When I meet with clients to discuss website development, I always ask them who hosts their current site. Over 90% of people say they don’t know. This is something you really should know because very often, the hosting company registers your domain name for you. But do you know if your name is on the registration?
This also holds true for website plugins and WordPress themes. If your site needs a plugin, make sure you buy it or the hosting company buys it for you in your name.
We have a client who is currently having issues with another website developer who designed and hosts their website. The company has moved and is not responding to emails or voicemails. As a result, they don’t have access to their site and are not sure they even own the domain name. As a result, they may have to build a whole new website from scratch. An additional cost the client had not budgeted for.
The company that hosts our Kiers site, and many of our client sites, makes sure that everything is 100% in the client’s name and sends documentation to confirm that. You should ask your hosting company who owns your domain name, who owns the database, and who owns the website. If it’s not you, it might be time to make a change.
This an important exercise to undertake. The $10.00 a month hosting companies might be too good to be true and could end up costing you a lot more in the long run.