I already have a domain name registered. Why should I have it transferred to you?

Having your domain name transferred to our servers offers two distinct benefits. First is a convenience and ease-of-use issue. Once Ghostlight Designs has control over the domain, we are able to easily update and maintain your site and services without the need to go through a third party provider. This will reduce the time it takes for changes to your site to be updated.

Secondly, Ghostlight Designs uses a leading UK hosting company that allows us complete control over the domain. For example, we can set up unlimited email addresses, add email forwarders and auto-responders. We can add CGI capability and ODBC connectivity. Optional extras are also available including password protection, email virus scanning and Frontpage extensions connectivity.

How do I transfer my domain to you?

The registrant of the domain name needs to contact the existing hosting company and in most cases, the host requires written confirmation before the domain can be transferred. To transfer the domain, the current host has to change the IPS Tag which "links" it to us. Once the IPS Tag has been changed, Ghostlight Designs can then complete the transfer process and have control over the domain.

Please note that domain transfers can take between 48 and 72 hours to complete.

How much will it cost to have my domain transferred?

Ghostlight Designs will make no charge to have the domain transferred. However, your current host may require a nominal administration fee.

What is the difference between a .co.uk and a .com domain name? Which do I need?

Historically, a .com address was associated with an American web site and .co.uk with a British site. As the internet has since become a much wider medium and this informal convention is now no longer the case. From a marketing perspective, a .com indicates that a domain is relevant on an international scale, whereas a .co.uk domain might be useful for a smaller, UK-based company. However, there are no hard and fast rules, you can have whatever you like.

From a budgetary perspective, .com addresses are generally much more sought after and so the minimum registration period is 12 months. For a .co.uk domain, the minimum registration period is two years. Of course, when you purchase a domain name from Ghostlight Designs, you can specify longer periods.

Please note that once a domain has been registered, the price paid is non-refundable.

Can I have a .ltd or domain?

There are very strict rules when allocating .ltd addresses. Firstly, you must be a limited company, registered with Companies House of Great Britain. Secondly, the full domain name must be the same or similar to your company name. For example, Bert Trumble Ltd could have the domain www.bert-trumble.ltd.uk but could not have www.bt.ltd.uk.

In order to register a .ltd domain name you must be able to provide your Companies House registration number. The allocation of a .ltd domain name is at the discretion of the Companies House.

Of course, there is absolutely nothing to stop Bert having the domain name www.bert-trumble-ltd.co.uk.

Please note that because such domain names need to be approved by Companies House, it may take seven days or more before the domain is active.

Should I register both a .co.uk and a .com domain?

This is completely up to you. You may choose to register both domains to ensure that competitors don't use a similar domain name.

You don't have to "mirror" content on both sites, Ghostlight Designs can set it up so that hitting one domain will automatically transfer the browser to the other "active" domain.

How can I find out whether my desired domain name is available?

Use the domain checker on this site by clicking here.

Any tips for domain names?

When choosing a domain name, you should keep the following points in mind:

• Although there is virtually no limit to the amount of characters you can have in a domain name, it is highly recommended that you use something of manageable length. www.berts-bakeries.co.uk is much better and easier to remember than www.berts-bakeries-confectioners-and-sandwich-delivery-based-in-halifax.co.uk.
• Only letters and numbers can be used, although you can use a hyphen to separate words.
• You may also wish to use "chatspeak", using numbers and characters, for example: www.onions4u.co.uk. Don't be too obscure though, verbalising www.nythinguc.co.uk might have a prospect going to your competitor's site www.anythingyousee.co.uk!
• In some cases, companies choose domains that do not include their company name but do reflect their business. For example, a vetinery surgeon may decide on the name www.happy-puppies.com.

Can I have a hit counter added to my site?

Hit counters show the total number of visitors to a site from the time the hit counter was installed. Ghostlight Designs recommends against having a hit counter for two reasons. Firstly, hit counters are aimed mainly at home users and they can make a professional business site appear amateurish. Secondly, a hit counter reflects the number of users to your site and if your site content is highly specialised then the number of hits may be low. Showing a low number of hits may discourage people from using your site..

