All FAQs

What is domain registration?

After you register a domain, you take ownership of that domain for the term of the registration period. That period is in one year segments, for up to 10 years at a time. You can add years up to the limit. You must renew your registration when its term is complete. You also have the right to renew your domain at anytime while you own it. No other person may register a domain while it is under your ownership.

What domains can I register?

The domain name you are going to search must be more than 2 characters and less than 64 characters in length.
Try to avoid searching by using a symbol or invalid domain format because it can be a cause of error.

Suggestions for choosing a good domain name
When you start to create your domain names it’s better to do not register a domain names in too long or too many syllables. You can register names up to 63 characters long, but that doesn't mean that you need to use all those 63 characters.

If you want to make your name to be easy to remember it should be a fitting one. Not everyone will bookmark your page initially so try to think of something that can be easily to remember.

Use hyphens if your name is more than 3 words long or your name includes 3 short words. A name like easybuying.com doesn't really need a hyphen because it's readable the way it is.

Protect your name by registering multiple extensions (.net, .org, etc.) This is to prevent someone from copying your name.

You don't have to build a site on all the domains, but you can reserve the others to keep people from registering them.

If I register a domain with easyhostdomain.com, do I need to register it anywhere else?

No. There is no need to register it at any other registrar.

How long can a domain name be, and what characters/numbers or symbols can it contain?

- A domain name can be up to 63 characters PLUS the extension (.com, .net, .org etc.)

- Keep in mind that domain names longer than 22 characters (plus the extension) may not be compatible with older browsers, e-mail programs or certain Internet applications.

- A domain name can contain characters (A-Z), numbers (0-9), or both.

- A domain name can contain a dash "-" (example: psych-online.com).

- "Case" (upper or lower) does not matter with domain names. The domain name "Larry.com" is the same as "LARRY.COM" or "LarRy.Com".

- Names are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Subject to any trademark, legal, or ICANN rules or changes, once you register a name it's yours as long as the appropriate initial and renewal fees are paid. (Please note that registration of a domain name, does not prevent a company or individual with an exact or similar trademark from raising objections to the registration through legal or domain dispute methods. Please make a good faith effort not to infringe on known trademarks.)

What does TLD Mean?

TLD stands for "Top Level Domain", so ".com", ".net", ".org", ".edu", ".gov" are all examples of TLD's.

What is domain name parking? How much does it cost?

Because domain names are selling so quick then many people choose to buy and save their domain names even though they have not yet built the web site associated with the name. This is called domain name parking. Once you've bought a domain name. If you buy a domain name through us, your name will be parked and saved on our servers automatically. You don't have to use it until you want to.

How do I know if my domain name is taken?
  How do I go about getting my domain name or names?

To check and see if your domain name is taken, use our free domain name search tool. You can search as many times as you like. If someone has taken your domain name, you can check to see who owns it.

Do I have to be a "company" to register a domain name?

No, individuals and organizations can also register domain names.

Does a company or individual need to be located in
  the United States to register a domain name?

No, we can register .com, .net, or .org and .info for companies, organizations or individuals located anywhere in the world.

What is the difference between .com, .net, .org and .info?

- ".com" names were originally designated for commercial (for profit) organizations or individuals but now are typically used for any purpose.

- ".net" was originally for network providers, but can now be used for any purpose, commercial, non-profit, or personal.

- ".org" was orignally designated for non-profit organizations or groups, but now can be used for any purpose, commercial, non-profit, or personal.

- ".info" is a new general purpose TLD that can be used for any purpose.

- ".edu" is for 4-year, degree granting colleges/universities ONLY.

- ".gov" is for US Federal Government agencies ONLY.

Can I resell my domain name?

Yes for sure, once you've registered it, it's yours. You can sell it to whomever you like. In fact, if you have a good domain name, reselling it could be quite Profitable. The domain name business.com recently sold for over 7 million dollars! Simply contact us and we will transfer the domain name to your buyer.

What is a sub-domain and how does it work?

