New Worlds Web Design

What does is mean to transfer my domain?

admin — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 02:34:54 +0000

In simple terms, when you type a domain name into your browser, it knows to take a web address that humans can read, like www.yahoo.com, and convert it to a computer readable number called an IP number. An IP number looks like this: 216.109.112.135. But what makes this happen?

There are computers on the internet called DNS (domain name system) root servers that can either tell you what IP number goes with what domain name or which DNS server knows this translation. These other DNS servers are run by companies called doman name registrars. Some examples of this type of company are GoDaddy, DreamHost, and even Yahoo!

So when you ask for yahoo.com, your browser knows to query the root DNS server, which sends you to the DNS server of the yahoo.com registrar, which sends you to its IP address, 216.109.112.135.

Only one registrar server is authoritative for each domain name. If registrar A is authoritative for your domain name, it tells your web browser where to go to show your web page whenever your domain name is typed in. If you want to move the domain name to another registrar for some reason (price, service, etc.), registrar B for example, you have tell registrar A to stop being the authoritative server for the domain name, and make registrar B become the authoritative server. When the transfer is made, registrar B tells the root servers that it is the new authoritative server.

Now when you type in your domain name into your web browser, your web browser queries the root server and the root server queries registrar B’s DNS server. This is what is meant by transfering a domain name.

What is the first step I should take to increase traffic to my site?

admin — Wed, 31 May 2006 01:28:14 +0000

Add your link to everything: your business card, letterhead, promo flyers, etc. You can also add a link to all the business-related email that you send out. Most email clients such as Outlook, Eudora, or Thunderbird let you automatically add a signature to every email you send out. That way, your customers have a quick way of getting back to your site to learn about your service or product.

Here’s how you add a signature in most popular mail clients. The content of the signature should look something like this:

John Smith
yourdomain.com

Why is my web site not showing up in Google/Yahoo!/MSN Search?

admin — Sat, 13 May 2006 04:09:42 +0000

When you build a new house, it probably already has an address assigned to it. If you have a phone line running to your house, the phone company automatically puts your address in a phone book next to your name. Your name is then listed in the white pages in alphabetical order. This allows people who know your name, but don’t know your address, to quickly run through the alphabet and find your name and the address where you live.
Similarly, when you build a home on the Internet, search engines do not automatically record your site so that people who know your name or service can find your website easily. Much like getting a phone line and an entry in a phone book, you must actively tell Google, Yahoo!, MSN Search, and other search engines to add them to their listings.
Each of the major search engines has a short form (like the one here on MSN Search) in which I enter your address so that interested customers can find your website. Eventually, the search engines will visit your site, crawl across every link on it, and index all the text on your site which makes it available for searching. Depending on the engine, this might happen quickly, a few weeks, or not so quickly, a few months! There are a few simple tricks that will help get you started on becoming more visible to search engines that I will discuss in the upcoming weeks.