We are often asked about websites and frequently come across many misleading statements. Phrases such as "we can design and manage a website for you" get thrown around like confetti. Before you take the plunge, take a moment to read our appraisal of what a website is and, more importantly, what it is not..

So what does owning a website actually involve?

• STEP 1:
  You choose a name for your website (this is your domain name).  For example www.myshetlandstud.co.uk.  This is unique to you and more importantly, you own it.  It costs around £7 to initially register it, and thereafter, another £7 every two years to renew it.
• STEP 2:
  You brief a web design company to build you a site. Most companies will register the site name for you too.  They can build it to suit your needs (eg: home page, stallions, mares, youngstock, foals, show results, contact us, etc etc).  Shop around for prices - they can be found for upwards of £100.
• STEP 3:
  Thereafter, your only other costs are yearly hosting and renewal of the domain name every 2 years. You should budget about £50 per year for these fees.
• STEP 4:
  Once your website is up and running, you can choose how often you want to update it. You should not be restricted to only updating it once or twice a year. Depending on your chosen design company, changes can often be built in as part of your initial costs for the first year, and negotiated for subsequent years. However, if the updates are reasonably simple, for example adding or changing photographs, then there is generally no cost for this.

WHAT A WEBSITE IS NOT!

• If you do not have your own domain name, for example, www.myshetlandstud.co.uk, then you don’t own a website.
• If what you are being offered is simply your stud name as a page in another website, you are only “renting pages” within that site. With this kind of service, you are generally restricted to a specific number of updates offered per year. You often have to pay an initial set up fee, and subsequent “rental” for those pages each year thereafter.

THE BENEFITS OF OWNING YOUR OWN WEBSITE

• It’s a bit like houses – buy or rent – the choice is yours.
• A website enables people to find you directly through the search engines (eg:  Google, MSN, Yahoo, AskJeeves etc).
• You will be able to link your website to other websites and directories generally free of charge.
• You can even have your own email address, for example This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you would like any more information on this, please Contact Us