Sub-domain is a part of the domain name and it is usually used for having a mini-site of a different section for your same business site. For example, youreasydomain.com is your domain name and the main site where your blog's site will be blog.yourdomain.com, the only purpose of the sub-domain's is to separate and make easier to remember to the visitor the specific section's of your web site.

How long should I register my domains?

Choosing the longest term possible is the best way to make sure your name is always yours. However, as long as you are sure to keep your contact information up to date on the online control panel, you will receive renewal invoices prior to the current expiration term of your domain. And as long as you pay the renewal invoice in a timely manner it will secure your domain for another term. To avoid any potential problems the 10 year registration term is the safest bet. Registering your domains for the longest term possible will also protect you from future inflation in registration fees.

Who is the owner of the domains I register?

Who is the owner of the domains I register? You are the owner and will remain the owner as long as you pay your registration renewal fees at the end of your current registration term. Your ownership of the name means you can change any information you want on the domain, sell the name, transfer it anywhere you like, and use whatever hosting or email services you want.

You are not leasing the name and we take no ownership interest in your names. We do not require any advertising on your site or anything of the sort.

Can I transfer the name to another domain name registrar if I am not satisfied with the service?

Yes, as long as your initial registration is over 60 days old, you may transfer your domain to another registrar.

Do I always have the right of first refusal to renew my domain registration before it expires?

Yes, you will always be sent a renewal notice to the current billing contact. As long as you pay it in a timely fashion your domain will remain in your control. The billing contact and all registrant information can be changed on your online control panel.

What are my payment methods?

We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is the act of renting space and bandwidth through a company so that you may publish your web site online.

You can either opt for free hosting that is usually supported with banners and pop ups, or may opt to get paid web hosting, which gives you complete control over your site contents.

What is Virtual Hosting?

Also known as shared hosting, this form of web hosting should suffice for most everyone.

Virtual hosting simple refers to the fact that your site is on one server, and that this server hosts multiple sites. You are virtually shared - your site will not be the only one on this specific server.

Very few sites would actually need the power of a dedicated server, so this option provides to be a reliable and cheap solution.

What Exactly Is Space and Bandwidth/data Transfer?

Diskspace is the size your website can be. Every single letter on your website has to be stored somewhere on your web host's server. Each letter is one byte, and a megabyte is roughly one million bytes. HTML pages are usually very small, but it is the extra images, scripts, and even databases that can take up large amounts of disk space.

Bandwidth/Transfer is the amount of data the server will allow your site to send in a month. Transfer is usually measured in gigabytes - billions of bytes. Once you go over your monthly limit, a host may either shut your site down for the remainder of the month or it can charge you 'overage.' This overcharge is usually about $2.00-$5.00 per extra gigabyte of transfer.

What do I need to do to put Flash on my website?

Flash is a client side feature - it runs on the user's computer, not on your web host. As long as the user's browser has the correct plugin installed, it will run on their computer.

How do I track how many hits my website gets?

There are a few things that need to be cleared in terms of terminology:

Hits - this simply refers to the number of 'elements' loaded on your site. If one page has five images in it, viewing that page once adds 6 hits (one page + five images). Impressions - the number of times all the pages on your site are seen (also simply called pageviews). Impressions are sometimes referred to as 'hits' which can cause confusion.

Uniques - the number of people that visited your site. So to clarify, if I visit your website, look at two pages, and each page has 5 images on it, then your stats increase by one unique, two page views, and 12 hits.

Tracking on your site can be either done server-side or remotely. With server-side statistics, log files are used to generate visitor information. This is usually much more accurate than remotely hosted solutions. In such cases, you usually have to add some javascript to your site. This javascript is then used to track visitor data.

If your host provides it (and many do), server-side statistics are a good solution. Otherwise, companies like Site Meter can be used to remotely track your visitors.

What are PHP, ASP, perl, etc?

These are all programming languages which are referred to by their acronyms.

PHP - PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
ASP - Active Server Pages
Perl - not an acronym

Each programming language has its own benefits and uses. It is best that you research on your own to find one that best fits your needs.

What is MySQL, MS SQL, etc?

