Poor Richard 2

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Poor Richard

 · 1 Feb 2023

#002/27-Feb-98

POOR RICHARD'S WEB SITE NEWS
Geek-Free, Commonsense Advice on Building a Low-Cost Web Site

http://www.poorrichard.com/

Editor: Peter Kent
Top Floor Publishing

IN THIS ISSUE

• Beginner's Column:
• Why You Need Your Own Domain Name
• Using Bcc to Send Email
• Finding Shopping-Cart Software
• An Introduction to Transaction Processing
• The Secure-Transactions Fiasco
• Hit's Don't Mean Anything!
• The Missing Web Page Problem
• Getting Listed at Yahoo!
• Share Your Success

Beginner's Column: Why You Need Your Own Domain Name

In the last edition of this newsletter I stated that you should probably have your own domain name; that is, if you're serious about doing business or maintaining a long-term Web site, you should register your own domain name.

What's a domain name? I'm really talking about a second-level domain name. For instance, look at this domain:

cnn.com

The .com bit is what's known as a first-level domain. The cnn bit is the second-level domain name. So CNN registered their own domain name as cnn.com.

Many new Web sites are set up at online services or service providers, using that company's domain name. So the Web site's URL may be something like
http://www.members.aol.com/acmekites/, or
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/acmekites/

Why, then, is it so important to get your own? For a variety of reasons:

• It looks more professional. It's hard to take http://members.aol.com/acmekites/ seriously; this company should use http://acmekites.com/, and look like they plan to stay in business.
• It's shorter. It's easier for your visitors to remember acmekites.com than members.aol.com/acmekites/.
• It won't change when you move your Web site, and one day you _will_ move your Web site; if you don't own your own domain name, you'll have to change it ... and change your business cards, letterhead, catalogs, etc. And your old visitors won't know where you've gone, unless you pay to keep a redirection page at the old account.
• Yahoo! -- the single most important search engine on the Web -- has a bias against subdomains; they're _much_ less likely to add http://members.aol.com/acmekites/ to their index than http://acmekites.com/.

Don't skimp; it costs $100 to register a domain name for the first two years, $50 a year after that. (How do you register? Chapters 5 and 6 in "Poor Richard's Web Site" explain in detail. Or go to http://www.rs.internic.com/ and read the instructions on registering .com domains there.)

Beginner's Column Using Bcc to Send Email

Here's a very simple trick for sending e-mail to a large list of people (this may be Poor Richard's Web Site News, but email is an integral part of any Web campaign; or, at least, should be).

Have you noticed the Bcc box in your e-mail program? That means, Blind Carbon Copy. If you put an address in this box, the message is sent to that address, but the recipient of the To: copy won't see the Bcc recipient's address. And if you put multiple addresses in the Bcc box, all those recipients will receive messages without being able to see the other recipient's addresses. (You'll probably have to put your own address in the To: box, as most programs won't let you send a message without a To: address.)

This provides a great way to distribute a message to a small mailing list. Most people are sensitive about having their e- mail addresses sent out to people they don't know. So if you want to send messages to a lot of people you should be careful not to display their e-mail addresses in the message ... so you have several options:

• Get a special program, such as a merge program, that will send the same message to a group of people, inserting each address in the To: box individually. (This is very slow, though, because the software has to actually send multiple messages to the mail server, rather than a single message along with a list of addresses).
• Get a mailing list program or service. That costs money, of course, and often isn't necessary for small lists (even a thousand or two recipients).
• Use the Bcc line.

We'll be looking at both mail-merge programs and mailing-list programs and services in a later newsletter. But the Bcc line provides a great -- and free -- way to distribute to mailing lists. This newsletter, in fact, is currently distributed that way, to almost 1,400 people (I plan to move to another system soon, though).

Here's another tip. If possible, hide the CC line. If you accidentally use the CC (Carbon Copy) line instead of Bcc, everyone sees a list of e-mail addresses. Believe me, this upsets people. I know, because I've done it. (I wrote Poor Richard's Web Site not because I'm the world expert on Web sites, but because I'm the world expert on Web site mistake ... I've made them all at some point!)

Some e-mail programs let you remove the CC line. I have mine set up to display Bcc, but hide CC, so I'll never make the mistake again!

