Is Your Developer Holding Your Site Hostage?

Many of the clients that we work with need website redesigns. In order to do these website redesigns we need access to the client’s domain, hosting and social media accounts. This usually starts as a wild goose chase until the client realizes that the previous website designer holds all of these accounts and bills them quarterly for hosting and domain.  Is Your Developer Holding Your Site Hostage?

Here are the issues with this.

1.Who registered and owns the domain?

If the developer has registered the domain then you don’t actually own it.  Getting that information from a developer that knows they are getting shown the door isn’t easy. In our experience, in the end, the outgoing developer will transfer the domain but They’ll take their sweet time… and time has been wasted. DevLab creative always works with the client to set up their domain in their name and with their payment information (more about this one later).

2. Who owns your hosting?

Just like your domain, you must make sure you own your hosting services. So many of our new clients have no idea where their website is being hosted. If your web developer is the only person that knows your login information for your hosting account or uses their own hosting account to host your site, then you may be in trouble. If we can’t log into your web host, we typically can’t update your website.

3. How much are you overpaying?

This is the big one and no matter what you think.. YOU ARE OVERPAYING. Typically developers use the same hosting services that you can sign up for. There is no secret club, special discounts or hidden services, it’s all out there for the public to buy. For the sake of argument let’s say it cost $100 a year to host your site, email and domain. If the developer has set that up then their cost a year for your site is $100… but, they bill you quarterly at $200 for the services. I’ve seen some bill almost four times the annual cost a quarter. So, what should cost you $100 a year is now costing you $800 a year. For nothing more than signing up.

At Devlab Creative we always guide our clients in making the best purchases when it comes to hosting and domain registration. It is our responsibility to make sure your site and budget are taken care of.  If for some reason you decide to go with another developer in the future then you have everything they will need to get started.

If you want to break ties from your current hostage situation then we can help.