SAVE MONEY NOW - CHECK OUR PRICING!

If you want to save money, please, please, please visit our pricing page here.

We like to look after our customers because they look after us. However, as nice as it might be to get a call from someone here at Islandnet telling you you're spending too much money, we can't do it. We simply don't have the resources to compare what customers pay with the resources they use and determine which package best suits them, then call them to ensure they know.

We've even included a special calculator to make price & package picking pleasureable. So, pick your personal package pronto, particularly if pecuniary points please you.

FILES FROM THE CRYPT - WE BACK YOU UP ON THIS

Either way, whether you instantly realized you'd just deleted perfectly good and useful files or realized over time as you searched for important data that your files were gone--they're gone. What can you do?

Well, if they're web files and they're hosted with us, give us a call!

Here's the important stuff to remember:

Web Backups Go Back 30 Days

We keep backups on all our servers going back 30 days. So, if that file you just nuked existed somewhere in your web account within the last 30 days, you're in luck. Give us a call. We can search for a particular file or we can restore your entire account.

Our backups even include the e-mail servers. If you can't find that $250,000 order you just got via e-mail, e-mail us or give us a call.

We Take Snapshots of Our Drives Every 4 Hours

If the file you deleted was removed fairly recently, we probably have a snapshot of it going back anywhere from a few minutes ago to four hours.

Snapshots include e-mail too. So, if you've just deleted one of those "you've just been selected to win a million dollars" e-mails and you want it back, call us and we may be able to bring it back from the Internet netherworld.

A Warning About Backups

Although we backup our servers, including customer files, it is customers' responsibility to ensure they have backup copies of their data. We do not guarantee that we can restore the files you need.

Our Backup Policy

Go here to read about our backup policy in more detail.

CHILD ACCOUNTS - THEY'RE ALL GROWN UP NOW!

Child accounts still have access to a parent account's dialup hours but now there's much more to them. They're grown up. Here are the things child accounts can do, in addition to share dialup hours.

Change Their Password

The owner of the "parent" account can set the initial password but the "child" owner can reset it to anything they like. The "parent" is still able to override the password, however.

Manage Hosts

"Managing hosts" is the same as managing a domain name related to an account. So, if you've created a child account, the child can associate a domain with their account and manage where the domain name points within their account.

Use the File Manager

Child accounts can manage files just like parent accounts. Of course, all the files are within the child account's file space. Child accounts cannot access the file space of the parent account.

FTP Files to and from the Child Account

The child account can transfer files to and from their account like a "parent" account.

Use IPass

IPass is a service that allows you to call local numbers if you want to have dialup access in other parts of the world. A third-party fee is charged for the service.

Use Newsgroups

Child accounts can also access newsgroup postings. Newsgroups are online forums that allows threaded discussion. Islandnet.com offers use of the "grapevine," newsgroup software written for Islandnet customers.

Never Out of Control

The "parent" account always has control of what the child account can and cannot do. So, if you need to reign in a child account gone berzerk, just click a couple of buttons and it's done.

WEBSITES - IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU'RE PLANNING TO FAIL

If your website is meant to do more than provide you with some entertainment while you build it, you've got to plan it first. You'll have as much chance of success as someone who has an idea and sets up a business the next day. There's no plan, no structure, no purpose, and--consequently--no customers.

While starting a new business is different from starting a website, the differences aren't as great as you'd think. As a result, you can plan a website in much the same way you plan a business--with a business plan.

As an aside, if you want your site to serve as a supplement to your "brick and mortar" store or as the sole source of revenue, you're starting a business. You will need a business plan.

WRITE IT DOWN

Most of us are anxious to get going on something we believe is a good deal or that interests us. We can already see the end in sight in our mind's eye. And being creative is so exciting we don't want to let details get in the way!

Don't get caught up in imagining what it'll be like and then transfering your virtual ideas directly to the web. There are lots of things between and writing them down and drawing them out will make a big difference in how they look when finished.

Purpose & Mission

Write out what you want to do with your website. "My website is going to offer widgets for the home, office, and cottage."

Your mission statement is related to the site purpose. "I will offer the world's best widgets at a competitive prices with service second to none."

It doesn't hurt to "write it down" even if your website isn't commercial. For example, if you have a personal site and you want to share information on your hobbies or interests, it will pay off to have a goal in mind. Do you want to get feedback from site visitors? Do you want the site to be a resource? Do you want to build the site simply for the pleasure of learning something new?

Focusing on your purpose and mission is also the first web development fork in the road. For example, if your site's purpose is to support your "brick and mortar" business with online information in order to prompt telephone calls or e-mails to you, its design will differ radically from sites built for the purpose of generating immediate online sales.

