Digital ownership, what the heck am I even talking about? Is it even important, and why should you care?
I advocate for small business owners who don’t know where their digital products are; or how they even work. What we are talking about here is your domain name, your web hosting, and even your email.
Let’s start with your domain name because, frankly, I’ve had enough. Why should I even care? Because it is important to understand where and how your digital products work and not rely on third-party companies that want to control your digital products to hold some power over you. I wrote this article two years ago, “Understanding your domain name ownership”, and yet I still see many IT companies breaking the rules placed on Registrars and Resellers, with no enforcement or checks being done by the provider. That is until someone like me clarifies to the owner that they are not the legal owner of their domain name. I suggest reading it.
I am a reseller of global domain names and have been for over 20 years. During this time, the rules for keeping accurate records on the domain name have become more critical. Why? Because the potential to lose access to what is yours is much higher than you may even realise.
An excellent place to start is with the provider of the global TLD NZ; this is InternetNZ through the Domain Name Commission, which manages the Registrars and writes the rules around compliance. Read Here
The key message I want readers to understand is the following.
- You must have access to your domain account.
- The domain name must be registered in your details, including your email ID.
- You must receive the communications from the Registrar or Reseller directly and be invoiced directly.
If a third party is doing this on your behalf, I suggest you check the details of the domain, and if they aren’t in your details, my suggestion – is to RUN A MILE – or get us involved, and we will talk you through what needs to happen and why it is important.
Check your domain details and do it here now!
Web Hosting
Webhosting is the same as mentioned in the 3 steps above. However, there are a few things you need to be aware of. First, a web hosting account is where your website is placed so people can view your website. Where this may change is when you use Website builders like “Rocketspark, Wix, Spotify, Squarespace and Webflow, then they control the hosting environment, and all you are doing is using their website builder to manage your content and images.
Is there anything wrong with a website builder? No, not at all, but here are a few things to consider. Before engaging in a DIY website project for your business, you need to understand a few fundamentals before jumping in and building your website. However, we want to keep focused on the ownership in this article on the Web Hosting environment. The only reason we mentioned the website builders is that it is essential to understand that you can’t move your website to a new platform or server, nor do you have access to the root folders or the backend of the builder, and you may not need it. But as I wrote in this article, “Leave it to the experts“, you might want to talk to or get some advice before making your website.
Here at Oraco Solutions, we use cPanel Web Hosting; where you have full access to the Hosting account details, which should be the same for the website builder (account-level access). Though we can build customised solutions for customers, we tend to use WordPress a lot more these days because there is a lot of flexibility with the product because we have backend access. The good news is this, if you don’t like our service, you can pack up your website and move it. I am sure we will get along fine as we offer our clients the best support possible and take pride in that.
Once again, the key message with your hosting or website builder account is to ensure you have access.
Email is the only digital product that may have some exceptions to some of the abovementioned things. For example, if you have an Office 365 Exchange email account, an IT company might be the best to take care of this for you. However, that doesn’t give that IT company the right to hold or own your domain name or web hosting account. You must have access.
Our cPanel Hosting packages all come with POP/IMAP email options, and we also offer other business email solutions that are more affordable than Office 365 Exchange. However, the Exchange product has some excellent benefits; it depends on the business size and how you use Microsoft software to get the full benefits.
Conclusion
The title has “I’ve had enough” because I see far too many IT companies here in NZ use scare tactics to tell owners why they must control all their digital products. It simply isn’t true for the domain name and web hosting account because you can give them the access they require, but they won’t give you the access you need if you ask them. This is wrong on so many levels.
As for your web hosting account, the website designer may have their server and will control that Hosting account; however, if they are a good company, they will also give you access to the account.
If you have access to those digital products, you are in a better position to make decisions quickly when the need arises. Here is a classic scenario; You are having problems with your IT company, or you aren’t happy with the service and want to move. When you have control, you can make arrangements with a new provider to take over the management of those products without even informing the current IT company; you make the changes and, once complete, notify the previous IT company that their service is no longer needed. When they have control, be prepared for the scare tactics and stalling to make the process difficult.
If you want a company that puts you in the box seat, I suggest talking with us. We have helped thousands of business owners better understand and manage their digital products. The key is your provider shouldn’t have anything to hide. We don’t; we are transparent and helpful always.
