Domain Name Registration

The ArtD'partment can check to ensure domain name availability for you and then register your domain of choice. If your domain isn't available, we can make recommendations for alternatives that will be as user-friendly (and search-engine friendly!) as possible.

Website Hosting Services

Once you have a domain name, you'll want a Website and email addresses to go with it! The ArtD'partment can help. We offer a variety of hosting packages, all of which include emailboxes for your new domain name. (Packages differ in the amount of storage available for files, the amount of bandwidth needed, and whether or not a secure server is required.)

email Services

Website hosting services are required for email addresses that end in your domain name. email will be accessible to you for temporary use via Webmail, and via your usual email client.

Search Engine Optimization

Once you have an onine presence, you want to be found, and you want to be found as easily as possible. Although The ArtD'partment employs basic Search Engine Optimization techniques during Website construction, there's more that can be done to improve your rankings on Google and other search engines. We'll combine research and our knowledge of the latest optimization parameters to make your Website as attractive as possible to search engines, which means your site will become more visible to potential customers. The ArtD'partment can give you recommendations for techniques you can employ on a regular basis to maintain or even further improve your rankings, too!

Let's be honest...

There are probably hundreds of companies (most readily accessible online) that will register your domain name for you, host your Website, or even design your Website for you! Some of them are so temptingly cheap that it can be difficult to ignore the opportunity. But there are some important things to look for when you're making those choices for your business:

• These companies aren't local, so it can be hard to reach service personnel during the hours you need them most.
• Many domain name sellers expect you to do your own registration (through their online system) and then to manage the technical aspects on your own.
• Inexpensive hosting only sounds inexpensive until you find out the servers are often down, you're charged extra for almost any bandwidth used, managing email and the like is frustratingly complicated, or it's all but impossible to reach somebody when you have questions!
• A vast number of those cheap Web design offers employ the use of templates to keep their own costs down. That means your Website is far from unique, and all too often also means it's simplistic and doesn't reflect you or your business the way you'd like.
• More often than not, Website updates are now up to you! Even if you can spend the time to learn how to do all of these things, wouldn't your business be better served doing what you actually went into business to do?
• If you're tempted by Search Engine Optimization offers that promise to put your site on the first page of Google results, beware! No one can promise Page One results. No one. Google (and other search engines) employ complex algorithms that work, in part, to prevent "gaming" the system, and getting caught employing what Google considers "search engine spamming" could get your site banned, or at least heavily penalized.