Finding Shopping-Cart Software

Interested in setting up a Web-site shopping-cart system for your company -- a system that automates the order-taking procedure? Well, you may have seen a few products advertised, perhaps in software catalogs. You may have heard claims like these:

Just install the program on your computer, create your Web site, then transfer the site to the Internet quickly and easily with the automatic upload feature.

Or how about these "system requirements" stated on a product box:

• MS Windows 95, or Windows NT 4 or higher
• Internet connection

Sounds simple. Buy the packaged software, install it on your computer, create your site, and publish it to the Web.

Unfortunately, it's _not_ that simple, as I've discovered during my research into shopping-cart software. Unfortunately many software publishers are making it all sound much easier than it really is, and Web-site owners are buying products that they discover they can't use, or can only use if they move their Web sites.

First, some background. If you know a little about HTML -- the "coding" required to build Web pages -- you probably know that HTML can be used to create forms. But HTML cannot make a form actually do anything. In order to get the form to do something, you need a special program running on the server. That program might be a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) script, or it may be a special set of "server extensions" installed on the server.

When a site has a shopping-cart system, the buyer sees a collection of forms. When the user enters information in those forms, and submits the forms, the data is taken by the program on the server, and manipulated -- sales tax, shipping costs, totals and so on are calculated. Then the information is sent back to the user's browser.

So when you buy a product that will create a shopping-cart system, there are two important questions to be answered:

• a: How does this product create the program required to handle the forms data?, and, more importantly,
• b: Will the program run on the Web server I'm using?

Here's an example. Foreman Interactive sells a product called Internet Creator, and that product can set up an online store (they recently announced another product, Commerce Creator, intended as a more advanced commerce package, but that product launch has been "indefinitely suspended"). At Foreman Interactive's Web site you'll learn that Internet Creator ...

"has special tools that allow businesses to set up an online catalog or store quickly and easily."

You'll also learn that the system requirements are a Windows PC, 10MB Hard disk space, and 8MB RAM. After reading the blurb you might be ready to buy, and in fact you can get from the main page at their site, through all the promotional text, and into an order form, without discovering that the only way to use this product to set up an online store is to sign up for service with Foreman Interactive's own Web hosting company, SiteAmerica. If you already have a Web site, and don't want to move it, this program won't work for you.

Picking a shopping-cart system is not easy. There are basically four ways to set up a system:

1. Buy the software and install it on your own server
2. Buy the software and install on your hosting company's server
3. Sign up with a hosting company that has shopping-cart software available
4. Sign up with a service; the shopping-cart software runs on their server, linked to from your Web site

[If you don't have a Web server of your own, here's a tip; you almost certainly shouldn't install one. They're expensive and complicated. If you already have your own Web server ... you probably already know that.]

Before you buy a product you have to be sure what you are getting into. Internet Creator, for instance, clearly falls into category 3; although you can create Web pages with this program for use on any server, if you want to use it to create an online store you'll have to sign up with a hosting company.

When you go looking for shopping-cart software, make sure you ask the following questions; _don't_ rely on the company's product blurbs or declared System Requirements:

• How does the system create the program that runs the forms? Does it require special extensions at the server, does it install CGIs, or does it require a particular server?
• Can I use this at any hosting company, or do I have to work with a particular company or choose from a list of companies? (Some products are set up to work at a few dozen companies.)
• If I can use with any hosting company, which Web servers will it run on? (Make sure it's compatible with the one you or your hosting company uses.)
• Who will install the program on the server? (It's _not_ a simple task to install these programs, so at the very least you need good technical support available.)

There's a lot involved in looking for shopping-cart software, and I've been doing a little research into the subject recently. I'm in the middle of testing a product called Internet Business Breakthrough. I quite like the product (with a few reservations), and will talk more about it in a later newsletter. In the meantime, here's a list of available products. It's by no means an exhaustive list, though I think I've found most of the popular systems (if I've missed one, let me know). Just for shock value I'm going to begin at the top of the price range and work down!

Options 1 & 2 - Your Server or Your Hosting Company

The following products can be installed on your own server (option 1), or at a hosting company (option 2); you may be limited to choosing from just a few hosting companies, or you may be able to install on just about any hosting-company's server (though that doesn't mean it's going to be easy to install!).

