Frequently Asked Questions

What is green web hosting?

Green web hosts power their web servers (the computers that house your web site) with renewable energy. They may use other ecologically sound practices in operating their data centers as well. For example, the data center that Terra uses for our web hosting services powers their servers with 120 solar panels. In addition they use rainwater collected off their roof to air condition the building that houses the servers using evaporation instead of refrigerants. The use of 120 solar panels reduces greenhouse gasses every year by 34,488 lbs of Carbon Dioxide, 50.6 lbs of Nitrogen Oxide (smog), and 37.4 lbs of Sulfate (acid rain), the equivalent of driving a vehicle for over 38,000 miles per year. Because green web hosting is becoming very desirable to many businesses, some web hosts are advertising green web hosting, but they are not actually using renewable energy to power their servers. Instead they purchase "renewable energy credits" and contribute money to a project that is being done to promote energy conservation or renewable energy.

Why use green web hosting?

Your web site is available on the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means the server that houses your web site is always on, always using electricity. The vast majority of web hosts are not using renewable sources of energy to power their servers, though environmentally conscious businesses are more and more moving toward green web hosting. For example, Google which operates huge numbers of servers to provide their search services, has at least begun the move toward using renewable energy to power their servers. As a small business, you can help reduce greenhouse gases by making sure the server you use for your web site is powered by with renewable energy.

I'm just starting out. What do I need?

The first step is to register a domain name for your web site (e.g. yourbusinessname.com). The second step is web design - creating the web site. Businesses will usually want to have a web site designer create the web site in order to ensure a professional appearance. Terra's Business Standard web design plan provides you with a basic business web site. The third step is to contract with a web hosting service that will beam your web site out on the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The web host provides the server that houses your web site and ensures the security and continuous functioning of your site. Small businesses will usually want to use a shared web hosting service instead of paying a high rate to rent their own dedicated server. Terra offers two solar-powered web hosting plans. The fourth step is to obtain a shopping cart. This is only necessary if you want to sell products on your web site. The shopping cart displays your products and provides the online checkout procedures. Terra's E-Commerce Special web design plan provides both a basic business web site and a shopping cart. Terra can assist you with all four steps.

What is a content management system?

If you want your web site to stay up to date, then you need a way to continually change the text and photos on the site. While you can buy software such as Dreamweaver that will help you do this, learning to use this type of software is time consuming and difficult. A content management system (CMS) allows you to easily make changes to your web site. The CMS is built into your web site so no additional editing software is required. You change your text and photos by filling out simple online forms similar to the ones you've probably used dozens of times when making an online purchase. You'll then need to transfer your photos to the web server using free FTP (file transfer) software. The CMS allows you to work on your web site from anywhere you have access to the Internet. Many corporations use content management systems so that employees with limited computer skills can make changes to their web sites.