Why should my business use the internet?
Do I need to provide computer related services to succeed on the internet?
What is a website?
What is a web application?
What is a database?
What is hosting?
What is a domain name, why should I get one?
What is Internet Marketing?
How can Internet Marketing benefit my business?
What is Web Tracking and Traffic Analysis? Why is it beneficial?
What is Search Engine Optimization?
How frequently should I update my web page?
Linux versus Windows Server

Why should my business use the internet?
Since the conception of a host of inter-networked computers that funded the original ARPAnet, the use of a global network of computers has grown. In the last 20 years, the internet that we know today has taken shape, and the number of people using the internet has skyrocketed from under a million to nearly 1.5 billion users! In the last 10 years alone, we've watched global markets emerge and take root, and today nearly every advertisement we see includes a URL to find the them on the worldwide web.

The internet is like nothing else in the history of man, and provides the opportunity for small businesses to compete with large ones on equalized ground, by providing a means of global reach and marketing programs that was affordable and essentially simple to implement. As mobile internet use, through wireless “hot spots”, and wi-fi, among others, is continuing to shape the face of successful business, having a web presence has become more and more vital to company growth.

A business needs the internet because, simply put, there is no other way to reach the consumer market as widely and instantly. In the space of moments, a potential customer goes from learning about a product to having that product paid for and being shipped to their desired address, all without ever leaving their home or office. That's over a billion potential customers, within the reach of a 24 hour storefront, at a cost of only a few dollars a day!

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Do I need to provide computer related services to succeed on the internet?
No! The time when the internet was restricted to computer related things has been gone for nearly twenty years. Today, people from all walks of life perform every imaginable function of a society, from talking to friends in a global community, to shopping for anything and everything. Any transaction that can be done with direct face-to-face service is undertaken, as well as many that DO require immediate in-person response.

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What is a website?
A website is simply a collection of information stored on a server. This information can be graphical, text based, movie based, etc. When someone visits a website, they request this information, and it is presented to them. Simple. You are browsing a website right now in fact.

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What is a web application?
A website is simply a collection of information stored on a server. This information can be graphical, text based, movie based, or any other form that can be transmitted through a computer. This information is organized on a web page, and visitors see the information as a complete experience in their web browser, such as Firefox, or Internet Explorer. Almost everything a person sees on the internet is shown on a web page, and all of it is part of various websites.

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What is a database?
A database is a collection of information stored in separate tables, or information stores. The information stored in these tables may relate to other tables, providing a means to store, reference, and manipulate information as well as perform statistical analysis. From price lists and product descriptions, to inventory management and company bookkeeping, most interactive information is contained within a database.

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What is hosting?
If we think of the internet as a virtual super-highway, then hosting would be every exit ramp. Whether that ramp leads to global communities, virtual shopping malls, or to libraries and museums, every person that stops to look at a website has stopped at a web host. Popular store fronts and customer services take place between the main highway and the customer through the communication between two web hosts. For many businesses, hosting is far more economical than maintaining a website on their own, and the costs involved with employing dedicated staff to keep that exit ramp open, and traffic flowing.

Having a website that is properly hosted means the site is available to more people, at more hours. Online purchases can take place without any intervention, increasing your bottom line profits at a minimal investment.

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What is a domain name, why should I get one?
Simply put, a domain name is how a website is recognized. Since every computer on the internet is identified by a set of numbers, called the IP address, domain names are used to show a more understandable and readable name for a company or group. Obviously, it's easier to remember www.mydomain.com, than 197.123.321.248. Many online stores have grown to be identified by their domain name, such as amazon.com. This is an excellent example of why having a domain name is critical to a company's web presence. Having a global available name that specifically identifies what your website is all about can be a tremendous boost to the number of visitors a site gets.

Domain names must be registered, and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. There have been corporate battles in the past over domain names, as they recognize how important and profitable having the perfect domain name can be. At Atomic Hosting, we can help you set up a domain, or handle the details for you, allowing you to handle your business while your website operates as you want it to.

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What is Internet Marketing?
The main objective of Internet Marketing is to draw customers to your website and keeping them there. Internet Marketing consists of strategies and techniques applied on the Internet to support the organization's overall online marketing objectives. Goals may include driving targeted traffic to a Website and features on the Website to create a desired call to action. Internet marketing may include keyword and meta-tag strategies, newsgroup and mailing list postings, banner advertising, reciprocal links, online promotions, content positioning, online image development, email strategies and other interactive features.

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How can Internet Marketing benefit my business?
The Internet has added new dimensions to human conversation, extending the reach of your business to millions of people who are online. Internet marketing is your advertising campaign in the virtual world of the internet. As with traditional marketing campaigns, various forms of media are used, and internet specific tasks, such as website optimization, which serve to increase a company's exposure to the glbal community.

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What is Web Tracking and Traffic Analysis? Why is it beneficial?
A business can study their customers and store visitors in ways that can not be done in traditional markets. It's possible to examine the traffic to a competitor site with the same criteria you can use to view your own. Where do your customers come from, and what are they looking for? By using traffic analysis, you are able to better meet the needs of your customers, by expanding services or product lines, even translating into different demographics. Atomic Hosting tracking and analysis lets the site owner know exactly what is happening on their site, including how visitors to the site are finding it.

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What is Search Engine Optimization?
A majority of internet users find what they are looking for using a search engine, such as yahoo.com, or google.com. It has become important to make websites as “search engine friendly” as possible to keep them listing at the top of their desired listings. Optimization does this through making strategic design plans, including keywords that will identify your site, and such things as the url, or internet address of the pages that are displayed. Sites that are properly SEO achieve higher search engine rankings, which in turn means more people go to the sites those sites.

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How frequently should I update my web page?
A web pages should be updated frequently. But don't let this fool you into thinking that a website demands constant attention. There are easy to use programs and utilities, and Atomic Hosting will gladly help you find the solution that fits your needs. Many pages can even be generated automatically, and keep track of such things as inventory supplies as the products are sold. Pages that are frequently updated get noticed by search engines as active sites, which helps to increase their rankings.

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Linux versus Windows hosting ?
Both technologies are suitable for beginners, professional web developers, and everyone in between, but it is essential to choose the technology that is more suited to your style of web building. Each technology has its own distinct advantages for users.

Linux hosting
Linux is widely considered to be the best operating system for web hosting servers. Characteristically reliable, stable and efficient, Linux has been proven in the most demanding web and mail server environments.

If you plan to incorporate work that uses PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linux is the solution you should choose. Linux is also ideal for the kind of websites that display information as a brochure, in newsletter format or as data sheets. Linux works well for 'brochure-ware' sites that offer interaction via inquiry forms, online purchasing and other e-commerce functions.

Microsoft hosting
Microsoft should be your choice of platform if you plan on utilizing Active Server Pages or other Microsoft applications to design your web pages. MS hosting also offers an advantage if you wish to incorporate searchable databases into your website. The Microsoft platform delivers reduced development time and better functionality for databases.

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