Advantages

• This software is often very sophisticated, doing pretty much everything you'd need a store to do
• Once purchased, it's your software-no monthly fees (with the exception of hosting fees)

Disadvantages

• Installation is often a real hassle, though installation is sometimes included in the price, or can be purchased as an option
• You'll have to keep the system up and running yourself

In some entries below I've stated that you "probably" need your own sever. In other words, you'll probably have trouble getting your existing hosting company to allow you to set up the software, unless you get a dedicated server.

For shock value I've started at the top of the price range and worked down.

$15,000 to $40,000
OrderPoint, Speedware
http://www.speedware.com/
Gulp! Probably need your own server.

$13,000 (UNIX), $8,000 (NT)
Cat@log, Vision Factory
http://www.thevisionfactory.com/
Works on most servers, but requires 32MB, so you'll probably have to use your own server or work with a limited number of hosting services

$12,500 (NT), $15,500 (UNIX)
Intershop Mall
http://www.intershop.com/
Need your own server

$5,000+ ($1,500 plus a $15,000 Microsoft Merchant Server or a $3,500 license at someone else's server)
vPOS, Verifone
http://www.verifone.com/
Probably need your own server

$4,995 (NT), $7,995 (UNIX)
Intershop Online
http://www.intershop.com/
Need your own server, or choose from a limited number of malls or hosting companies

$4,995
Net.Commerce, IBM
http://www.software.ibm.com/commerce/net.commerce/action.html
Includes the Net.Commerce server; must have your own server or work with a limited number of hosting services

$3,495 - $9,995
iCat Electronic Commerce Suite 3.0, iCat
http://www.icat.com/products/
Probably need your own server

$3,495
Domino Merchant, Lotus
http://www.lotus.com/
Must be on a Lotus Domino server (included), so you must have your own server or, perhaps, choose from a limited number of hosts.

$3,141
WebCatalog & WebMerchant, Pacific Coast Software
http://www.starnine.com/
Probably need your own server, but it runs on a limited number of Web servers,

$1,950 and up
Electronic Store, Globus.com
http://www.globus.com/
Primarily intended for grocery stores
Works on most UNIX servers-probably need your own server

$1,500
SoftCart, Mercantec
http://www.mercantec.com/
CGIs-use on most servers

$1,495 - $3,495
iCat Electronic Commerce Publisher 3.0, iCat
http://www.icat.com/products/
Limited number of hosting companies

$1,495 and up
Merchant Builder, Internet Factory
http://www.ifact.com/
Probably need your own server or choose from a limited number of hosting companies

$1,295
ShopSite Pro, Icentral
http://www.icentral.com/spartner_list/index.html
Limited number of hosting companies

$995
INEX Commerce Court Pro, Inex Corp
http://www.inex-corp.com/
Requires Microsoft BackOffice and SQL server, so you'll need your own server or choose from a limited number of hosting companies.

$990
GoldPaint, ClickShop
http://clickshop.com/
CGIs - use on most servers

$695
Make-A-Store
Includes Installation
http://www.make-a-store.com/
CGIs - use on most servers

$495
ShopSite Manager, Icentral
http://www.icentral.com/spartner_list/index.html
Limited number of hosting companies

$460 - $795
Shopping Cart (Mall Edition), AHG
http://www.ahg.com/
Includes Installation
add $70 - 80 to integrate with CyberCash or RediCheck
CGIs - use on most servers

$400 (available soon)
StoreFront98
http://www.tnsecurity.com/
http://www.storefront98.com/
CGI - use on most servers

$349 and up
WebCart, RC Software
http://www.rcsoftware.com/
http://www.cgicity.com/commerce.htm
CGIs - use on most servers

$299
Internet Business Breakthrough, Breakthrough Software
http://www.btsw.com/
CGIs - use on most servers

$169 - $299
WebToolBase, Rich Media Technologies
http://www.richmediatech.com/
CGIs - use on most servers ... but, it's very new, and their own demo shopping-cart system generates errors in Netscape 4.03

$159
WebOrder, Net2Go
http://www.net2go.com/
Includes installation
CGIs - use on most servers