MySQL and MS SQL are database systems. Depending on what your host provides, you can use a database to organize your data.

Do I have to change my domain if I get a new host?

No. Provided that the domain is registered in your name (as it should be), you can simply update your new servers (from where you manage your domain names) to that of your new host.

Will there be forced advertising on my site - things like banner ads or popup ads?

Not at all. You are paying for web space that is only yours - no one may put ads on your site except you.

How can I pay for web hosting?

This depends on which host you decide to go with. Most web hosts will accept credit cards, and some will accept PayPal and/or a Money Order / Check.

What is PayPal?

Simply put, PayPal lets anyone with an email address send money to anyone else with an email address.

Each user signs up with PayPal and then enters their necessary banking and credit card information. Once registration is completed, your email address is all you need to send and receive money. PayPal is owned by eBay.

What are subdomains?

Consider subdomains as an extension of your domain. For example, your site is www.example.com. A subdomain would be test.example.com, and another would be webhosting.example.com.

Subdomains are usually treated as separate sites from the main domain site.

How do I upload my site online?

Uploading your site can be done in many ways, but the most popular is FTP.

When your hosting account was created, you should have been provided with an FTP account. Using software such as CuteFTP or WS_FTP, you can log into your host. Then, using the program like a normal windows program, you can drag and drop files onto your web host. These files become live online instantaneously. There are other ways to upload your site such as using SSH or uploading files through your browser

What is uptime?

Uptime is literally what it means - it is the amount of time your site is online throughout the entire month.

The best uptime would be 100%, but because things can break, many hosts offer 99.9% uptime guarantees. This means that if your site is not accessible for more than 43 minutes in a single month, they will reimburse you, depending on their terms of service.

What is the difference between UNIX hosting and Windows hosting?

Depending on which operating system to go with depends on your needs.

If you need to support Microsoft products such as ASP, MS Access, or VBScript, then Windows hosting would be better. Furthermore, if you are comfortable with IIS and do not have the time to understand how UNIX works, Windows hosting would again be a better choice.

There are some things to remember. First of all, just because you use Windows at home does not mean you should use Windows hosting. The two are completely different, and having a Windows system at home will not affect your ability to communicate with a UNIX server.

Secondly, Linux is much more common with web hosts due to its superior stability and because it is free. Since it is free, Linux hosting is usually cheaper than Windows. Just because it's free does not mean it's not as good - Linux is an excellent product too.

I have a fast internet connection (DSL/cable) - can I just host my own site?

You could, but that's definitely not recommended.

First of all, most ISPs have clauses that do not let you use your internet connection for web hosting - doing so will result in termination of your account.

Second of all, think of the headaches it can provide: making sure your system is secure so that no one can hack into it, having your computer on 24/7, and other such problems.

Third of all, think of the performance. Most good web hosts use powerful servers with lots of RAM and high performance hard disks. Furthermore, they have multiple internet connections at speeds far higher than what residential DSL or cable service can provide.

Lastly there are all the issues of support. If something goes wrong, it will be your job to fix it - you will not have a professional to correct the problem.

Why would I need a dedicated IP?

For most people, a dedicated IP is not required. But for people that want to provide anonymous FTP or a website using SSL, a dedicated IP can make that easier.

Why don't I just go with the cheapest hosting?

A host has to make a profit to continue operating. Some hosts do not properly understand the market, and may be pricing themselves too cheap.

Look very closely to what is written in their terms of service and acceptable use policy documents. Some hosts try to limit the activity of the customer through these two. The quality of bandwidth and overall performance, some hosts scrimp on these to give you cheaper prices. Do a self test - visit the host's website multiple times in a day to see that it remains fast loading. In general, Windows Hosting is more expensive than Unix hosting. Test out the support, and take a look over the online documentation. If you are paying less than $10 a month (which is roughly 30 cents a day), do not expect to receive an answer right after email the host. Many hosts now offer flash tutorials online which can be an excellent way to learn how a feature works.

I am using too much bandwidth! Is there anyway for me to make it less?

In most cases, yes.