Ghostlight Designs offers a much more flexible approach to site hit status through the use of Live Statistics. For a nominal annual fee you can be emailed detailed information about your site's performance including data such as hits to individual pages, geographical location of those viewing your site and from where your site was referred.

For an example of Live Statistics, click here.

Can I have a guestbook added to my site?

Again, guestbooks are popular with amateur home sites and like hit counters may degrade the professionalism of your site. Also, a guestbook can be used for "spamming" purposes and some people may use it to post defamatory remarks which may seriously affect your company profile. A guestbook will also need to be administered and Ghostlight Designs is not in a position to do this. Neither can Ghostlight Designs take responsibility for the content submitted to guestbooks.

If customer feedback is important to you then we can add a form whereby feedback is delivered to an email address of your choice. Such a form can also gather limited marketing data such company name, company size and how the browser came to find your site. Testimonials you receive can be added as site content on an ad-hoc basis.

Can I have a polling system added to my site?

Site polls are useful for gaining specific anonymous feedback and can be utilised to gather market research from your customers. Contact Ghostlight Designs if you wish to add a poll to your site.

What are search engines?

A search engine is a specialised site that constantly indexes pages on the internet. Anyone looking for specific content can use the search engine to look for information they require.

When developing a site, Ghostlight Designs will request two pieces of information from you: a list of keywords and some descriptive text. Keywords are individual words that people will use to search for a site. The description is small amount of text that the search engines will use when displaying results.

You can have as many keywords as you like and you should think about how what words you would use if you were to search for your site.

The description should be no more than 30 words and should summarise your company and site profile. Think about how you would sell your business in only 30 words.

Some search engines will display the first few lines of the site's content instead of a site description. Think about an award-winning opening line to the site content.

How do I submit my site to the search engines?

When a site goes live, Ghostlight Designs submits the site to over 300 different search engines. However, we cannot do this over the duration of the site's lifespan.

You should think about how to market your own site as you would market your business. Software is available that can submit your site to the search engines and Ghostlight Designs will give you a profile of your site so that you can do this yourself.

Some search engines have a slightly different way of indexing sites and you may need to submit your site manually by going through the search engine's registration process. Yahoo! for example has a complex directory structure where your site can only be added by contacting them directly. Contact us if you require more help.

I have searched for my site using the keywords I provided but I'm not being listed. Why not?

First of all, remember that there are literally billions of pages of information on the internet and it is very likely that there are businesses across the globe that offer the same services as you. Your site may well be listed in search engine results but if there are thousands of results shown then you could be a long way down the list. Think about other keywords you could use - remember there is no limit to the number of keywords you can have - and email them to Ghostlight Designs where we would be happy to add them.

Some search engines offer a chargeable service that guarantee top ratings in the search engines. Ghostlight Designs cannot verify the success when registering with these services and you should think very carefully before using the service.

Remember, your site is a marketing tool for your business and should be used as any other marketing tool. Put your URL on your business cards and brochures, publicise your site by emailing customers, use it as a focus in your marketing campaigns. Your customers may then recommend that their customers look at the site. "Word of Mouth" marketing is still an extremely powerful tool, use it!

What about banner advertising and banner swapping?

Banner advertising allows you to place a "banner" advertising your site on somebody else's site, usually a directory site of some kind. Recent study has shown however that banner advertising is no longer the powerful internet marketing tool that it once was. The percentage of people that click on a banner is very low - under 10% - despite a high number of hits that the host site may boast. Imagine placing an A4 sized advert by the side of a busy motorway. Hundreds of thousands of people will drive past the banner every day, but the number of people stopping to read it will be very low.

Banner swapping is a similar concept whereby someone else will show your banner on their site, as long as you display their banner on yours. Again, the number of responses may be low and it may degrade the professional appearance of your site.

Any dos and don'ts?

Sites containing material that is ........... will not be hosted under any circumstances. If it is found that a site features such material then it will be withdrawn immediately without any notice or compensation.