$120 - $195
EZShopper, AHG
http://www.ahg.com/
Includes Installation
CGIs - use on most servers

$49 (available soon)
QuickSite, Site Technologies
http://www.sitetech.com/
Not too sure of the details, but I plan to look at this product soon

Free
MiniVend, public domain
http://www.minivend.com/
CGIs - use on most servers

Free
Web Store, Selena Sol
http://selena.mcp.com/Scripts/
CGIs - use on most servers

Where I've shown that the product uses CGIs, I really mean CGIs or CGI-like programs; programs that run on the server, though perhaps not, strictly speaking, CGIs (don't worry, it's academic, but I didn't want people mailing me saying "that's not actually a CGI").

Option 3 - Sign Up With a Hosting Company

Many Web hosting companies already have commerce software installed, and include it as part of a package. Such systems start at around $30/mth (and increase rapidly from there!).

Advantages

• Get your Web site at the same time you get your online store, reducing the "hassle factor"
• An affordable way to add a shopping-cart; it sometimes costs little more than a basic Web site
• It's up to the hosting company to keep your shopping cart functioning

Disadvantages

• You may not want to switch hosting companies
• The hosting company may not have all the other Web services you need

Some of these companies have installed one of the above programs. There are a couple of programs that are only available to you if you sign up with a hosting company:

$149
Internet Creator, Foreman Interactive
http://www.formaninteractive.com/
The online-store modules only work at their hosting service
(SiteAmerica); $79/mth
(Note, however, that this product can be used to create Web pages for use at any site-you only need to use SiteAmerica if you want the online store.)

$30/mth - hosting package
ShopSite Express, Icentral
http://www.homepage.shopsite.com/
Limited number of hosting companies

Option 4 - Use a Service

You can link your site to a service that provides shopping- cart software. The transaction is carried out on their server, not at your Web site. Similar to option 3 in some ways; main difference is that with 4, you get a shopping cart and nothing more. That is, you won't get a normal Web site.

Advantages

• Often very affordable
• Often very easy to set up; use a series of Web pages to enter your information
• Can set up a shopping cart even if you can't run programs at your Web host; for instance, if you have an http://members.aol.com/ site
• Minimum hassle; it's up to the service to keep the shopping cart running

Disadvantages

• You have to trust that the company will maintain a quick and reliable server
• You have to trust that you'll have access to all your transactions whenever you need to get to them
• You have to hope that the service stays in business
• If using online transaction processing, have to trust that your money is being routed correctly to your bank

Note that in addition to monthly costs shown, there will be transaction fees if you are processing credit-card numbers online. Also, note that some of these services are primarily transaction-processing services (more about which later), and charge for each transaction. In fact some of these services will set up a shopping-cart system for you, or process transactions sent to them from a simple form at your Web site, without using a shopping cart (in such cases the service will be cheaper, of course).

$150/mth, $1200 setup
California Web
http://californiaweb.com/
Credit-card transaction processing available for an additional fee

$100 - $300/mth, more for very large stores, no setup charge
Viaweb
http://www.viaweb.com/
Credit-card transaction processing available for an additional fee

$50/mth, 50 cents + 6% per transaction $900 setup
Octagon
http://www.otginc.com/
Credit-card transaction processing included

$1 - $1.50 transaction, $690 setup
Automated Transaction Services
http://www.atsbank.com/
Credit-card and check transaction processing included

$40/mth, $0.95 per check, $0.75 credit card, $297.50 and up setup
E-Money.Net
http://www.emoney.net/
Credit-card transaction processing included

15% of all transactions, no setup fees
The Internet Billing Company
http://www.ibill.com/
Credit-card transaction processing included; complicated to set up

10% of each transaction, $150 setup (more for shopping cart software)
Net MoneyIN
http://www.moneyin.com/
This service is a little unusual; they set up a shopping cart on your server for you, then process the transactions through their server.
Credit-card transaction processing included

$75 - $225/mth, $250 - $750 setup,
Virtual Shopping Cart, NetLink
http://www.netlink.net/cybernet/cybernet.htm
Credit-card transaction processing available for an additional fee

$15/mth, $585 setup
Internet Secure
http://www.internetsecure.com/
Credit-card transaction processing included

