Do you own your website?

This might seem like a simple question. Is it though? Do you know who your domain is registered with? Do you know who is hosting your website? I understand that these questions may not seem of great consequence. Let me ask you another way…

Do you see your website as an extension of your core business? If the answer is yes, why would you hand over control of it to someone else? One of Mara Communication’s philosophies is ownership and I am very passionate about it. I strongly believe that if you have a website you should also have access to it. For this to happen you need to know the usernames, passwords and definitely the company who is hosting your site.

You might think that you don’t want to fuss with yet more usernames and passwords that need to be remembered. You may assure yourself that it isn’t necessary as your web designer maintains and updates all content on your site. While that may work for the short term, consider what happens if:

  • your relationship with your web developer changes?
  • an urgent update is required on your website and your designer is on holidays?
  • your business model evolves and you have the skills and capacity to manage your web content yourself?

I have heard many stories about businesses being ‘locked out\’ of their own websites. That is where ownership comes in. As you embark on working with web designers keep this in mind and think not only about tomorrow but also a year down the track. Just because you are happy for a third party to set up your website does not mean you have to give them sole access to it.