Protect your business from unethical web design agencies

I can’t tell you how many horror stories I’ve heard from my clients about the nightmare they encountered with a web design agency. From not having administrative access to having their entire website shut down… It’s pretty bad!

While I can’t make every web design agency ethical, I can go on a crusade helping business owners become more protected.
And that’s what I plan to do with this blog post.
You deserve access to your website, as well as the knowledge to manage it on your own. There’s no need to rely on an agency to manage your website. All you need is a bit of knowledge and the right tools.
If you’re a more of a visual learner, here’s a video that covers what we’re discussing here today.

1. Register Your Own Domain Name

It’s never a good idea to have a web design agency register your domain. It’d be like letting someone else sign a mortgage then expecting the property to be yours.
That’s just not how it works.
When you register the domain, it becomes your digital property. And unethical agencies want to sign up for you so that it becomes their property.
Definitely not something you want to deal with – especially when a domain name is specific to your company or industry. This aspect of your digital identity is vital to your brand, so don’t leave it in the hands of someone else.

2. Insist on Full Administrative Access to Your Hosting Account

The hosting account is where your files exist. It’s the backend stuff that makes your website look and function beautifully. Without them, you won’t have a website.
Unless you’re a designer, you probably won’t use this access much.
However, you still need it to ensure you have complete control over your files. The last thing you want to experience is an unethical web design agency stealing or deleting your website.

3. Get Full Administrative Access to Your WordPress Dashboard

In addition to hosting access, you also need administrative access to your WordPress dashboard. Don’t settle for anything less!
Administrative access depends on your user role. WordPress offer 5 roles, only one of which gives you full access. I’ll let you guess which one it is…

• Subscriber
• Contributor
• Author
• Editor
• Administrator

If you guessed Administrator, you are correct!
Push for that access and don’t let an unethical design agency talk you out of it. This is your website and you deserve to have control!
If you take care of these three things, you’ll be ready to take control of your website. And to further prepare yourself, don’t forget to download my new eBook Unlocking WordPress!