$85/mth and up, no setup charge
freeinternetstore
http://www.freeinternetstore.com/
Credit-card transaction processing included

$29.95 - 34.95/mth, $49.95 setup
SecureForm, DelWest
http://www.mktmkt.com/
Credit-card transaction processing available for an additional fee
Also SecurePay; your shopping-cart system sends info to SecurePay, which processes the credit-card transaction

$25/mth, no setup charge
VirtualCart
http://www.vcart.com/
Credit-card transaction processing available for an additional fee

$12.50/mth, $99 setup
Net2Go/WebOrder
http://www.net2go.com/
Credit-card transaction processing available for an additional fee

$?? (no response)
Pay Safe Network
http://www.paysafe.net/info/
Credit-card transaction processing included

We're by no means finished with this subject. I've been looking at various shopping-cart systems, and will have more to report soon. There's an example; in fact I'll have a sample system installed at my site soon.

An Introduction to Transaction Processing

There are two basic processes involved in selling products online. First, you've got to take the order. Then, you have to process the financial transaction; that generally means processing a credit-card order, though there are other types of money: checks, debit cards, and even 900 numbers (that's right, you can charge a transaction to a telephone bill by having the buyer call a 900 number).

Most small companies take orders online, then do the transaction processing offline. In other words, they download the orders, then use a credit-card terminal to process the orders.

It is possible to do online transaction processing; to set up a system that takes the order, processes the credit-card, then saves the final, completed, order information.

Transaction processing is often expensive to set up, though; $200 to $500, depending on the shopping-cart system you're working with. And then there may be a monthly fee, plus a per transaction fee -- perhaps $1 per transaction, perhaps more (on top of your normal credit-card transaction fees).

Most small businesses will probably want to wait a while before they use online transaction processing. However, prices are definitely on their way down, and later this year we'll probably see online transaction processing available for little or no setup fee, and small monthly and per-transaction charges.

The Secure-Transactions Fiasco

We've heard a lot about secure Web transactions in the last couple of years, and a lot of progress is being made. Most Web users now work with browsers that are capable of encrypting their credit-card numbers when they place orders. And setting up a secure form is extremely easy, as I'll show you in the next newsletter.

But behind the scenes the picture is very different. Many small Web sites have secure forms to keep their patrons happy, and to keep the orders rolling in. But what happens to the information once it's been transferred to the Web site? It's sitting on the Web server, but somehow it has to get back to someone's PC, in most cases being transferred across the Internet. And that's the weak link, because many small businesses are transferring the information the easiest way -- using FTP. And FTP isn't secure.

In other words, here's how the full transaction works. The buyer enters his credit-card number into the form and clicks on the Submit button. The data is encrypted and sent across the Internet to the Web server ... that's fine, it's safe. The data is then saved on the Web server's hard disk. A little later, the business owner opens his FTP program, finds the text file that contains the order information, and transfers the data to his computer; that data is transferred across the Internet to his service provider, then across the phone lines to the PC. And it's unencrypted.

There is a simple way around this problem, though. First, let me say that I don't think this is a terrible problem from a security standpoint. There's not a lot of credit-card theft on the Internet (according to the banks), and that's probably because it's so easy to steal numbers in the real world. But would you want your clients to know that you're transferring numbers across the Internet in an unencrypted form? It's a perception problem; if what you are doing is discovered, it could be very embarrassing.

True, there's not much chance of discovery. But in any case, it's very easy to do the final transfer in encrypted form, _if_ you have access to a secure web server. No, you can't use an FTP program; encryption isn't built into the FTP protocol, unfortunately. But you can use a Web page. Here's what you can do:

