This Mistake Could Cost you BIG Bucks

All too often, us small-business owners allow our web designers, marketing firm and business coaches to be in control of our business details.

What do I mean by this? Here is a story that will give you a clear picture ...

Yesterday morning I woke up and had a distinct feeling in my gut that I should check on the website of one of my clients. We, here at Clear Simple Marketing, are not in charge of her website, we just handle her marketing.

But despite this, I had a nagging feeling that I needed to check her website, so I did. Sure enough her website was down, and this is her busiest time of year - AND we were in the middle of running several promotions for her. My heart started racing. I picked up my office phone and cell phone and started texting and calling my client, her web designer, ICANN and the host of the parking page that was up in replacement of her website.

To make a long story (and a traumatic day) short, my client had relied on a web designer (several years ago - who is not the current web designer she is working with) to host her website. In addition, this web designer had transferred my client's domain name to a new hosting company.

Her domain name had expired. My client had no idea how to renew it, because she had no idea where it, or her website, was being hosted. All of the email renewal notifications were still going to the web designer who she used to work with and this web designer, who was no longer in business, was not forwarding them to my client.

To make matters worse, her web designer had put the Privacy Control on the domain name. So now there was no way to track it.

As a side note -- DO NOT put the Privacy Control on your domain name. It makes people think you're hiding something (a lot of spammers use the Privacy Control to protect themselves) AND it makes it impossible in situations like these to find an easy remedy.

Finally we were able to track down the previous web designer and get access to my client's domain and hosting account. We transferred her domain and hosting to her current Godaddy account. She now has all of her domains, email and web hosting in ONE place, and it's all in HER account, not her web designer’s account.

Many web designers like to host your domain and website for you. They use it as a client retention tool. They want you to be dependent on them. Personally I think this is a bad business practice.

When we setup websites for clients we ALWAYS require them to have their own hosting and domain account.

Another side note -- I recommend using Godaddy to host all of your domains and your website. You can setup an account and transfer all of your domains and hosting to them quickly and easily. They have FANTASTIC customer service that is US based.

As a small-business owner you need to be in control of your business details -- ALL OF THEM.

As a marketing firm we are continually setting up accounts, directory listings and profiles on behalf of our clients. We ALWAYS email our clients their information so they can keep it on file. We put it in a simple organized spreadsheet, and email them new versions of the spreadsheet as we make updates to their accounts.

SO, this week GET IN CONTROL of your details.