Below you'll find some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) that we've come across. Just click on the question and you'll go to the answer. If there's any particular word or phrase you don't understand then just click on the ? and you'll go to the Internet Glossary Page.

What are the benefits of having a website?

The DIY method - Something for nothing?

Internet Service Providers (ISP) and Hosting Companies?

What are Domain Names?

Managed Services?

What are Databases?

Shopping Carts and Secure Payments?

What is eMarketing?

What is the future?

What is my Data Transfer Allowance?

Visitor Analysis Reports

What are the benefits of having a website
Did you know that in 1999 over 16 million people in the UK had access to the Internet, with over 200 million world-wide. By the end of 2000 it is predicted that this figure will exceed 325 million. It is now a forgone conclusion that the Internet is here to stay and many studies have concluded that businesses, however small, will have an Internet presence in the not to distant future. More and more businesses are using the Internet not only to complement their existing advertising but to utilise the additional tools that it makes available. Customers and business partners can contact you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. New sales brochures can be published at a fraction of the cost. Customer mailings can go via eMail, saving huge sums on postage. Secure shopping has now been proved allowing products to be purchased even when your business is closed. Your imagination is the limiting factor because with the Internet nearly anything is possible.
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The DIY method - Something for nothing
As with any service to a business you could probably do it yourself, but for many services you use specialist companies. Why should the Internet be anything different? Yes, you can build your own website and publish it on a free ISP. Then you'll need to market the site so that people will visit it, you'll need to ensure that the site is available at all times and pages load quickly. You'll probably need extra software on your computer to design and publish the information plus the time, probably the most expensive item in the equation. Have you got the time to do it yourself?
We at AGS Global have that time, it's what our company does, providing impartial advice on how the Internet can help your business and then handling all the design and running of your website.
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What are Internet Service Providers (ISP) and Hosting Companies
You can think of an ISP as a switchboard, you dial-in to an ISP from a computer and then you have access to the whole Internet via this link. The majority of ISP's now offer either a local or free call rate. Hosting companies provide the systems where websites reside and provide all the support and administration services associated with managing a website. AGS Global are resellers for one of the UK's leading ISP's, and because of this we can guarantee a high quality and reliable service to our customers.
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What are Domain Names
A domain is a unique address that exists within the World Wide Web, it is also known as a URL (Unique Resource Locator). Your domain address or URL will appear on the address line of your browser. It is not a requirement to having a web site, we can allocate you you a sub-domain, ie. yourname.agsglobal.com, but the cost of having your own name is negligible and looks a lot more professional.
Domains are registered for an initial 2 year period, after which they must be re-registered on an annual basis with the relevant authority. You can have many domain names all pointing to the one web site URL re-direction or pointers), this can help with protecting your brand name and also helps incease traffic to your web site.

Managed Services
"But we haven't got a PC, how can we have a website and eMail" I hear you ask. Well that's easy. Firstly you don't need a computer to have a website built. We handle all the design and publication, the website is then hosted on one of our servers.
One of the latest innovations is our ability to replace the eMail you would normally receive when a visitor submits a feedback form or checks out a shopping cart with a Fax transmission. So if you do not have or want a computer, an ISP dial-up account or e-mail then this could be the answer for you. The cost of this service has been developed to appeal to the smaller business too, with a once only set up fee, small charges for each Fax and no minimum monthly commitment.
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What are Databases
For the more flexible website we can incorporate the use of Microsoft Databases. These can hold large volumes of data that can be searched on and then displayed in a user friendly fashion for your website visitors. An example is a product file which allows for easy maintenance and look-up facilities.
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Shopping Carts and Secure Payments
Do you want an onLine shop that will allow customers to place goods in a cart or basket and then pay for them using their credit card. If so we can set it up for you, including the assistance with the details for your Bank and obtaining a security certificate for the website from the issuing authority.
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What is eMarketing
This is where your Internet partner can be of real value. OK, so you've got a good web site built and it's being professionally hosted so you know it will always be available to your customers or business partners. Now you need everybody to know that you've got a web site. Of course you'll include the URL (www.myname.com) in all your adverts, literature, stationary, etc. but what about the customers surfing the web?
AGS Global will work with you in deciding your target audience and then we'll decide what the strategy should be. Search Engines, Directories, Banner Advertising, Reciprocal Links are all available to promote your web site and we'll ensure that you utilise the right methods for your particular business, including regular submission of your sites details to the relevant companies.
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What is the future
The "New Economy" will be built upon the explosive growth of the Internet. Utilising its ability to communicate across the Globe, irrespective of date and time. Traditional methods of promoting businesses will complement the Internet but with the advancement of technology, including Web TV and WAP cellular phones, the Internet will become one , if not the most important place for businesses to not only have a presence but use it as a business tool. Customers and business partners will expect your company to have an Internet presence.
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What is my Data Transfer Allowance
Your AGS Global hosting account includes an allowance for bandwidth (data transfer) of 1 gigabyte per month. Our experience shows that unless you have an incredibly busy site containing very large graphics, you are unlikely to reach this limit.
As an example, our home page is about 11k, including all the graphics and would need to be downloaded about 90,000 times each month to use up your allocation. If you do reach this limit then extra bandwidth allocations are available in 1 Gigabyte per month packets.
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Visitor Analysis Reports
An important part of running a successful web site is being able to determine how many visitors are accessing your site. Not only this, but these days you also need to know where they have come from, what time of day is the most popular, how are people navigating through your site and many other important statistics. You also need to view figures over a period of time to determine, for example, if a promotion has been successful. As part of our hosting service we offer the award winning Webtrends Log Analysis reports. These have rich and in-depth analysis and will be provided on an agreed frequency.

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