You should first try to optimize the graphics on your website. Many GIFs look just as good with fewer colors, and many JPEGs look just as good with a higher compression level. NetMechanic offers an image optimizer program online.

You should also analyze the HTML of your site. Make sure you use relative paths, so that images are not downloaded more than one time. Remove any extra spacing and when linking to other pages, use relative paths and not absolute links.

While many hosts already have it, you could also see if your host has mod_gzip installed. This can save you a lot of bandwidth. Best of all, optimizing your page like this makes the user experience better as your site will load faster for them.

What is reseller hosting?

Reseller hosting provides you with the ability to create individual subaccounts from the divided disk space and bandwidth of your main account. You remain in complete control by setting the amount of space and bandwidth each subaccount receives. The number of individual hosting accounts (subaccounts) you can create depends solely on your purchased reseller plan. Easy Branches offer great plans allowing you to create up to 500 accounts and each account get it's own cPanel control panel.

How do I become a reseller?

To become a Reseller all you need to do is sign up for hosting services with Easy Branches. Once you have done for our member registering, or if you are already our customer, you may begin signing up your resold customers as soon as you'd like. Make sure to specify in the signup that the billing be merged to your account.

How do I make money as a reseller?

We provide high quality hosting services at a reasonable price, and you provide your customers with services beyond that, such as site design, programming, consulting, and marketing. As a reseller, you can concentrate on serving your customers with your areas of specialty, and leave the hosting to us. The idea is not to sign up as many customers as possible and try to make money from the narrow discount margin that you receive as a reseller. The discount is meant as an incentive for you to merge multiple accounts onto one bill for ease of processing, and not as a sole means of making a profit.

Do I have to resell hosting to purchase a reseller plan?

You don’t need to resell hosting to purchase a reseller account. You can use a reseller account to host your own websites or be generous and offer hosting to your friends and family with their own control panel.

What are the advantages of reseller hosting?

If you're a webmaster/developer you can host and manage all your websites under one reseller account for one price instead of paying your hosting provider for multiple shared hosting accounts. Additionally, you can resell hosting as a value added feature to your existing business or as a separate entity.

What is Private Labeling?

Private labeling is when the hosting reseller advertises his company as the actual service provider, and does not use the name of the actual underlying web-host provider. This way the customers do not know who the actual provider is, and do not try to go around the reseller for a better price. In most cases, the customer does not even know that he is using a reseller

How do I manage my reseller hosting account?

All reseller hosting accounts come with two seperate control panels. WHM (WebHost Manager) is the administration control panel and cPanel is the end user control panel.

WHM allows you to completely manage and create all subaccounts giving them each their own cPanel. Some functions you can perform with WHM include:

* Create and manage all subaccounts.
* Ability to limit subaccount's disk space. bandwidth, emails accounts.
* Email all subaccount users.
* Change subaccount users' passwords.
* Check server status.

cPanel is used for the end user allowing them to manage their individual accounts which include:

- Create, remove email accounts, forwarders, autoresponders.
- View account information such as bandwidth usage, server status.
- Manage domains, subdomains, and parked domains.
- Manage and create MySQL databases.
- Add, remove FTP accounts.
- Access to pre-installed scripts

Do I have to be knowledgable about web hosting to resell?

Basic knowledge is desired such as understanding various hosting related terms (mysql, php, various email features, etc). If there is something you don't know our support is available to respond to any questions that you may have. We are also able to provide technical support directly to your customer on selected plans so you can focus on making sales.

What am I responsible for if I resell hosting?

You would be responsible for any interaction between you and your customer since we only support the direct reseller or you in this case. (except where end user support is contracted). This also includes building your hosting website, setting up your plans and pricing, and any other 3rd party script installations, etc. We as the parent hosting provider supply you with the resources (disk space, bandwidth, features) and handle all server related issues.

What is dedicated Hosting?

Dedicated server hosting is simply renting an entire web server from a dedicated web hosting provider. The hard disk storage space is usually of high capacity and the technical support quite thorough. You don’t have to share with other customer’s server, as with shared hosting. The dedicated hosting option allows you the ability to maintain a large website while not having to be concerned about employing the staff to support it.

