Hosting Information

When you have a Web site, it must be hosted on a server, which is a computer specifically set up to contain files for the World Wide Web. This page will give you some information about hosting and more information about fees.

In addition to basic design fees for setting up the your Web site, you must pay a fee to have it hosted, ie, maintained on a Web server. My fee for hosting basic Web sites is $10 per month. On an annual basis, that comes to $120 per year, but if you pay for the year in advance, I will charge you a flat rate of $100 per year. If you want to pay for six months at a time, the fee is $55 (or $110 per year).

This hosting fee will include 25 megabytes of disk space, which is more than adequate for a basic web site—most sites will take less than 10 megabytes of space. The hosting fee will also include five POP e-mail accounts. These are true POP accounts, which you can access using any e-mail client, eg, Outlook Express or Eudora. The hosting fee will also include basic maintenance of the site. Basic maintenance will include such things as adding or removing an e-mail address, or updating a page on the site. Major changes such as creating all new pages will be charged on an hourly basis.

Hourly fees for major changes are $35 per hour. The $149 fee I have set for the basic site design is based on an estimate of five-six hours for initial setup. At the $35/hour rate, that comes to $175-$210, but I am offering a flat rate of $149. The fee also includes setting up the site on the server but does not include any hosting fees.

You will also need a domain name, eg, AltVetMed.com & DrBergeron.net are domain names. If you do not have a domain name registered, I can do that for you. I use a registrar that gives me very favorable rates, so I can register your domain name for $25 for two years. Based on current rates, renewal rates are also $25 for two years. If you have a domain name already, all you would have to do is modify the name servers on your account after I have set up your Web site.

I have established my design and hosting services for the veterinarian who knows a lot about practicing veterinary medicine but little about the intricacies of setting up and maintaining a Web site. My hosting services are primarily for those who want me to design and manage their Web site from beginning to end. I can provide hosting for those that would like to do their own design and maintenance, but my first priority will be those that want a complete service. Please contact me if you want hosting services only.

In summary, if you want me to register a domain name for you, design a basic site, and host it for one year (paid in advance), your initial cost would be $274 ($25 for domain registration, $149 for site design and setup, and $100 for one year of hosting). If you pay only for six months of hosting in advance, your initial cost would be $229, and if you pay for hosting on a monthly basis, your initial cost would be $184. If you already own your domain name, deduct $25 from those costs (you are responsible for renewing your domain name). Renewal fees at the end of the first year would only involve the hosting fee, eg, $100 for one year, $55 for six months, or $10/month. Near the end of the second year, you would also have to pay $25 to renew your domain name for another two years.

All of the above rates are based on a basic site and routine maintenance. Excessive maintenance, ie, numerous changes every month, would incur additional charges at the hourly rate ($35/hour). See the Fee Schedule for a summary of charges.

If you are not interested in a site with your own domain name, and you do not need the e-mail addresses, I am also offering directory sites on AltVetMed. These would be very basic sites of four-five pages. The URL would be http://AltVetMed.com/your_name/ and updates would be limited. There would be a flat rate per year. If interested, contact me for more information.