So you’ve chosen your domain name, and you’ve registered it as well. What’s the next step? You need to choose a web host or a web hosting service. Why is it important to choose a web host?

This service will store and maintain (hence term “host”) all the data you need to keep your web site up. As you can probably see, it is quite crucial that you choose the right service for your web site as anything else will prove to be disastrous for your online business. Here are some things that you need to look into when choosing the best web hosting service for your needs.

Amount of space. How much space do you need? How much is the web host offering? Bear in mind that while you might need a small amount right now, you would probably want to expand in the future.

Reliability, speed, and security. It goes without saying that you need to be assured that all the data that goes through your web site is secure. You also need to be assured that the web host will be able to provide their service 24/7, and that any downtime is covered by the agreement you make. More so, you will want to make sure that users will not experience slow loading times.

Support. This is tied in with reliability. If downtime does occur, or if you experience other technical problems, how will the web host help you? Round the clock customer support is ideal; however, expect to pay more for this.

These are only some of the things that you need to check out. Bottom line: draw out your plans and expectations first, and make sure the web host can meet them.

In the last post, we talked about some things to bear in mind when starting an online business. One of the most important steps was to pick a domain name and register it. So how do you go about doing this? Read on to find out.

Go to a domain name registrar. You have a lot of choices here. I suggest looking at the following:

1. Go Daddy
2. eNom
3. Tucows
4. Network Solutions
5. 1&1 Internet AG (a.k.a. Schlund.de)

These are the top 5 registrars as of February 2010, according to Wikipedia. For my personal blogs, I use Go Daddy.

I assume that at this point, you already have an idea of what you want your domain name to be. Once you’re in the domain name registrar site, check the availability of your desired domain name. If it’s already taken, you have to try another name. This is why you need several alternatives. You may also change the suffix (instead of .com, try .org, etc.).

Once you get your desired domain name, just follow the online prompts for payment and registration; and you’re all set!

If this sounds like gibberish to you, here is an easier way. Go to www.google.com/apps. You can click on the option Google Apps for Business and read about your options. It is very easy to register a domain name using this, and you get your own Google Apps package as well. I actually use them as I get e-mail, calendar, docs, and more in one go.

You may already have a business running, but you might be thinking of going online to expand it. In some ways, starting an online business has a lot of similarities to starting the brick-and-mortar kind. In many other ways, there are big differences. Let us take a look at some of the most essential steps that you need to take when starting an online business.

Treat it as you would when starting an “offline” business. You need to get permits, register the business, do research, and all that stuff. Make sure that these things have been done even before you start going the online route.

Pick out a domain name and register it. The domain name is the web address of your online business. Ours is biziki.com. What will yours be? There are many ways by which you can register a domain name. We’ll take a look at that in a separate post.

Choose a web host. Once you’ve registered your domain name, you need to get a web host. This is the entity that will give you the storage space you’ll need as well as the support that you might have to rely on. Again, we will look at the specifics in a separate post, as it can be quite detail-intensive.

Create your site. You can opt to design your web site yourself, but you might need expert help. If I were you, I’d find someone who has extensive experience in web site design and work with them.

Market your web site. This is very very important. People will not come in droves to your site unless you spread the word. It’s basically the same as an offline business. Marketing and advertising is absolutely necessary.