Website Design and Hosting FAQ


Common Questions About Website Design and web hosting Lots of people have contacted us to ask about setting up a web site, and hosting the website on our servers. Subjects such as how to transfer domain names to us and how much web space we offer are often mentioned. Listed below for you are some of the most frequently asked questions about web hosting issues - along with the answers.

Serving the web continously since 1997
If you have a question that is not answered here, or you want to talk to us about any aspect of your web hosting, website design,or setting up or changing your web site, please feel free to contact us to discuss your requirements.
Question How long will it take for my web space to be set up?
Answer
Your web hosting account will be set up immediately upon receipt of your order.
   
Question What information do you require to set up my web hosting account?
Answer We will require details of the domain or domains you wish to be hosted.
   
Question Can I transfer my web hosting from another company to you?
Answer Yes, we will guide you through the steps necessary to implement this.
   
Question Can I transfer my domain name to you?
Answer Yes we will be pleased to accept management of your domain names.
   
Question Is your web hosting service fast, secure and reliable ?
Answer Yes on all accounts - we have provided an excellent web hosting service for over ten tears. Read more about our Web Hosting Services.............
   
Question

Do I need to transfer my domain to you to use your hosting ?

Answer
Yes you do as we find that it is better for you (the client) if the name is transferred in so that we can better support you. If a problem occurs you will know who to contact and any issues can be dealt with quickly. Also from time to time to ensure optimum performance we need to upgrade our servers which which would mean any domains not under our control would stop working.
   
Question How long does it take to transfer a domain name to you?
Answer
This is largely dependant upon how speedily the person who currently holds your domain record reacts. If they act upon your request quickly it should only take 24 - 48 hours to implement. For more information visit the Domain Transfer Section of our website.
   
Question

Can I just a buy domain name without web hosting ?

Answer Yes you can, we will be pleased to check availability of your preferred domain names and then to register them on your behalf.
   
Question How much web space do I get included with my web hosting service?
Answer
You will receive 5gig of web space. Most websites don't use this amount of space, but should you require more we will be pleased to arrange for you.
   
Question Can we host our website inhouse on one of our company's computers? Is it a good idea to provide our own internal webserver?
Answer Internal web hosting may seem free and whilst it is true to say that your website visitor is probably not concerned as to where your website files are stored but you should be aware that there are downsides to internal hosting.
Read more about Internal Webservers and Inhouse Web Hosting.......................
   
Question

Will I see any downtime if I get my domain transferred to use your website hosting facilities?

Answer
No, there will be no downtime. Domain transfers usually take a couple of days to complete due to the need for a global refresh. While some end users may be visiting your site at its new location, others may still be receiving old information and are being routed to your previous host. During this time, it is best to keep the account with your old hosting provider open until the domain has been properly transferred and is pointing to GCW servers
   
Question

I don't understand the domain name registration or transfer process, what should I do?

Answer
Contact us via email or telephone us, we are more than happy to explain any technical issues and help you get your site up and running.
   
Question Do you put adverts on my website?
Answer Absolutely not! - It's your website and you have total control over the contents and who advertises on it.
   
Question When I enter my domain name all I can see is the placeholder page. How do I remove it?
Answer
This will automatically disappear once your website is uploaded to your webspace on our servers. If you are in the process of having your website designed you may wish to display a simple temporary "banner page" to advertise your company's presence and give contact details whilst this is in progress.
   
Question What are the Domain Server (DNS) names?
Answer ns3.gcwweb.com
ns4.gcwweb.com
   
Question How long will it take for my domain name to be available?
Answer If we register your name for you it will be available for you to use within 24 hours.
   
Question If I want to transfer my domain name to another company what do I need to do?
Answer
Just let us know the details of who you wish to transfer to and we will change it for you. We make no charges for this service.
   
Question What is your domain name ISP Tag ?
Answer The ISP Tag is ""GCW"
   
Question Do you offer domain parking?
Answer Yes.
   
Question How can I see how many visitors I am getting?
Answer
We can provide web tracking software which records where you visitors are coming from and which pages they looked at, which search engines are being used, which phrases are being typed into which search engines and many more interesting web tracking facts which you should find useful for future marketing campaigns.
   
Question Do you have a reseller program?
Answer Yes, if you are interested please call us to discuss your requirements.
   
Question Does your web hosting allow me to use CGI scripts on my website?
Answer Yes, you can run your own CGI scripts on our servers
   
Question Which databases does your web hosting support?
Answer We support MySQL
   
Question Do you offer Dial up Internet Access?
Answer Yes, we do offer 0845 dial up which is charged at local telephone rates.
   
Question How often are back ups done?
Answer Daily.
   
Question Can I upgrade my web hosting account or add more more features?
Answer Yes, if you give us call we can discuss with you your needs.
   
Question How often can I update my website?
Answer
If you have the necessary skills you can update your website as often as you wish using the ftp access.
Alternatively, we will be pleased to make changes to your website for you. Our charges are very reasonable. We can also provide an on line content management system for you allowing you to make your own updates easily. To find out more details read our Content Management Systems section.
   
Question Am I be able to use your SSL (Secure Server License) certificate or do I need to purchase my own?
Answer Yes, you can use our SSL certificate. Please contact us for more details.
   
Question Does your web hosting plan support FTP?
Answer Yes
   
Question Is your server ever overloaded & do websites on your servers ever run slowly?
Answer
No. Unlike many of our competitors we do not place too many websites on one particular server. The web hosting service we supply ensures that your web site will always load speedily for your visitors.
   
Question Can visitors see my web site without the www?
Answer
Yes, your site will be reachable using both 'www.yourdomain.com' and 'yourdomain.com' - it's becoming more popular to omit the www. in offline advertising as the domain alone is easier to quote and remember.
   
Question Do you offer website design services as well as the website hosting?
Answer Yes we offer all round web development - including the website design. domain name registration services, search engine optimisation,search engine promotion - including Google Adword Campaign Management.
   
Question Does your web hosting packages include any limit do you set on maximum mailbox sizes?
Answer Each email that sits in your mailbox waiting to be collected takes up a small amount of disk space. We do not set any limit on how much disk space is used.
   
Question What is a dedicated Server? Do you provide Dedicated Server Hosting Facilities?
Answer A Dedicated Server provides an exclusive server or servers devoted solely to your web site. You do not share a server with other customers, as with shared hosting. Yes we can arrange this for you if required.
   
Question Managed Dedicated Web Servers - do you offer a managed dedicated web server service?
Answer Yes, we can take the hassle out of managing your own dedicated server. We oofer a completed managed hosting solution, with managed web servers tailored to meet your needs
   
Question Does your website hosting service include a Webmail facility?
Answer Yes - you can retrieve and send mail from any location in the world by simply logging onto our website and entering your specific passwords.



A Hebridean Website Design and Hosting Company