What exactly happens when you order a domain name, secure a great value web hosting account and ask your web designer to set up your website to showcase your products? Do you know how to manage your web hosting account and your email accounts? Do you have access to edit your own website or eCommerce shopping cart?
You don’t? Really?! You cannot be serious…
Like many other people on the internet, you left all the details of your website with your web developer or web host. You’ve paid your dues, though – the invoice came through promptly and you paid it, bang on the nail! It’s about time you looked at this another way!
When you buy a retail shop or rent commercial space for your brick and mortar store; you always make sure you have the keys, know how to operate the burglar alarm, understand how to get your post delivered to the premises and install all the necessary things like phone lines, telephones and faxes & PCs to be able to communicate effectively with your customers.
Your insurance company would throw a fit if they you asked them to insure a premise where you didn’t have control of the security and access. Even if you only visit once or twice a year, leaving the property in the hands of your staff for most of the year – the buck stops with you.
With that said, it’s really strange that you might be happy to leave control of your web business in the hands of a virtual stranger.
Although it takes a bit of time to learn your way around your hosting control panel or the control panel for your domain name registration, you are risking your whole online business by not persevering and becoming familiar with the basics of managing your website.
How Is CWDG LLC Different?
We take steps to ensure you own every element of your website. We find it important to keep you informed on all the in’s and out’s of website ownership.
- Domain Name
- We start by having you purchase your domain name. When you purchase your domain name through 99% of web developers, you are paying them to purchase your domain name and likely paying a fee you shouldn’t have to. This also means they own your domain name because they are listed themselves as the registrar. If for some reason they go out of business, you could potentially lose it when the domain goes up for auction. We suggest purchasing your domain name through a company such as GoDaddy.
- Web Hosting
- You should have full access to your hosting account. All good web hosting companies use software such as cPanel or Plesk; this software allows you to manage your email, edit files, create databases and backup your information. Another important thing to ask for is how often they backup your files. CWDG LLC uses cPanel and when you create an account, you will receive an email with a username and password with full access to your hosting account. Our servers also run an automated backup system every 24 hours and can be restored upon request.
- Content Files
- When you have your Developer, Designer or artist create files for your company, you must know a few things to ask for:
- Graphic Design
- Ask if their service includes the delivery of the creation documents such as .psd, .ai, and .eps. These are just the most common types. These documents allow you to go to other designers to make changes or even make the changes yourself.
- Website Files
- A good web developer will send you a full backup of your files and database if used. If you do not receive a copy of your files be sure you get an FTP access to download your files.
When CWDG LLC creates your website, we backup and deliver all documents on a CD or DVD including with any notes we made during the creation process that are needed.