Why should I choose dedicated server hosting?

Dedicated server hosting offers you the opportunity to rent an entire server with on-location technical support. You can customize the server as you want. You should select a dedicated server hosting if your web site requires customized options due to the high amount of traffic.

When do you need a Dedicated Server?

While simple, text-based sites are better suited for a shared server, enterprise-level web sites operate much more efficiently on a dedicated server because the dedicated hosting environment provides higher reliability, increased performance, greater security and exclusive use of system and network resources. Therefore, those sites that have high traffic, secure information, a high number of visitors or complex applications (i.e. e-commerce, dynamic content, database applications and multimedia applications) are better suited for a dedicated server.

Do you own the dedicated server?

No, you are paying to rent the server, for the included technical support, plus for the space, power, bandwidth, and Internet connectivity in our data center. Dedicated Servers are a cost-effective and convenient alternative to co-location (where you buy a server and rent space in a datacenter) or building your own datacenter facility since it would cost millions of dollars to achieve the reliability and network connectivity that ServePath delivers

How do I choose an Operating System?

We recommend you choose an operating system that you are comfortable working with. If you are familiar with Linux then you know that it is extremely efficient, low cost and handles all Internet functions well. Windows users can expect the familiar Microsoft user interface and superior integration with Microsoft applications

What are the advantages of Dedicated Server Hosting?

Dedicated hosting offers many enticing features such as:

- You do not have to purchase, update or maintain your own equipment.
- Better website performance due to dedicated machine(s).
- No chance of your website being affected by another website on the same box, as in shared hosting.
- Can purchase a package based on own needs for Hard Disk Space and Data Transfer Allowance
- The servers are as fast, powerful and high-capacity as you purchase
- Scalability. Upgrading your server or adding a new server is easier and more cost effective. Upgrades can occur less than 24 hours after submitting a work order to the service provider. Upgrades are cheaper too, because you only pay monthly rental fees on the new hardware, not the entire capital costs. You simply pay the difference between the present system package and the new system package, for both the startup and the monthly fee.

What is the difference between a dedicated server and co-location?

A Dedicated Server is a server provided by a web host for you to rent. You have remote access to the server and you can customize the server to your own needs. The web host owns the server and you don't have physical access it. Co-location means you store your own server at a facility of a co-location provider. A co-location provider provides an Internet connection to your server and allows you physical access to your own server when you need it.

I don’t have a dedicated server now. When should I make the decision to switch over to one?

You may want to move up to a dedicated server if your needs match or surpass the following:

• Programs require access by system administrator
• A backup server is required
• Multiple IP addresses are needed
• Daily data transfer becomes excessive
• Storage capacity becomes excessive
• Third party software needs to be run on your site

What is the difference between Managed and Unmanaged dedicated hosting service?

Managed Hosting is for customers who prefer to have their web host provider maintain and monitor their dedicated servers, operating system and all supported applications. Companies or individuals who do not have the required system administration resources on-staff commonly choose this option. Unmanaged Hosting is for customers who have extensive system administration expertise to maintain and manage their dedicated servers. This option generally provides customers with full access to their server allowing them to customize configurations.

Who manages the hardware maintenance?

It is the web host provider’s job to maintain the hardware for their dedicated servers.

Is it possible to have the ability to remotely control my server?

Is it possible to have the ability to remotely control my server?
The ability to remotely administer your web server and its associated applications is usually available, depending on the web host provider. Tools such as PC Anywhere and VNC are excellent tools when working with a dedicated Windows server, while shell access is generally used to administer Unix and Linux boxes.

Does Easy Branches monitor my server?

Easy Branches's systems monitor your server 24 hours a day. Our Technical Staff are notified immediately in the event of problems.

Are there any bandwidth limitations?

The amount of bandwidth available to you depends upon your initial server customization selections. If you anticipate needing additional bandwidth, you can request this from within SiteControl using our online Work Order Submission system. If you exceed your allotted bandwidth, additional fees may apply.