FAQ

We hope that you find all that you are looking for amongst our FAQs below. However if you don't find what you are looking for please use this form to contact us.


Accounting

Can I pay by cheque?
Only for special exceptions, check with our accounts department by sending an email to accounts@westerfieldcl.com

How much does a website cost?
A difficult question to answer. A basic website can cost as little as N5,000 and a complex one as much as N100,000. Most websites cost between N100,000 and N250,000.


Domain Names

How do I choose a domain name for my Web site?
You want to select a name that will be easy for your customers or potential customers to remember. The obvious choice would be to use your business name, such as www.thexyz-company.com. But if your company is named The XYZ Company, you might want to try abbreviating the domain name for simplicity - such as www.xyz.com.

What do the endings mean?
An explanation of the various extensions like .com and .net can be found here

How do I check to see if a domain is available?
Use our domain availability checker

How long does it take for a new Domain Name to register or move?
Registering a domain name can take anywhere from 1 minute to 3 days, depending on the workload at the registries.

How long does it take for the world to see a new domain name?
Once approved and registered, it typically takes between 24 and 48 hours to update around the globe. So while you may be able to see it with your Web browser immediately others may not, depending on the domain name server their system uses. Most domain name servers are programmed to get domain name updates only once a day at a predetermined time.

How do I transfer a domain?
Transferring a domain to us means informing both ourselves and the other ISP of your intentions. To transfer a domain away from us will mean we need to send you a form. You can request the transfer form by clicking here


Email

What is email forwarding?
This allows an email sent to your domain name to be automatically redirected to an alternative email account

What is Webmail?
Webmail is a way of sending and receiving emails via a web-based interface, which means that as long as you have a connection you can manage your emails from anywhere in the world.


FTP

What is FTP?
Stands for File Transfer Protocol and is a basic method of uploading files and content into your webspace. Most FTP transfers are performed with a piece of software also known as an FTP client. There are many to choose from and some are Freeware. Some HTML editors such as Dreamweaver have an inbuilt FTP client.

How do I publish web pages using FTP?
Web authoring software very often has an FTP client built in, click here to be taken to the support area.

Can I have a private ftp space?
We do not sell FTP space. However if you have an item that you want users to download then you can place these in your space. For example if you wanted to place a shareware archive in your space then you would create a zip, hqx or exe file in your docs directory structure and create a link to it with a URL such as http://www.yourcompany.co.uk/file.zip.
Private FTP space isn't a standard product as it is hard to monitor and tends to use lots of bandwidth, but it can be organised if required, please contact sales@skymarket.co.uk for more information. An alternative way for your viewers to download files from your site is for you to create the files and place them in your web directory. For example if you wanted to place a shareware archive in your space then you would create a zip, hqx or exe file in your docs directory structure and create a link to it with a URL such as http://www.yourcompany.co.uk/file.zip.

Will I have unlimited access to update my pages?
You have unlimited access via FTP, 24-hours a day. As such, you can create and maintain your web pages on your own computer and upload files to your web site at your leisure


General

How can I monitor my website?
We offer 2 statistics packages that will enable you to keep an eye on the site and its visitors. We also provide various bandwidth and webspace monitoring services which are optional extras to all hosting packages.

What happens if I use too much bandwidth?
If you exceed your agreed bandwidth allowance then overage costs will be charged at the standard rate of £20 a Gb. Increasing your allowance in advance of increased usage will bring the price down considerably. Call us for details.

How much data can I store in 10 Mb?
10Mb can store approximately 10,000,000 characters. This equates to about 2,600 A4 pages of text. Graphics take up more space than an A4 page of text.

What servers are Skymarket running?
We have both Windows and Linux servers. The windows servers are run on Microsoft Windows NT/2000. Linux servers use the Apache 1.3.28 server with a few custom features. This server is said to be the world's most popular. Full details can be seen at www.apache.org.

Can I take credit card payments on my site?
Our ecommerce website will give you all the information you need, which can be found here.

I think someone has my password details what do I do?
If you think that your password has been compromised you should contact our support team during normal support hours. If you have asked for telnet access to the server your site is running on, you can change your password using the passwd command. Either way, no charge is made for changing passwords.

Can I run CGI scripts?
Yes but we only give support for the scripts that can be found at www.webhelp.co.uk.

If your script is written in Perl then the first line of the script must be: #!/usr/bin/perl You must save the file in UNIX format. If the file is saved in DOS format then there will be an extra (Control M or ^M) at the end of the line. Macintosh format text files appear as single line to UNIX. These will cause a 500: Server error message. If you want to place programs written in C, C++ or any language apart from Perl, in your cgi-bin directory, then the support team examine the code and compile it for you. This may be chargeable and will not be portable between servers. You must not, except with the explicit agreement of the support team place a binary, executable file in your web space. You should try to debug your scripts locally. Versions of perl exist for most flavours of UNIX, DOS and MacOS. Although the DOS and MacOS versions may not show up all possible errors, they will tell you if any glaring syntactical errors have been made.

How do I improve my search engine rankings?
We provide various Search Engine Optimisation and Submission packages. You can view them by clicking here.

What is DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name Servers or Domain Name Service, you can think of it as an ISPs electronic ‘Yellow Pages’, your domain name will have DNS records at the registry, which ISPs Domain Name Servers read from, so they are be able to direct people to your web pages, when they enter your URL in their browser window or click on a link to your site.

What is a URL?
A URL stands for Unique Resource Locator, most normally this is your domain name or IP address of your web site.

What is an IP address? An IP address is an "identifier", you can think of it as like a telephone number, except it exists on the internet, e.g 212.81.167.2.

What is web forwarding?
Web Forwarding means redirecting visitors to your domain to an alternative website. This is useful if, for example, you have one website and 4 domains and you want all visitors to be directed to the same place.. There are 2 types of Web Forwarding, Cloaked and Un-Cloaked. A cloaked forwarding retains the URL entered, whereas uncloaked displays the new one.


Hosting

What is web hosting?
Hosting is another word for the space on the internet which you slot your website into. Hosting is completely separate from the domain name itself and any email accounts that may be provided on that domain.

What’s the difference between Linux and Windows?
Linux is a slightly more stable but less user-friendly product, that requires a higher degree of technical competence to work with. Windows is more user-friendly but consequently more expensive. Both have minor restrictions as to which software can be used in conjunction with them.

Can I upgrade my hosting?
Yes. You can upgrade your hosting at any time, giving one months notice.

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Windows Hosting

  • 25Mb fast web space
  • ASP/CGI enabled
  • 3 Email accounts
  • 100 Email aliases
  • FREE Webmail
  • 2GB baandwidth (PCM)
Windows hosting

Linux Hosting

  • 25Mb fast web space
  • PHP/CGI enabled
  • 3 Email accounts
  • 100 Email aliases
  • FREE Webmail
  • 2GB baandwidth (PCM)
Linux hosting