Is Your Website Held Hostage?
Though it’s hard for me to believe, some web developers are taking business websites hostage. Here’s how the scam works:
1. The web developer takes all the trouble out of getting on the web by handling domain name registration and hosting for the client.
2. The domain name ownership is never assigned to the client and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) access may or may not be granted to the web hosting account.
3. When the client becomes unsatisfied with the quality of service provided and wants to leave, the web developer threatens to simply shut off the site and not surrender the domain name or content.
If you’re one of the (hopefully few) people who’s been taken advantage of in this way, here is what you can do to resolve the problem:
1. Treat your web developer as if they’re your best friend … they’ll need to be in order to get through the rest of this process.
2. Kindly inform your web developer that you do not want hard feelings and intend to pay all bills in full. Then pay up!
3. Gain FTP access to your hosting account and download all your data. If you don’t have access, ask your developer and say, “Please!”
4. Ask to have the ownership of your domain name transferred.
5. Copy your data to a new hosting account and point your domain name to that host.
If you’ve never been taken advantage of in this way, here’s how you can make sure it will never happen:
1. Register your own domain names, or request that the web developer register the domains and add you as the domain owner with him or her as the technical contact.
2. ALWAYS get FTP access to your web hosting account and download a local copy of your website.
If you follow these two steps, the worst thing that can happen is a temporary hosting outage as you make the transition to a new web host.
Should you trust your web developer with all aspects of your website? I’d recommend against it. Relationships come and go, and it’s best to have an exit plan for even the best business relationship. Many of my clients trust me to completely manage web hosting and domain names for them. If you are one of those trusting clients, you can be confident I’ll never intentionally hold you hostage and I’m happy to help you get FTP access and domain name control at your convenience.
Source: Abound Marketing -
http://www.aboundmarketing.com/360/is-your-website-held-hostage/
