Web Resources | Everything you need to know to succeed online

By Monique Martin

What’s in a name? On the Web, it’s your brand; it’s your business; it’s your livelihood. Way back in the Dark Ages of the Internet (1994), a new Web site emerged on the scene by the name of Cadabra.com. They sold books. But, because then-fledgling search engine Yahoo! (who was less than a year old) displayed search results alphabetically, Cadabra.com was displaying after their rival Barnesandnoble.com. Owner Jeff Bezos decided to change the name from Cadabra.com to Amazon.com and the rest, as they say, is history. continue »

By Emele Maisy

The WHOIS database is a searchable online database containing information relating to domain name registrants, networking organizations and Web site hosts. It lists the details of all registered domain names from the last seven years apart from those relating to the military. continue »

By Gail Seymour

When you connect to the Internet to browse Web sites or to send emails, your PC needs to exchange information with various servers. You send emails and navigate to Web sites by entering email addresses and domain names. Computers, however, identify each other through a series of numbers, known as IP addresses. continue »

By Jen Brister

If you own your own company, and you are about to put together a business plan for your Web site, you may be wondering what kind of domain you should choose. A good domain will include at least some aspect of the business name and let the public know what kind of business is being conducted. continue »

By Gail Seymour

When you transfer a domain name, you’re telling ICANN the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, that you want an alternative registrar to manage your domain. You may or may not decide to change your hosting provider at the same time. continue »

By Monique Martin

If you have a Web site and are thinking about offering a mobile-optimized version, first, good for you and second, you’ve got a decision to make. To .mobi or not to .mobi? That is the question. And, it’s an interesting one. continue »

By Monique Martin

We’ve all done it; mistyped a URL and then suddenly we’re transported to a strange pay per click site with nonsensical ads and links. That’s just one of the tricks cybersquatters employ to make money off your brand. It’s a serious and growing problem on the Web, but there are things you can do to cut them off at the pass. continue »

By Bruce Tyson

Domain registration companies (registrars) are in a highly competitive market. As they vie for business, they sometimes offer special pricing, extra features, or other incentives for you to register your domain with or transfer it to them. You may find these offers attractive, but don’t want to interrupt your service by making the switch. Fortunately, you can take advantage of lower prices and added features without experiencing the pain of moving. continue »

By Melissa J Luther

Using multiple domain names to boost SEO value of one Web site is a tricky beast. While it might seem simple enough to register many domains containing keywords for which you’d like to rank and then routing traffic through them to your primary Web site, it is actually not so easy. continue »

By Melissa J Luther

The answer to whether a subdirectory or separate Web site is best depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Are you trying to create a unified brand for your company or trying to distinguish different divisions within your company as individual brands? Are you setting up an official company blog, or are individual employees blogging about their areas of expertise?

Just as there are many ways to structure a business, there are many ways to create an online presence. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for every business, even within the same industry. There are, however, guidelines that you can use to determine which solution is best for you. continue »