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At the time of posting this article (2^nd May 2011) the Aussie dollar is buying around US $1.09. This means its never been cheaper for Australian to buy a website hosting package from a US company. Registration is simple, features are abundant and support is just an email away. For small / medium businesses, registering your website host yourself can save you hundreds of dollars.

I’m all for supporting local Australian businesses, I have also been a small Australian business owner since I was in university, but at the time, the need to save every dollar had me look to the USA to host my first website almost 10 years ago. The exchange rate wasn’t anywhere as friendly for Australians as it is now (back then AU$1 was fetching about US$.050). Today, I am still with the same hosting company.

In 2001 / 2002, some top Australian hosting companies were asking over $400 per month for a business hosting package. Something a university student could never afford! Prices have dropped considerably since then but compared with their US counterparts they are still quite expensive. When I look at some of the prices of “Australia’s leading hosting companies”, I am bewildered to think why people would still pay it.

I would say 95% of small / medium Australian businesses shouldn’t be paying anymore then AU$300 for website hosting per year. Think about what your using your website for, how large your website is (how many files, links etc) and how many people you are expecting to visit your website every month. These things determine the cost and what you need to look for in a website host.

If you are a small / medium Australian business and are confused about website hosting, leave a comment or send me and email and I would be happy to answer your questions.

This update was supposed to be about website hosting in Australia and was supposed to come 2 – 3 weeks ago. However, as you all know, on March 14^th an earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku area of North Eastern Japan. There have been over 10,000 confirmed deaths and still over 15,000 people missing (as of April 3^rd 2011).

I live in Kobe, Japan, which is about 800km from the epicentre of the earthquake,. When the earthquake hit, I was on the train coming back to my office. I was reading Twitter on my iPhone when the update form @abcnews read:

“Strong Japan quake shakes buildings in Tokyo… tsunami warning issued”

then the next update soon after:

“Breaking: Japan quake magnitude estimated to be 7.9 … warning of tsunamis. Some reports say tsunami could be over 10-feet high”.

I arrived at my office, which is on the 22^nd floor, the staff were gathered around the reception area, checking news on their mobiles and computer and the first thing they said was “Did you feel the earthquake?” You could tell they were a little frightened and they said the building was swaying for a while. I hadn’t felt anything on the train. As I sat down in my office, an aftershock struck, and sure enough the building started swaying from side to side. It’s not the first tremor I have felt in Japan, but it is one of the biggest, especially as, the epicentre was about 800km away.

In the hours after, news of the tsunami, and the devastation flowed in. Updates from all the major news sources around the globe were in one place, easily accessible, through Twitter on my iPhone. This was the first time I realised how important Twitter has become.

I came on the Twitter scene quite late, I joined in July 2010 (about 4 years after it was launched) just to try it out and to use it as a promotional tool for my business here in Japan. Now it’s become something I check all the time, especially when I’m away from my computer. It takes lest then a minute to quickly flick through the latest headlines of news, your favourite sports team, or like 9 million other people, Lady Gaga’s news if that what you fancy. Remember, you don’t need to twit anything yourself, just sign-up and start following what’s of interest to you.

Facebook also played a part in the hours and days after the earthquake and tsunami. I received messages from so many friends and family in Australia asking if I was OK. Of course, email could of being sufficient for this, but being able to post one status update that was read by everyone made things a little bit more simpler, and I noticed most of my friends in Japan had done the same thing. “ We’re all fine here in Kobe” was the main status update of the week. Again, having all the information in one place just made things easier.

Even now, here in Japan, with the ongoing concern at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, getting timely information through social network sites, like Twitter and Facebook is a must. These sites also allow you to get information from a variety of sources, friends and strangers posting links to sites you would have of never thought of. All which allows you to assess the situation, form your own opinions and make your own decisions.

2011 has already seen a number of natural disasters from floods in Australia to the earthquake in New Zealand and most recently the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Technology has brought us closer together and enabled us to respond quicker to these natural disasters. Sharing information globally is now more important than ever before.

To survive in business these days, you need to be found, and the best way to be found is by having an online presence. Most people search for information through their mobiles or on their computer. So how do you get found? Where do you start? How much should you be paying? Do you already own a website? Are you paying too much for your website? These are some of the questions I hope to answer through-out March and April.

First things first, lets get the basics out of the way.

Do I need a website?
Yes, in this day and age you do.

What is domain registration?
This is your website name and address (eg: www.apple.com OR www.abc.net.au). It should match your business name / services. Something that can be easily recognised and marketed.

How much does domain registration cost?
A .COM.AU domain should cost you under $50 for a 2 year registration. A .COM domain is only about $15 a year. If you’re paying more, you’re paying too much.

What is website hosting?
Website hosting is your space on the internet where your website files go. It’s like renting space on a big computer which is connected to the internet 24/7. The domain name points to this space and people can view your website.

How much does hosting cost?
This question is a difficult one. There are lots of different kinds of hosts with different services, space etc. If all you are after is a simple website with a few photos, map and details about your business then you should be able to find something for under $200 a year. More about this in my next article.

Now to a scenario:

You are a local business owner and you are thinking about getting a website. The first thing you do is jump online and look up a local website design company. You can go to yellowpages.com.au or straight to Google (or a similar search engine) and type in what your after (eg “geelong website design”). You are going to be inundated with results, however most of the companies will have a portfolio where you can view work they have previously created, if you like what you see, contact them! Word-of-mouth also works well, ask your neighbour where they got here website developed.

After providing the design company with a general overview of what you require. You should be able to get a ballpark quote for the website creation. A fee for registering the domain name and a monthly or yearly fee for website hosting. These 3 things (website creation, domain name and hosting space) are all needed to have a website that is accessible 24/7.

Sounds easy enough? If money is no worries it is. However, as for myself, and many other local business owners, money is an important factor but so is design quality. Unfortunately, the old saying, don’t judge a book by its cover, doesn’t apply to websites.

A poorly created website can drive business away, whereas, an attractive, well developed site can give you an edge over your competitors.

In my next article we will look at website hosting and how you can save.