1. Create a private directory at your Web site. That's very easy to do if you use Microsoft FrontPage (simply create a new web with a single document in it, transfer the web to the web server, open the web on the server, and change permissions to block everyone but you from accessing the site -- see your documentation for more information). If you don't use FrontPage ask your hosting company to set up a private directory for you.
2. In your private directory, set up a single page with a link to the text file containing your orders; assume that the text file is in that directory (it will be; you'll be transferring it). Make this the default page (usually index.html), the page that displays automatically when you load that directory in your browser.
3. Now, view the private directory in your browser. But access the directory through the secure server. For instance, if the directory is http://www.acmekites.com/privatetransfer/, you might have to access it by typing https://www.bighostguys.com/www/acmekites/privatetransfer/. We'll discuss using secure servers more in the next issue, but check with your hosting company to see how you can use the secure server (if you already have secure forms set up, you probably already know this).
4. When you enter the directory (after providing your username and password), you should see the page with the link to your order file. Bookmark this page so you can return quickly later.
5. Now use your FTP program to go to the directory at the Web server where your order file is saved. Figure out how to transfer the file into your new private directory. You'll have to use the Move command, and many FTP programs don't have that command; I use CuteFTP, an excellent Windows program that does have a Move command (sorry, I don't know which Mac programs have the Move command ... please let me know, somebody!).

You can find CuteFTP here:

http://www.cuteftp.com/

In CuteFTP, for instance, I can transfer a file by right- clicking on the file and selecting Move. I then type the name of the directory I want to move it to (/www/topfloor/html/privatetransfer/) and click OK. By the way, CuteFTP has a macro feature that automates various procedures; unfortunately it currently _can't_ automate moves, but I'm hoping that's a feature they'll add soon. (But see "Working Efficiently", in the next newsletter.)

Now, how do you use this system each day to transfer your order file in encrypted form? Simple. Start by opening your FTP program and connecting to your Web server. Transfer the order file to the private directory. Then, in your browser, use the bookmark to enter the private directory, and click on the link to the order file. The order file will be transferred to your browser, and displayed in the browser (it's just a text file). It will be transferred in encrypted form, protecting the numbers. Now you can copy the text directly out of the browser, or save the file as a text file onto your hard disk.

If you are using some kind of shopping-cart system, such a secure transfer should be set up already. But this method is great for when you are using a simple form to take your orders.

Hit's Don't Mean Anything!

Quick test ... what's a "hit"? For instance, when a company says, "we get a million hits a month," what does that really mean? Does it mean:

• A. A million visitors. or
• B. A million pages transferred to visitors.

Actually it means neither, despite the fact that many companies are implying that it means one or the other. A hit is simply the transfer of a piece of information. It might be one of these things:

• A Web page
• A banner or picture in a Web page
• An error message caused by a link to a banner or image that the Web server can't find
• Any kind of object embedded into the Web page -- a Java applet, sound, or video, for instance.

So what does a "hit" tell you? It's completely meaningless to anyone but the Web-site administrator. Unless you know what's in the Web pages, you have no way of knowing what a hit number represents. Is the site really getting a lot of traffic? Or does the site contain a lot of pages that have scores of tiny images in them? Or are there lots of broken links in the pages?

I received some junk e-mail the other day that said this:

"Our award-winning mall gets an average of 1.5 million hits a month."

So what? What can this possibly mean to someone who doesn't know what a hit really is? 1.5 million visitors? Pages transferred? Why are they telling us how many hits they get if not to create some kind of impression of traffic? Yet there's no way for us to know what this number means ... mentioning this number does nothing but mislead, and I'm sure that many people are confusing hits with visits.

A few months ago I emailed a few people who had sites at a large Web mall, asking them about their experiences. This mall (no, I won't name it!) claims to have 11 million hits a month. What's a hit?, I asked one of the people with a site at the mall. "Hits are classified as people that actually came to my web site," he said. He's completely wrong, but it's an impression that many companies -- particularly malls and hosting companies -- are happy to create.

Worse, I believe that some companies are using the word "visitor" when they should really say "hit." So when someone tells you a hit number -- ignore it. It has absolutely no meaning!

By the way, if any of you are thinking of placing a Web site at a mall, think again. At the very least, investigate carefully. I personally believe the whole concept of an Internet mall is ridiculous (do you need parking and a Food Court? Are you going to watch a movie after you shop?). I've done a little research, which I'll share with you later, and based on that research believe that malls are, in general, a pretty bad deal.

The Missing Web Page Problem

It's going to happen to you whether you like it or not; someone will type in a URL, or click on a link, their browser will try to retrieve a page from your Web site ... and the page won't be there. Perhaps you've moved or deleted the page, or perhaps the URL was mistyped. Either way, what will the visitor see? If your site is like most, the visitor will see a message saying "File Not Found," or perhaps "HTTP/1.0 404 Object Not Found."

