Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers for you.
We have worked diligently to try and include the majority of the frequently asked questions regarding our web design and development services in one convenient location.
We have worked diligently to try and include the majority of the frequently asked questions regarding our web design and development services in one convenient location.
A domain name is your website name. A domain name is an address where Internet users can access your website that you can purchase for your through Ziprof Technologies. A domain name is used for finding and identifying computers on the Internet. Computers use IP addresses, which are a series of numbers. However, it is difficult for humans to remember strings of numbers. Because of this, domain names were developed and used to identify entities on the Internet rather than using IP addresses.
Every domain name is unique. No two websites can have the same domain name. If someone types in www.yourdomain. com, it will go to your website and no one else’s. You can also get email addresses at the domain. You choose what email addresses you would like. For instance, it can be info@example.com or sales@samplecompany.co.ke, and so on.
Domain Registration is the act of reserving a name on the Internet for a certain period, usually one year, after which the reservation expires. Reservation of the name is done through a domain registrar. Ziprof Technologies is a certified domain registrar. If you’d like to register a domain name with us, check out our offers.
Domain name registration is necessary for a website, an email, or another web service. A domain name registration gives you personality and recognized identity.
A domain name is a form of an internet address that’s used to identify websites and email addresses. For example, this website’s domain name is wingit.com, and if you have a Gmail account under, say, name@gmail.com, then gmail.com is the domain name.
A website is the web page people see when they enter a domain name into their web browsers. You will need to develop a website after purchasing a domain. See some of our web design offers
Who can register a domain name?
Any individual, company, organization, or entity can register a domain name.
Exclusivity – No matter what your name is, there are possibly thousands of other people who share the same name. The same applies to the name of your company. Assuming you name Karis Mary. When you purchase “karismary.com” everyone worldwide will know how to find you. Yet no other Karis Mary on this planet is going to own that domain name.
Branding – A domain name contributes to promoting your organization’s brand name.
You can advertise your website when sending emails as your domain name will be in the email address, for example, admin@mysite.co.ke is helping to promote mysite.co.ke while mycompany@gmail.com is contributing to promote and brand gmail.com.
Credibility – Prospective customers will more readily transact with businesses with a professional, established online presence – made possible with a personalized domain.
There are country-specific names such as
These domain names denote what country or region the organization is based on.
General domain names are usually found with the suffix dot.com, dot.net, and dot.org.
See the full list of domains you can register
After the lapse of the period set at registration, the domain reservation will expire. The reservation can be extended by another period, usually 1 year, by renewing your domain. It is important to note that the renewal should be done not more than 30 days after the expiry date for most domains. Failure to renew the domain will lead to it being deleted and thereby made available for other people to register it.
Technically, there is no way to buy a domain name forever at registration. You can buy some domains for up to 10 years at registration while others up to 5years. However, you can own the domain as long as you renew it. Your domain registrar will notify you of the expiry date for you to renew You will be required to renew upon expiry.
When the domain expires its owner has about 30 days to return it. In case no actions are taken to return the domain it will be lost. The domain owner receives the corresponding email notifications.
Here are the steps for registering a domain:
A domain name can be composed of three to sixty-three characters excluding the address specifier (www) and the suffix (.com or .co.ke). The character limit depends on the required TLD extension. Only alphanumeric characters and hyphens are allowed. The name cannot start or end in a hyphen.
Like all other aspects of SEO and online marketing, domain names are one of the building blocks to a good website. See more information here
Here are the tips for choosing the perfect domain name:
After registration, your domain name is now reserved. You will need to attach(point) the domain to a hosting server for you to use it for your website, emails, or both. Your hosting provider will provide details of your hosting account. Among the details are the nameservers you should point the domain to.
In our context, “hosting” refers to providing the hardware and software platform on top of which customers can deploy web sites and web-based applications.
Shared web hosting is the most popular type of web hosting. Shared web hosting gives you access to a small part of a web server. The web server will most like be used by hundreds of other web sites. The web servers are split into partitions that are allocated to the web hosting customers.
As a shared web hosting account holder you will have access to a set amount of server resources allocated to you at sign-up. This type of web hosting is unique and usually costs less than any other kind of web hosting plan. Most webmasters started here. This type of web hosting is highly recommended for starters. Shared web hosting will offer a comfortable and affordable hosting environment to learn, before moving on to more advanced solutions.
Personal Hosting is a low-cost web hosting solution suitable for most personal and small business web sites. For our customers with demanding or high traffic sites, or for those looking to host a web site with faster speeds, we recommend Business Hosting. Business plans include more resources to make sites incredibly fast. We highly recommend Business hosting plans for e-commerce stores, high traffic sites.
