching, solutions and systems for small business owners and is the author of the book, Small Business Pain. A devoted consultant and a dynamic speaker, Bob KNOWS how much you want to succeed, and he UNDERSTANDS how much you have at stake. He has experienced, first hand, how the weight of business reality and a lack of guidance can slowly crush the hope inside every single business owner. His WISDOM and INSIGHT can guide you over the many hurdles of small business so that you don’t have to take the time to stop, brush yourself off and build up the courage to face the next hurdle. Bob sees your potential, and he helps you generate solutions and systems for your business. Perhaps the biggest small business secret that Bob will share with you would be: You don’t have to build it alone! For more information about Bob Scott and his services, visit our website: http://www.smallbusinesspain.com or to schedule a complimentary consultation email Bob at bob@smallbusinesspain.com

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1. Does having more than one domain name help my search rankings? No. There’s no need to register a zillion names for your website as it will not help your search rankings one iota.

2. I have a URL I’ve had for years, should I ditch it for a domain name filled with keywords? No. The older websites get higher rankings on Google. Having keywords in your URL is helpful for SEO, but the SEO benefits are higher for older sites.

3. I want to optimize for several different keyword phrases, should I buy one domain name for each of my keywords? No. Getting several URLs, even those with keywords will not help your case. In fact, this practice can trigger Google’s spam filters and cause your site to be penalized.

4. Should I hyphenate my new website since I’m using keywords? It used to be good SEO to hyphenate your site so the search engines could read the words separately, such as: real-estate-usa.com, however, this practice is no longer necessary. If you do choose to hyphenate your site’s URL, do not use more than three words or it may trigger Google’s spam filters and cause penalties and/or delayed rankings.

5. How long should I register my domain? Register it for as long as you can afford. Google actually gives “points” to those sites that have long-term registrations because it signals that you are here-to-stay and not a fly-by-night spammer.

6. What if I want to use a different domain name in my public advertising than the one where my website resides now? If you do not like your website name and decide to use a different one for your business cards and brochure then you can simply have the preferred domain forwarded to your existing website moniker.

7. I am getting a website URL, will I be in a sandbox? Yes. Newer sites and brand new domain names usually have to suffer through a “hold-back” period by Google. This is the time that Google uses to keep those who aren’t serious out of the mix of top rankings. The sandbox is worse in highly competitive areas and easier for less-competitive keyword phrases.

8. I have a name I don’t really like, should I move the site to a location? Absolutely not! Never move your website from one domain to the other. This is horrible for your rankings and credibility with Google.

9. Can I use the term “Realtor” for my website? No. If you register the term “Realtor,” you will eventually get a threatening letter from NAR demanding that you stop. Realtor is a registered trademark of the National Association of Realtors. If you really want to use it, you have to get permission from NAR, or a really good attorney.

10. Should I register the .net version if someone else has the .com version already? Generally it is not a good idea to register the .net version if the .com is already taken. In some cases the benefit of the domain name outweighs the issues so registering the .net may be a good idea. If you have a domain name idea, it’s wise to register both the .net and the .com versions.

11. Where should I register my domain name? GoDaddy is the best place we’ve found to register domain names. Just be careful to bypass all the other junk they offer. All you need is the domain name for a number of years.

12. Is it okay for my webmaster to register my domain name? No. You want to register your own site with your own information so you will maintain control. You need Administrative control over your domain name, but you can give your webmaster technical access to your domain related matters.

13. How can I find keywords for deciding what keywords to use in my website name? You can use any of the keyword tools available online such as the Google Keyword Tool.

12. Is it a good idea to register a long domain name with several keywords repeated in it? No. Your domain name should be reasonably short and should not use repeat words. Long domain names can trigger Google spam filters and cause your site to be penalized.

13. I have a free website from Keller Williams, is my site good for SEO? No. The free websites given by many real estate brokerages are not good for achieving high search engine rankings because many of them are built on the sub-domain of the brokerage website. These sites are not very successful in search results.

14. I forgot where I registered my domain name. How can I access it? You can find out information about any domain name on the web using one of the may Who Is Tools available, such as this one from Network Solutions.

15. Where can I buy an older domain name? You can buy an older domain name using Network Solutions’ Certified Offer program, or by going to auctions such as the GoDaddy Domain Auction.

Jenna Ryan at The Marketing Shop.com August 3, 2007 Real Estate Websites

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