Setting up and managing email accounts

Samantha

Setting up a client’s emails can be a bit of a nightmare. If a client has their own domain name then they usually will want an email address such as info@ or name@. This usually doesn’t take too long to set up on the hosting account but when it comes to setting them up on devices, it where it often starts to get complicated. You will need to know the email address, password and also the incoming and outgoing server settings for the hosting account. Not only that, but you may also need to know ports numbers. Often when setting up email you are asked if the server requires outgoing authentication and also if it should use SSL. You will need to obtain these settings from your hosting provider and...
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Working with someone else’s code

Samantha

As a programmer, you may be asked to take over or add on to websites that have been programmed by another company or a freelance programmer. When working with someone else’s code it may take you a bit to get your head around how they have done it and, depending on how they work, it may need a bit of tidying up. When you are quoting for work to be done on a website that you have not programmed it is important to include additional time for this or to inform the customer that there may be additional costs should it not be as straightforward as it should be. You need to take some time to familiarise yourself with the layout and set up of the website and try and...
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The downside of using shared servers

Samantha

If you are looking into hosting for your website then you have a few options. Historically it used to be shared servers or dedicated servers but you can often now opt for a cloud server package as instead if you wish. All of the different types of servers have advantages and disadvantages and often your choice will mostly come down to cost. Dedicated servers are usually the most reliable and allow you to have complete control over how they are run. If you decide that you cannot afford the monthly or annual fee of a dedicated server for your website (which can often be in the region of £100-£300 per month) then you will probably have to settle for a shared server. A shared server means that not only will...
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Pricing a project as a web designer

Samantha

Pricing can be a tricky subject for a web developer or programmer. If the website is straight forward and has the usual pages and functionality then the chances are you have already worked on a similar project previously or have a template design that you can easily price. The issue comes when the website needs to be bespoke and has a number of complicated functions that will have to be written in from scratch. It can be tricky to know exactly how long it is going to take to complete the job so pricing can become complex. You need to try and establish how many man hours of work you think there is going to be to get the job done. It is always advisable to slightly over estimate or...
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Understanding your domain and hosting

Samantha

When you buy a domain name you may think that you have everything you need to start to build your website. You may not have purchased any hosting with your name and until you do this you will not have anyway of adding a website to it. Think of hosting as the space needed to store all the files (or pages)  that will contained in your website. You need to be able to rent space off a server in order to host your files. There are a number of ways in which to obtain hosting; you can buy hosting when you buy your domain name, you can also chose to buy hosting through a third party or you can chose to have your website hosted with your website developer who...
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