Yes.
Because of its popularity, we are well-equipped to handle a WordPress blog or WordPress powered website. Our web hosting plans have a simple one-click installation script, allowing you to get set up with a new WordPress site very quickly.
SSD is the short form of Solid State Drive, commonly referred to as Disk space. This is the amount of storage space allocated to your hosting account, which can be used by your website. Having adequate disk space is very crucial because it directly affects the total size limits of your websites. If you need to continuously update your web sites with new content, then you will need a good measure of bandwidth.
When you run out of disk space you will be unable to update your website with new content. Updating your website is a very important part of building traffic levels. Also, keeping your visitors returning you'll need to make sure you have adequate bandwidth available at all times.
Web hosting bandwidth is the measure of data being transmitted through your web server at a given period.
Having adequate bandwidth is very important to the success of your site because it will affect your site visitor's experience, especially when your website has high traffic levels. Every visitor that views a page on your site is consuming bandwidth. Each of the visitors is downloading and uploading information to the webserver. This is primarily why bandwidth is one of the two most important web hosting features to consider when selecting a web hosting plan.
Hosting accounts are set up immediately after payment. You should receive a welcome email with instructions on getting started shortly after making your payment.
Control panel (CPanel) is a graphical user interface (GUI) through which you can manage your web hosting account. Within your control panel, you can upload and organize site content, manage domain name settings, and much more.
Yes, your hosting comes packed with the world's number one control panel, cPanel. You can read more about cPanel here.
We have web hosting facilities in the US and Europe (Germany). You can choose between the two locations. Either facility delivers fantastic speeds globally.
Except for our Basic Hosting package, all our other plans come with an ability to add other domains as add-on domains. This will enable you to host multiple domains on one hosting account.
Shell access or SSH is available for our hosting plans. This is a secured shell environment that is locked down to your specific hosting account. To enable it, please contact support after setting up your account.
Not at this time. You can, however, use Linux-based hosting regardless of the operating system you use on your computer, whether it be Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Reseller hosting is a scaled up form of web hosting where the account owner has the ability to offer web hosting using his or her allotted hard drive space and bandwidth. The resekker can host websites on behalf of third parties. Basically, this you will resell the service to your customers and hence, the name is reseller hosting. This is a good option for the aspiring entrepreneurs to start their own web hosting business or current web developers and designers can also add the hosting service to their business.
Reseller advantages can benefit you and your business in many ways such as :
Follow the simple steps to start your reselling business :
Ziprof's reseller hosting plans are least expensive and easy to use to start a hosting business. You can purchase the reseller hosting from Ziprof and add some profit margins to your plans to make money/profit from reseller hosting business.
All Ziprof's reseller hosting plans come with 100% White label security, that makes your client believe that it's you working for them. We won't reveal our name anywhere even when you want us to deal with them personally.
WHM or Web Host Manager is a powerful server management interface from cPanel. It allows you to manage multiple cPanel accounts and reseller hosting business. We provide WHM with our reseller hosting plans so that you can create cPanel hosting accounts for every domain that you want to host on the reseller web hosting account.
Yes, you have the flexibility to upgrade and downgrade your reseller hosting plan anytime you want.
Yes, you can name the server privately. It will surely help you in the branding of your reseller hosting business.
You can provide the cPanel control panel access to them so that they will be able to manage their individual hosting accounts.
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is used by individuals and business owners who want to take their website online. You can host as per the resources allocated to you by your web hosting company.
Reseller hosting
Reseller hosting is a good option for freelance developers who need to host multiple client sites, owners who want to launch multiple projects, or the aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their web hosting business. All you have to do is buy a reseller hosting plan and allocate the resources to your customers as per their requirements and sell or price tag them as per your standards.
Ziprof's Reseller Accounts are setup once your payment has been received and verified. You will receive a welcome email which will contain the relevant Reseller and Login details, as soon as your reseller account has been setup.
There is no contract period. The solution is on a month-to-month basis with one ( 1) calendar month's cancellation notice required.
Yes, we offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Should your sites experience unscheduled downtime which falls outside of our 99.9% uptime guarantee within a month, we will give you a pro-rata credit for the downtime experienced.
For security reasons, resellers plans do not include SSH also known as root access.
The short answer: Our prices depend on various factors, it’s impossible to say in one sentence. Avoid any web developer who can answer this question without a short talk.
The long answer: To get a better idea of the cost of what you want to build, give us a quick phone call. We’ll ask you a few questions about the nature of the site, what sort of interactivity the site will have, your graphic design needs, etc. Then we’ll be able to give you a ballpark figure. If you’re still interested, we’ll come to your place of business and come up with a firm quote.