Who is the Typical Site Visitor? (Target Customer)

Having written out your purpose and mission, you'll have an idea of who your typical site visitor is. Seeing the typical site visitor will be looking for high quality widgets, good prices, and excellent service, you'll have a window into the world you'll be wooing.

If there are any "widget" magazines out there, buy a few and see what advertisers believe will woo widget buyers. After all, many advertisers who spend on magazine advertisement will have a bigger budget than you and may have done market research to see what appeals to widget users.

What graphics, colours, type styles, and writing style do advertisers use? What writing style do widget magazines use? Chances are, that's the style you'll want to use for your website.

Set Goals

What do you expect from your website? Do you want 1,000 visitors a day? Do you want $300 in sales every day? Do you want inquiries generated for your products?

Whatever you want your site to do, set some goals. If you don't set goals, maybe all you'll get is a vague disatisfaction with the outcome.

DO YOU NEED A DOMAIN NAME?

Given the purpose of your site and what you want it to accomplish, you may want to get a domain name. If you want or need one, try to get one that's as descriptive as possible. So, if you're selling "widgets," "widget.com" would be an excellent bet.

Be forwarned though, great domain names aren't easy to come by anymore. Even "widgets.com" is taken, along with pretty much every single common word in the English language.

To search for an available domain name, you can use our domain manager.

DRAW IT

We're not talking about sketching out your web pages--though that can be part of the layout design process. We're talking about drawing out the structure of your site. The image below illustrates a site structure drawing (click on the image for a larger version):

USE SEARCH ENGINES TO FIND SIMILAR SITES

Whether you're already aware of similar sites or not, search for them using Google, Yahoo, or other popular search engines. You'll find new sites you've never seen before and you'll see where various sites rank.

You'll want to pay the most attention to websites that rank the highest. Search engines have spent a great deal of time and effort trying to rank sites according to how useful people will find the site. So, generally search engine rankings will coincide with how site visitors view the sites. Those sites that rank higher are more likely to provide site visitors with the information and other things they want most.

Get a general "feel" of the top sites. Is there lots of narrative on the first page or none? Are there lots of images everywhere or are there few? What topics do the sites cover? Is there a lot of information available from the site? Does the site provide plenty of external links to complimentary sites?

Although of lesser importance, pay attention to what colours and designs the site uses. Colours & designs are of little importance to search engine rankings but there is no sense in ignoring attractive combinations you might be able to use.

For more information on building search engine-friendly sites, have a look at our August Newsletter.

SKETCH IT

This time, we do mean, "take a pencil and paper and draw your layout."

However, if you have a graphics program you can use to create a mockup of your layout--that's better. If you create your layout--using the colours, fonts, and so on that you researched earlier--in a graphics program, you're half way there.

What's the point if you're just going to re-create it in HTML anyway? Well, you may need some or all of the graphics you'll do in your layout. So, while you're creating the graphics you need, why not do a mockup?

Moreover, you'll identify problems before you create the HTML. For example, you'll find out if those eight menu items will fit across the top of your page horizontally without wrapping to another line.

GATHER YOUR MATERIAL

Once you know how your site will be structured and what it will look like, you can start gathering the material for it. Your site should be thorough and informative enough that your visitors will leave satisfied. Generally, you should have enough information that the large majority of questions are answered without visitors having to e-mail you or pick up the phone.

If you build your site with the goal of having your site become a resource for visitors, chances are you will build traffic and loyalty.

BUILD IT!

Built It Yourself!

If you're building your site yourself, have at it!

You will need a good knowledge of HTML and / or a reasonably good "WYSIWYG" (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editor. There are many HTML editors available, many of which are available for limited time trials. You can download an editor, try it for 15 to 30 days, then buy it if you like it.

If you don't know where to look, google, "HTML editor."

Have Someone Else Build It!

If you've planned ahead, this one place where it will pay off. Any time you've spent planning your website is time your web developer doesn't have to spend. So, if you've got your site structure, your colours, your design, your material (including any photos or other files), all your web developer has to do is put it together. They don't have to spend time doing graphics, trying different colours, gathering images, or writing narrative.

If you need someone to develop your website, let us know. We can help with a "ground up" website development or we can add custom scripting and database functionality.

TRACK IT

Once you've built your site, your work isn't over! Oh, no it isn't!

You need to track activity on your site. Without tracking your site, you'll never have as clear an idea of how you're doing. If you've got a retail site and there are no sales, maybe you think there hasn't been much traffic. Well, you may be right but how do you know for sure? Maybe you're getting traffic but something is preventing people from shopping your store.

Islandnet.com offers web stats for every account so there's no excuse for not tracking site activity. You can setup stats for your website using the "Host Entries" section of your account via our Helpdesk (Note, you will need to log in).

CHANGE IT

If you're not getting the results you wanted, change your site. Add material, delete irrelevant material, re-submit your site to search engines, add sections, and so on.