Now, there's an easy way for people to continue on their visit to your site; they can chop off a piece of the URL and try again. For instance, if http://www.poorrichard.com/examples/store123.htm doesn't work, they can try http://www.poorrichard.com/examples/, and if that doesn't work they can try http://www.poorrichard.com/. But many Internet users, perhaps most, don't know that. They'll see the File Not Found message, and go elsewhere.

How can you fix the situation? The answer is to display a page that leads them somewhere useful. Instead of just saying "File Not Found," why not say "we can't find the file you want, but try over here."

For instance, try this URL:

http://www.poorrichard.com/examples/store123.htm

This refers to a nonexistent Web page at my Web site. Click on this link, and you'll see a Web page like this:

  -------------------------------------------------------------- 
  File Not Found 

  The document you requested cannot be found 

       You may have typed the URL incorrectly, or 
       perhaps the page has been deleted or moved. 

       To access the Top Floor Publishing main page, click here. 

       To access the Poor Richard's Web Site main page, 
       click here. 
  --------------------------------------------------------------

Of course the "click here" words are links to other parts of my Web site.

How's this done? It's very simple. It's a matter of creating the redirection Web page, then modifying one of the server's configuration files to point to that page. On my server that meant simply using my FTP program to go to my Web site, then opening the .htaccess file and adding this line:

ErrorDocument 404 http://www.topfloor.com/problem.htm

That's all it took; but this may not work on _your_ server; check with the administrator and find out what you need to do to modify your settings.

By the way, here's another thing you may want to consider doing; make sure there's a default file in every directory. The default file is the one that the Web server will send if the browser requesting information doesn't specify a filename. The default file is normally index.html (though it could be something else, depending on how the server is set up). With one of these files in every directory, the user will never get an error message if he omits a filename.

Getting Listed at Yahoo!

Yahoo! is the single most important search engine -- more searches are carried out at Yahoo! than at all the other search engines combined -- so it's essential that your Web site is listed there. But that's easier said than done.

There's a good article on this subject at the Search Engine Watch Web site:

http://searchenginewatch.internet.com/webmasters/yahoo/results.html

This article, based on a small, informal survey, indicates that most people who try go get listed at Yahoo! _don't_ succeed (72%), and that in order to get listed the successful site owners had to try, on average, almost 4 times -- about the same number of times as those who _didn't_ get listed!

One important criteria noted by this report; sites were far more likely to get listed if the submission was for a "root URL" (the domain name without subdirectories) than for a URL at a "members page" Web site (a site at America Online, CompuServe, and so on). I've said it before, and I'll say it again ... you need your own domain name!

Share Your Success

Have you found a good way to bring people to your Web site? Want to share it with others? Let us know the tricks and techniques you've used ... other readers will learn something new, and you'll get a little publicity for your Web site.

E-mail us at feedback@poorrichard.com

In Future Issues ...

Here are just a few of the subjects we'll look at in future issues of Poor Richard's Web Site News:

• Speeding up your online communications using keyboard utilities
• Keeping Your Domain Name Safe
• Setting up Shopping Cart Systems (yes, more)
• Taking checks and electronic funds transfers on your Web site (and the difference between them)
• Web-page Templates for the Design Challenged!
• "Push" Technology That Really Works
• Putting Your Web Site Near the Top of the Search Engines
• Why Internet Malls provide little value
• Managing Your List Directory using Bookmark Programs and Offline Browsers
• E-mail Merge Programs
• Electronic Press Releases -- Do They Really Work? (Yes! ...We'll Explain How)
• Getting People to Visit Your Web Site by Using the Announcement Lists
• Distributing Electronic Newsletters
• Animated-GIF Archives

Don't Forget Poor Richard's Web Site!

The book "Poor Richard's Web Site: Geek-Free, Commonsense Advice on Building a Low-Cost Web Site" is available now! It's in many bookstores, and can be ordered at others; it can also be ordered online, through the mail, by fax, or by phone. See ...

http://www.poorrichard.com/order/

Order direct from the publisher, and you'll get a 100%, 1-Year Guarantee. If the book doesn't help you set up a low-cost yet effective Web site, send it back for a refund!

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