I remember my visit to the telephone company to get my first telephone number that I ever had while making my way to college.  The account representative at the telephone company had looked at me in a way that said “Are you sure you are ready for this kind of responsibility, buddy?”  I still laugh about it to this day because of how little I cared about whether my telephone bill got paid or not…plus I’m not sure if my attitude has changed much since then.

But in contrast to the above, not knowing whether you own your website or how to access it is no laughing matter.  As I speak to many current and prospective clients, it concerns me how little many businesses know about their website.  So I thought, I would put together a small collection of resources to answer many of the common questions I receive:

Who owns my website?
This is not the easiest question to answer because many design companies and firms have different policies regarding who owns a website.  If you are a new or an existing website owner, you would likely have to revert to the contract you originally signed with the design company/individual in question.  Unfortunately, it’s very common for a website design firm to retain ownership unless it was described otherwise in your contract.  If you are about to engage with a website design firm, I would encourage you to read the fine print and make sure it includes the details of assigning ownership before signing on the dotted line.

Where is my domain registered?
The next item of information you should know is where your domain name is registered and who registered it.  If you are unsure where it was registered, you can do a whois.net search that will reveal who it’s registered with.  If the domain name is in your name, you are in luck and you should continue to contact that registrar to get the details to login to your account.  If it’s not in your name, then you likely will have to track down the company that built the website or registered it on your behalf and get it transferred to you.

Where is my website hosted?
In many cases, the same company that built the website will also host it.  Otherwise, you or the design company, will likely purchase hosting from a 3rd party vender.  In any case, you will want to make sure that your company has control over its hosting solution.  But if you are unsure of who hosts your website, check out Who Is Hosting This to find the company.  Again, contact that company to gain access to your account.  As a general rule of thumb, I recommend not to host your website with a design company.

What do I do if my website is down?
Having a down website can be very frustrating as it can affect more than just web visitors such as your e-mail and other resources.  If you notice that your website is down, the first thing that you need to determine is whether it’s your internet service provider (ISP) or another web related issue.  Down For Everyone Or Just Me offers a fast and easy way to see if your website is down or if it’s your ISP.  If your website is down then it’s likely your hosting company (assuming your domain name hasn’t expired.)  Typically, a quick call to the hosting company can resolve this issue.  However, in severe circumstances, websites can be lost unless you take precautionary measures such as having a back-up copy of your site (ask your website design firm or IT professional) or investing in a website back-up service.

Summary
Hopefully by now, I have given you some useful resources to get a better grasp on your website properties.  However, one point that I can’t stress enough is that you should always know and protect the details of your website.  As you can see or possibly experienced, it’s very easy to lose control of your website in an effort to make your life easier by having another vendor manage it for you.  As a general rule of thumb, we recommend that you always do the following:

• Read the fine print before signing up for a new website or redesign
• Always register your domains yourself under your company name
• Host your website with a professional hosting company unless you have the resources to do it internally
• Have a website backup plan in case of catastrophic events

Lastly, don’t just have a website, own it!