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Frequently Asked Questions
Since SierraTech has been online, we have received several
questions. Some questions are common concerns asked repeatedly. Those
award wining questions are listed below. Review the list, and click on a question
closest to yours.
Don't see your question? Then please click on the last question of the list, and
fill out our question form. We invite your questions, since this is how we keep this
page current. Please feel free to ask what's on your mind, that's what we are here
for!
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding our services:
What is an Internet Presence Provider?
An Internet Presence Provider is a service that host your web sites at a remote
location, external to your business. Most businesses cannot afford to install, and
rent high-speed digital connections needed to provide an on-site Internet presence.
Our service is special, in that we not only provide a location for your web pages, but we
also develop them. Most small businesses don't have the time to learn what is needed
to create a web presence, and cannot afford to hire the expertise needed to setup an
on-site web server (computer). Our service makes the Internet affordable to all
businesses, providing a professional presence on the web, without the hassle of in-house
expertise, or the high monthly rental cost charged by the telephone companies for leased
digital lines. For those businesses with an internal computer network, remote
hosting provides additional security from external computer break-ins, by not connecting
their private network to the Internet.
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Why is it advantageous for SierraTech to Host my Web
Site, if my Internet provider offers me space?
Most (Dial-up) Internet Service Providers (ISP) provide space for you to create your
own Home Page, which is great for publishing simple Sites. Some ISPs however, will not let
you publish a commercial web site, unless you subscribe to a business account. General ISP
accounts also restrict you from using Interactive Sites (i.e. Online Forms, Counters
etc.), severely limiting the online interactive experience. By far the largest complaint
we hear is the number of errors experienced during graphic image downloads (infamous RED-X
in Internet Explorer), due to limited bandwidth provided by ISP. SierraTech
provides many professional services normally unavailable from ISPs. Our Web
servers connect to the Internet's backbone, using several High-Bandwidth DS-3 digital
connections. This equates to fast downloading of our customer’s web sites, making
your site more enjoyable to visit.
What Interactive Services does SierraTech
offer?
SierraTech can create an interactive Web Site that will work for you,
instead of you working for it. Several interactive options are available, to enhance your
visitor's experience. Sight and Sound, Online Forms, Automated Brochure delivery are all
part of the interactive experience. Listed below are a few of the interactive services we
can provide:
- Shopping Carts: E-Commerce is a booming business on the net. We
offer one of the most flexible shopping carts available. The shopping cart software
uses a (flat-file) database, simplifying price and product updates. The shopping
cart can build search pages from database records, and offers searching of multiple
database fields in one search, providing unmatched flexibility. Powerful
hierarchical searches can be built, to manage large databases, and provide options like
selecting size or color. Online credit card transactions can also be made on secure
servers, if so desired.
- Automated e-mail Forwarding: We can assign you a new e-mail address
linked from your page. If you have an existing e-mail account, i.e. American Online,
and you don't want your customers to see yourname@aol.com, we can forward
your mail through the sierra-tek domain (i.e. yourname@sierratech.net),
or your own domain. This will give your business a more professional looking e-mail
address.
- Automated Brochure Mailing: Don't spend time manually e-mailing
brochures, let your web site do it for you using an "Auto e-mail responder".
Your brochure is stored on our servers, and when a visitor desires more information, they
simply enter their e-mail address, and push the SUBMIT button. Normally
within a few moments, the brochure is sent to your visitor automatically, without further
manual intervention.
- Online Forms: This provide a fast way to get information from
your visitor, and organized in a format you desire. Most web surfers do not want to
spend time typing text to send you e-mail, and forms provide a fast, and focused way to
get information from your visitor. Your site visitor simply provides a name, and an e-mail
address and clicks on fields they are interested in. The information is then submitted to
you, using your existing e-mail account. This can be used for information inquires, or
Online Reservations etc..
- Visitor Counters can be added to your pages to track the number of hits
(visits) to your site.
I just need a simple HOME PAGE on my existing
Internet Provider's space, can SierraTech publish it?
At SierraTech we understand you may not need an Interactive
Home Page, and your ISP provides you room to publish a personal, or business Home
Page. We can build your page, and publish it for you on your site. Your page can provide
links to other World Wide Web Pages, contain graphic images and logos, and even links to
your e-mail. If you desire not to provide your account information for us to
publish, we can e-mail you the contents of your site, along with instructions for you to
publish it yourself on your Sprynet, American Online, CompuServe or others ISPs.
What if I want my own Personal Domain Name
(www.mybusiness.com)?
If your business, or organization requires a Personal Domain Account
(www.yourname.com), SierraTech can register your Domain, and Administer
your account for you. Several features become available to you with your own domain, like
an Anonymous virtual FTP site (used to provide downloading, and uploading of files and
documents). The number of features available are too numerous to list here, but you can
request a brochure below which details value-added
capabilities included with a Personal Domain Account.
Want to see if Domain is available for your use?
I have an existing domain name and want to transfer it.
Can SierraTech transfer my domain?
If your business or organization has existing domain name in reserve or in use, and you
are unhappy with your current provider, SierraTech can perform the
transfer for you. Transferring a domain can sometimes be difficult, so let us do
what is necessary to get it transferred for you. Domain transfers do take some time,
and if your provider is unwilling to assist, we will help you fill out the necessary forms
to complete the transfer.
I don't want my own domain, can I still provide file
downloads from my web site?
Yes, depending on the size of the file you plan to offer. Terms are available to
support file downloading from your web page.
How do I get Search Engines to Spider my Web Site
(find & list)?
As part of our standard publishing services, SierraTech will
register your site with five (5) major search engines to expedite your Web Site
visibility. Using site registration will allow potential visitors to locate your site
within a few days of its existence, instead of a few months. For an additional service
charge, SierraTech can submit your site using our Site Listing
publication service. Some search engines refuse to list sites contained in a subweb
(existing as a site under a domain name, e.g. SierraTech/yoursite/). Yahoo and
Excite normally do not list subweb sites, and if it is important to be noticed in the
business community, then a Personal Domain Account (www.mybusiness.com) is for
you.
Does SierraTech provide dial-up service?
SierraTech does not provide dial-up services. We specialize in
web hosting services only, but we can recommend to you a reliable Internet Service
Providers. We can support you in setting up your computer to receive e-mail, and
browse the Internet.
I have a question that isn't listed above.
If you have a question, or need more information on a topic not answered on this page,
please fill out the form below. We will answer your question as soon as possible (typical
response is within two days).
Please fill out the form below, and click the Submit button.
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