Depending on who built your website and what the arrangement was at the time, it could be that the website currently representing your business isn’t something that you actually own. Even worse, you might not even own the domain name itself.
Mistakes like this are easy to make, but dubious business practices of this nature are all too common.
If you have your website on a monthly plan, it could be that you’re currently “renting” the site, and will continue to pay for it ad-infinitum. If you’re renting the site, you might not ever actually own it, it may remain the property of the company that built it for you.
This can cause all sorts of issues further down the line if you wanted to take your website hosting elsewhere. It could be that your current company won’t release the site itself to you, or would want a fee for doing so. If you’re really unlucky you might find that they hold your website domain to ransom in an attempt to extort further funds.
All this can be avoided by doing the due diligence before entering into any sort of contract, remember the following points:
- Does it seem too good to be true? Ask where the company makes their money.
- Who owns then site, and when?
- Do you own your own and control your own domain name?
- Can you get access to your data in the event on an issue?
- Is the company trustworthy and somebody you’d want to be in control of your presence online.
Read reviews, check the authenticity of reviews, and make sure the company you’re considering using is somebody you want to have a business relationship with. We’ve come across all too many horror stories and speak from experience!