Starting up a commercial site....what's it take

[bigred]

Say I want to start up a site which is itself free, but I hope to draw advertisers to buy space on the site (assuming I'll have at least a modest # of hits). Can anyone give me a recap of what's involved, ie beyond creating the web pages themselves? eg how do I:

- register/reserve a site name (for ex say I want "www.bigredssite.com")?
- roughly, what does reserving and paying to have that unique site name run?

- assuming I won't have a billion hits a day, can I run this site on my own PC, or would I "have" to have a separate one?
- do I also need a separate dedicated line?

- can I use something like tripod to host, or is that not allowed due to wanting to make a little $?

That and/or any other info appreciated....

[geni]

Say I want to start up a site which is itself free, but I hope to draw advertisers to buy space on the site (assuming I'll have at least a modest # of hits). Can anyone give me a recap of what's involved, ie beyond creating the web pages themselves? eg how do I:

- register/reserve a site name (for ex say I want "www.bigredssite.com")?


Depends what you want. DOT com or DOT something else.


- roughly, what does reserving and paying to have that unique site name run?


tens of dollars or less depending on domain.


- assuming I won't have a billion hits a day, can I run this site on my own PC, or would I "have" to have a separate one?
- do I also need a separate dedicated line?


Generaly far better off buying a hosting package to start with.


- can I use something like tripod to host, or is that not allowed due to wanting to make a little $?


Read their TOS


That and/or any other info appreciated....

Find someone you know and trust doing something simular and ask for their opinion.

Understand that most stuff you read online will be advertiseing.

[nimzov]

Say I want to start up a site which is itself free, but I hope to draw advertisers to buy space on the site (assuming I'll have at least a modest # of hits). Can anyone give me a recap of what's involved, ie beyond creating the web pages themselves? eg how do I:

- register/reserve a site name (for ex say I want "www.bigredssite.com")?

Lookup if the name is not used then register it with a webdomain register like: https://www.webdomaine.ca/index.php?ID_Lang=2

- roughly, what does reserving and paying to have that unique site name run?

20-25$ for 2 years

- assuming I won't have a billion hits a day, can I run this site on my own PC, or would I "have" to have a separate one?

Running from your PC is ok for testing purposes but you may have problem with your isp.

- do I also need a separate dedicated line?

Why not use a web hosting service. I use http://www.registerpol.com for my site

- can I use something like tripod to host, or is that not allowed due to wanting to make a little $?

I would use a professional web hosting service that give you complete access to your site so you can configure it as you please.

That and/or any other info appreciated....

nimzo

[Nick Bogaerts]

As geni and nimzov said, using your own PC at home is woefully inadequate. You will need to rent serverspace from a dedicated hosting service. If you want more control over the environment (depending on what you are doing, but probably not), buy a server and rent rackspace from a hosting service within driving distance.

The latter is what I have done (in a professional capacity), running servers in Cardiff and in Reading, so that I could drive to either place when (not if) **** hit the fan.

You will also need to replicate the environment on your home machine as closely as possible for development purposes.

[PixyMisa]

Say I want to start up a site which is itself free, but I hope to draw advertisers to buy space on the site (assuming I'll have at least a modest # of hits). Can anyone give me a recap of what's involved, ie beyond creating the web pages themselves? eg how do I:

- register/reserve a site name (for ex say I want "www.bigredssite.com")?
- roughly, what does reserving and paying to have that unique site name run?
Less than $10 per year.

- assuming I won't have a billion hits a day, can I run this site on my own PC, or would I "have" to have a separate one?
- do I also need a separate dedicated line?
Much better to sign up for dedicated hosting. You can get packages starting at a few dollars a month, and any good hosting company will provide control panel software that makes it much easier to set up your site.

- can I use something like tripod to host, or is that not allowed due to wanting to make a little $?

That and/or any other info appreciated....
If you want to make some money, probably best to go with a paid hosting account, even if it's a cheap one.

WebhostingTalk (http://www.webhostingtalk.com) is a good place to dig for information and ask questions.

[tkingdoll]

How are you going to 'draw advertisers' to your site?

That will take $$$. Websites neither publicise nor sell themselves.

[PixyMisa]

There are a number of advertising companies that will place ads on small websites, like Google and DoubleClick... Err, Google and Google. ;)

[CFLarsen]

What's the "product"?

[tkingdoll]

There are a number of advertising companies that will place ads on small websites, like Google and DoubleClick... Err, Google and Google. ;)

That is true, I just assumed he meant proper banners rather than Google text-based keyword ads.

Now, anyone want to buy a psychic reading?

[geni]

There are a number of advertising companies that will place ads on small websites, like Google and DoubleClick... Err, Google and Google. ;)

Yahoo! Publisher Network

[Oualawouzou]

If you are just starting up, Project Wonderful (http://www.projectwonderful.com) may be a good place to start selling/buying adspace. From what I've been told, it comes up slightly cheaper than usual ad companies to buy adspace, but makes slightly less benefits to sell adspace. *shrug* The math used to make this demonstration made my head hurt, so take this with a grain of salt.

[bigred]

Many thanks all. Not even sure I'll do this (at least not yet) but this helps give me a ballpark idea of some things..