If you talk to a web developer who gives you an instant quote, run away! Imagine telling someone you want a car and having them immediately giving you a price for that car. Any fair and honest car salesperson would want to know the make, model, and engine type of the car you’re looking to purchase, right? The same goes for building web sites. Depending on the features you want for your web site, the cost can be anywhere from a few thousand dollars to a few million.
There are many reasons. Here are some reasons why you should hire us.
The time-scale of a website design project is often dictated by the client. If you have a deadline in mind we will make every effort to meet it for you. The most common delay in the creation and completion of a new website is waiting for content (text/images) to be sent to us by the client. For most projects, we try to work within the 4-6 week time-frame.
We fully support any website we design and are always available should you encounter any problems or require any enhancements. We offer Website Maintenance, Web hosting, SEO and Online Marketing, Domain Registration, and Graphic Design and Print.
We have you covered.
Yes, we do. We can redesign your site retaining your company corporate style or we can re-design to give you a completely new image.
Yes – we are your one-stop-shop providing all your web services. No more – not knowing who to call if you have problems – we can register your domain name – design your website – provide your web hosting and arrange your email accounts for you.
Yes. We use the latest encryption methods to ensure that your customers can buy from your website knowing that the information they enter is secure and safe.
All our latest websites are built to suit, but in general terms, almost all of our websites are fully responsive.
Yes. You will receive custom email addresses with the domain of your website. The amount of addresses you receive depends on the hosting package you subscribe to.
It is helpful to us if you can provide text and photographs in electronic form – for example, the files output by a digital camera and the copy in MS word or similar format.
All our websites are created with search engines in mind and the website design is compliant with search engine guidelines. It is a good idea for your website to be re-evaluated in time as over a while the search engines do alter their rules and algorithms and you will want to be certain that your website is kept up to date and complies with new rules etc.
To gain maximum visibility by the search engines, we highly recommend utilizing our comprehensive SEO services.
No. We discuss with you your website requirements and then price accordingly and once you have placed an order for your website design with us, we work hard so that the outlined price quote is strictly adhered to. Web design is very much an evolutionary process and often clients change the scope of a project once under-way. If the need to alter the price quote arises, we will communicate this to you before any extra work is started. If changes and/or additions are requested by the client additional costs will be agreed to.
This will depend upon the amount of information you wish to be displayed on your website. If you have many products/services, then it may be advantageous to have a database incorporated into your website design. We will discuss this in detail with you and if a database is advised we will explain in detail exactly how this will work and the costs associated with this.
Various methods can be used to update websites. The method you choose and the functionality we build into your website design is solely up to yourself and your budget restrictions. Of course, ZIPROF is always available to help you with any future additions and changes you would like. We will be glad to advise you which method will suit your needs.
If you have a small website consisting of just a few pages and will only wish to make changes very infrequently, then usually it is more cost-effective simply to ask ZIPROF to carry out these changes for you. Other methods that are frequently chosen are largely dependent upon how much data or information and pictures you have and how you store this information at present.
We can provide an online content management system where you can either update individual products/pages/services or particular sections of your website. e.g. company news.
Yes, 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.
We use Content Management Systems that are very easy to use and do have explanatory notes included where necessary. We run through the administration screens with you when we design the site for you – however, if at any time you have any questions we are available to run through the procedures or answer any queries you may have.
Absolutely. Our goal is to please you. We can’t do that without your input. If there are other sites with a design style that you would like to emulate, we can do that. If you have a logo or brand collateral that you’d like us to work around, that’s no problem. We’ll be sure your new site will be a consistent and integral part of your overall brand.
Not directly, but if your project calls for copy-writing, photography, original illustration, video, or other creative services, just let us know. We have an extensive network of creative associates that we work with. We would be happy to make a recommendation.
Wikipedia defines a content management system (CMS) as 'a process or a system that is used to organize and facilitate collaborative collection of documents and other content.'
In Short, a CMS is a system that manages a web site’s content, without requiring any HTML knowledge, to link pages and to control how the pages look. A CMS makes it much easier for users to create, edit, and publish the content on a web site.
The CMS is generally installed on your server and can be accessed online from a PC, laptop or even mobile phone. Changes you make to your site in the ‘back-end’ are then published to the ‘front-end’ of your site and visible to the public.
With a CMS, you can publish content yourself. However, it’s important to note that a CMS will allow you to maintain ‘content’ but it’s not a design tool. Likely, you will still need to use a web designer for any design or visual elements of your site.
No. Most modern hosting packages are more than capable of running a good CMS.
The best marketing CMS platforms in 2020, ranked in descending order are WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Typo3, Serendipity, Dotclear, ImpressPages, and Chamlio. WordPress is by far the most extensively used but Joomla or Drupal has traditionally been seen as being better for very high traffic websites.
