Hosting your site
(from the Hartford Institute)
Once you have decided how to construct your site and have begun the process, it’s a good idea to begin to search for a server to host your site. Think of a server as a powerful computer which will store your web site files in a place where anyone can access them. If you decide to go with a free pre-set web template you will automatically be hosted by that location so this information will not be applicable.
Quite often, you can find a site that will not only host your congregations web site, but will also link you to the necessary resource to purchasing a domain name. Be sure to put as much thought into purchasing a domain name as you do when you are designing the site. Think about what people will remember and what makes sense for your congregation. Be careful using abbreviations since your idea of an abbreviation may differ from someone else’s. It is often easier to purchase a domain name right from the location that will host your site but it is not a requirement. Don’t worry if you already reserved a domain name in a hurry, you can always communicate with your site host to let them know what name you have purchased.
Again, give careful consideration to the size of your congregation, your budget, and your needs when evaluating web site hosts. If your church vision is for rapid growth, then a host that can only provide 10 megabytes of space and 1 email address might not be the best option for you. You always have the freedom to upgrade or change things at a later date but putting as much time into the thought and planning now can help you to avoid more work and greater inconsistencies later.
There are three things you should look at when thinking about hosting your site
- Domain Name www.yourdomian.org
- A registrar that parks or stores you domain name on their server.
- A hosting service which leases space on their server for a fee
The first step would be the pick a domain name. The name you pick show be a description of your parish. Since Churches are non-profits, you would want to get a name that ended with .org You would then pick out a name that would tell visiters about your parish. As an example, lets say the name of your parish is Grace Church in Atlanta. If you would pick the name www.graceepiscopal.org. Chances are that name would not be available. Do not settle for any of the suggestions you will be given when it tells you it is not available. Keeping in mind, your next choice would be www.graceepiscopalatlanta.org or gracechurchatlanta, or gracechurchmidtown.org Once you have done this, complete the paperwork, When done, you become the registrant of you domain name.
After you register you domain, you will need to find a host for your site. One word of warning, never let a host register you domain name for you. Most time when this happens, the host becomes the registrant and will the control the ownership of the name. You should treat the domain name as an asset. As your site gets more popular, the value of the domain increases. If you ever want to transfer your service to a new host, the present host, who now controls the domain name, would have to relinguish the name. My advice is to put the domain name in your Parish name, and parish address. Appoint an administrator such as your Rector or Parish Administrator. If one of them leaves, make sure the administrator's name is changed on your account.
List of Hosts and Costs
Host Companies offer you the opportunity to register your domain, sign up for hosting, and sign up for e-mail all at the same place. There is usually very low cost to register your domain name. This is a loss leader to bring you in to upsell you on their other features. You should be prepared to pay about $20 per month for your hosting service. They will also try and talk you into e-mail with them as well. That will also add another $10 - $20 per month, depending on the number of mail boxes you need. The total cost for a year with these items can easily approach $400!! Oh if you decide you want some one else to host you site, they may also insist that you sign up fo their hosting package before forwarding it to another site.
Ease of Use
One of the most important aspects to remember in the ongoing updating of your site is it's ease of use. After you pay for the set up and design of your website, yoiu then need to have someone with the abiltiy to do updates without having to have skills in html or java script. The sites that I recommend to you contain some sort of Content Management System and a word processing editor that allows you to key in the information in a word processing system and then the website software will translate you content into code and uploads your content to your website. Having this available to you allows many different folks in your parish to be easily trained in manintaining your websiite/
Charges that can be expected from host companies:
Monthly Service Charge - covers on going maintenance costs. Prices $20 - $50 per month
Set up Fees - covers design and uploading your site to their servers. Usually a one time charge. Prices range for $99 to $3,000, depending upon design and complexity of site.
My recommnedation would be to visit Google Apps
Google Apps - Google apps offers you the opportunity to not only a place to register your domain name, but it also has e-mail, calendar, and other features at no cost.
Digital Faith Community
The Digital Faith Community has been contracted to the Diocese of Atlanta to provide a website for the dicoese, plus parish websites at no additional cost to our parishes. At the present time this is our recommended way to go. the features offered are very similar to other site's features listed below, but instead of paying anywhere from $20-45 per month, plus set up costs there is no cost to you.
Digial Faith Community offers you........at no cost to you for basic services. Click here for more information
Church 123
Church123 supply excellent websites to churches and Christian organisations. We don't place limits on the number of pages you can have, how often you can update the content of the pages or how many visitors (bandwidth) you can use. We want your site to be as successful as possible. If you haven't yet tried it why not sign up for the free church web site trial?
Basic Web Package cost:
Quaterly - $95
Annual - $370
Basic Package
Cost: $199
Monthly Charge: $25
This entry point for ChurchSites sets the standard for every other package, and includes over half of the site tools available with the ChurchSites Content Managment System (CMS).
This package includes placement of your existing logo (.gif or .jpg version) into the header of the standard template you choose. Placement of a Flash animated logo is also available for an additional charge.
More details about this option.
