There are many issues in our industry that are not being addressed, one of which I would like to touch on: domain ownership. Too often our clients who are coming over from other digital corporations have a hard time gaining access to their FTP details. Some have no idea what they're getting themselves into when they sign up with unethical brands, and trust that they are getting value for money as they don't understand the industry. So I have outlined a few pointers for you to consider when looking for a hosting company.
Pricing
If you are running a basic website with no eCommerce or much traffic, you have no reason to be paying more than $20 or R200.00 per month. If you are running an eCommerce site with increased traffic, you should be paying no more than $100 or R1000.00 per month. If you are a heavy traffic website, meaning you have hundreds of thousands of people coming to your site a day, these figures may vary due to server requirements for that amount of website traffic.
Ownership and Access
If you are using a broker, then it is essential to have a contract in place, and for the contract to clearly state that YOUR COMPANY NAME owns the domain and the broker (digital company) is only maintaining it on your company's behalf. If a broker presents you with a contract, ensure you read that contract very carefully and assess what it says about hosting, access rights and domain ownership. If it gives any rights to the digital company over your domain, insist on them changing it or look for another company.
I highly suggest that as a business you appoint someone to oversee all your digital platforms, even if you have 3rd party suppliers. Having a specialist on board always ensures your needs are seen to and your brand is not being taken advantage of. Also, it's important to ensure that as a brand you hold primary access to ALL your online platforms. Controlling your users and their access is a vital part of ensuring your digital future and success.
Ensure a privacy contract and ownership clause is included in your specialist's contract, so your brand does not lose ownership or access should an employee become restless. Yes, this does happen! A disgruntled employee of one of our brands cost them their social media pages for a week while trying to resolve the issue. Had they put a clause and proper procedures around access to their digital software and platforms, this would have been avoided completely.
It is also important to ensure all your hosting fees are up to date, as all business clauses fall away on overdue accounts.
If this blog makes no sense and you wish to have a clearer understanding, or if your current hosting company is charging you excessively or not allowing you full access to your FTP details, email me at info@blogaboutbusiness.online. Don't be like Harold! Avoid a painful situation from the get-go!
Digital marketing does not have a committee to look out for consumers' rights. It is needed in our industry, rather urgently. Until then, contact Blog About Business for all your digital requirements. Ethical business practice is the name of our game. We believe in your business, do you?