In one of my November posts, I wrote about five parts of building a website; design, function, SEO, copy and CMS. This post makes two additions to the previous list, which will enable you to maintain control if you decide to change hosting service.
It’s not going to be time consuming to add these two items to your website plan, but it could save you a lot of bother in the future.
1.Your Domain Name
Make sure you register your chosen domain name yourself. If your designer or hosting company is organising the domain name, that’s ok, but you must sign the documents and give your company’s details for contact and renewal.
If you decide to move your hosting to a different company, controlling the domain will make this process easier. Some unscrupulous companies will not hand over these details willingly, which means they are effectively holding you to ransom.
2. Back Up Your Website
In the unlikely event of your website going offline for some catastrophic reason, backups can help you get back online rapidly. They can take the form of screen shots so at least you have a record of the way the design looks and the copywriting on each page. Better still, get the whole website on disc.
I hope you don’t have the aggravation of having to change hosts, but if you do, surely it’s better to be prepared. Keep coming back for more expert tips on copywriting for SEO and for print.
