WEBSITE TOOLS FOR ANY PROJECT OR COMPANY
Perhaps you’re an entrepreneur who is preparing their first step to get on the Web. Maybe you’re building an email marketing list for your local library’s patrons. The president of a local club might have tasked you with building a website to boost membership. You might be getting around to setting up a central location for the family photos Grandma wants to see. No matter what circumstances led you online, you’ll find solutions that meet your needs in our online store.
You’ll want to select a domain name and hosting plan to get started. After that, browse our other products to cover any additional needs, such as email, website security, SSL certificates, or marketing. Not sure of what each of these services fully entails? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ll give a brief outline of each of these services down below, and you will also be able to check specific plan details on each of the store pages they link to.
Store product breakdown, in order of importance:
Domains
A website domain is your property on the Web, making it your first and single most important purchase when starting online. Without property, you have nowhere to build a website, set up a personalized email, or establish an online presence. Ours is midwestwebsites.com.
Hosting
If a domain is the most important purchase you’ll make in our store, this is the second. Your hosting is like the foundation for a newly built home. The type of plan you have plays a crucial role in determining what types of websites you are able to create. Those who are less comfortable with traditional website design will want to start with our Website Builder platform. This plan is an all in one solution for designing, hosting, and publishing a new website with no coding or website knowledge.
If you are more comfortable with creating a custom website and are focused on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you can select from shared Linux, Windows, and WordPress hosting plans, as well as our array of server options.
The third core service for businesses, email plans let you create email addresses that use your domain name. The one we use is [email protected]. This is especially important for businesses as it adds a professional look to your communications and ensures someone emailing you is going to be dealing with your company. This is because the owner of a domain is the only one who can use email addresses affiliated with it.
Website Security
This is a product we consider critically important for any hosting plan (except Website Builder, which has access restrictions that protect it). The malware scanner and firewall this can include are designed to protect websites from being hacked. Think of these tools like an antivirus or firewall program on your computer. Since servers are basically big computers, these protective tools function in a similar capacity.
Website backups are also folded into this umbrella. If you can’t recall the last time you saved a copy of your website, we strongly recommend you set these up so you always have access to a current version of your website. The 1 click restore option it provides can make a huge problem easy to solve within moments.
SSL Certificates
These are responsible for putting “https” at the beginning of your web address, which secures any data submitted to and from your website. Commonly protected types of data include website logins (usernames and passwords), credit card information, and contact forms. We’ve also written a couple blog posts for your reference about how Google Chrome’s version 68 update will interact with sites that do not have an SSL, as well as some tips for determining whether you need a standard or premium (EV) SSL.
Email Marketing
If you’re looking to create or grow a list of customer email addresses for easy communication about business updates, sales, or other matters of critical importance, this is the tool for you to do so with ease. You can also check out our discussion of email marketing’s indirect SEO benefits to discover what else it brings to your company’s online presence.
Not sure how to use these tools to go above and beyond what your competition is doing?
We’ve covered a lot of information here, and it definitely isn’t easy to absorb all of it at once if you’re just starting out. For a helping hand, call us at 319-229-5225, or swing by the Contact Us page. Our developers will be more than happy to help you create a premium website.