WordPress is primarily a blogging platform. However, there two types or categories of WordPress. There is the website (WordPress.org). This can be used to create webpages on the WordPress Domain, There is also the application version. This can be hosted on your server or a hosting package and is used to create and manage websites on a specific domain. Both are content management systems based on PHP & MySQL.
The reason Content Management Systems are important is simple, as it takes away all the hard technical work of creating and running a website. You are therefore able to concentrate on the creation, editing and managing the pages of your website, all via a simple easy to use interface.
You'll need a site designed first and the usual functional elements of a website, e.g a contact form. For standard eCommerce, you will need additional components: an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate, a payment gateway, a back-end database for processing orders and storing customer information, and a shopping cart solution. Ziprof can help you with all of these.
Yes. You can use PayPal for payment processing. Please note that your customers will be directed to PayPal's site while placing their order.
Yes. We can integrate your website to have Lipa Na MPesa payment options. We highly recommend the use of the Paybill option as opposed to Buy Goods. MPesa Paybill will offer an easy way of tracking payments. Your customers can use the Account Number option to indicate their order number. The allocation of the payment against the orders will be done automatically.
One SSL is valid for one domain unless you get a wildcard certificate. Otherwise, the SSL certificate is only valid for the exact domain or sub-domain that you registered it for. If you require an SSL for a sub-domain, keep in mind that the sub-domain has to be on a public IP address.
With the rapid growth of the online market, having your own eCommerce site design exquisitely is important since it opens your business for the global market. Today, people have very little time to visit a physical store to purchase items. They prefer to browse their mobile devices or PC and shop online.
Absolutely. Ziprof specializes in designing and developing custom eCommerce solutions and Web sites both simple and complex. We'd be happy to discuss your unique needs and provide you with a tailor-made solution.
Yes. Ziprof's experienced Digital Marketing department offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to improve your chances of being found by search engines. We accomplish this by performing extensive research, search engine positioning, and search engine optimization.
Always consider the items that you are selling. Some platforms can handle inventory tracking. The design options, payment gateways, security of the site, integration with other tools, features, and pricing are factors you should consider before finalizing on the platform.
There are various ways to promote your website. First, promote the site to all the customers. This will help to increase your customer base. Your website address should be present on your business card, brochure, billboard, and every other advertisement that your company invests in. Submit your site to the search engines and optimize your website as this will affect the traffic you get on your site.
Have your website designed in such a way that it is much more oriented towards sales rather than marketing. Let your visitors see your products immediately instead of hiding them behind lots of marketing copy. Ensure you have a page that reads the terms and conditions as it will offer a professional look as well as indemnify you. Provide your contact details and explain your return policies, security, and payment options.
The beauty of a site lies in its user-friendliness. Ensure that your site is fast, easy to use, professional, and eyecatching. Match this up with prompt order delivery without any delay. In case you are unable to offer the service or experience a challenge while processing the order, make sure that your customer is informed about it via their most available direct contact option.
There are three dimensions of security – confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Ecommerce website owners should develop a good strategy that can help to make the site available and the transactions are secured.
No, as such there are no limits. The biggest benefit you'll get with your eCommerce solutions is that you can add unlimited products and catalogs and at the same time you can grow your customer base as you require.
There is no limit as far as I am aware. However, it is important to acquire a hosting package that can handle large volumes of traffic. We recommend our Business Hosting packages for hosting your eCommerce site.
By default, this will be down to your hosting company to provide. However, we can integrate your eCommerce website to statistics platforms, like google analytics, that will help you get in-depth on your website performance.
Yes, you can set your products as 'taxable' or 'non-taxable'. Customers can also be designated as 'tax-exempt'.
We begin each project by gaining a solid understanding of who you are, what you do and why you do it. Many of our clients tell us they chose us because of our ability to listen to them, and because we didn't simply try to sell the solution we thought best. We'll thoroughly analyse what you require so as to create a solution just for you.
We offer our solutions at fair market pricing with a quicker turnaround. We're great at what we do, and our efficiency allows us to price our work competitively.
We have worked both directly and indirectly with almost every type of major industry in the world, from small startups to huge multinational corporations as well as healthcare providers, realtors, lawyers, local governments, county organizations and other nonprofit agencies and organizations.
From domain registration, to hosting, to development, integrations, maintenance and mainagement, we can offer the services you need for your project
Even with the best intentions to make everything super easy, we understand that sometimes you just want to pick up the phone or drop us an email and get a quick answer. We’re here when you need us and when we say here we mean here in Kenya. No overseas call centres and no long phone queues.