Protecting Your Domain Name
We can help you register a domain name under your ownership. Your web site and particularly your domain name are and important part of your business. Under no circumstances, should you allow a web design agency (or anyone else) to OWN your domain name. We have seen many cases where web agencies have registered domain names under their ownership and NOT the clients. It is fine for a web agency to register a domain name on your behalf but make sure that the domain is registered under your ownership. This is important for several reasons:
* The registered owner (or registrar) has all rights to your domain name.
* You may have to purchase the rights to your own domain name at exaggerated prices if you leave a web agency to take your business elsewhere.
* If your domain name is registered with someone else and their company goes out of business, etc. it may be very difficult or impossible for you to retrieve your domain name.
* If your web agency fails to renew your domain name you may lose the domain to someone on a waiting list.
* Legal reasons. The registered owner of the domain name is liable for any use associated with it. For instance, if there is a dispute between two parties over a well known domain name phrase, the registered owner will be liable.
* To confirm that you are indeed the registered owner of your domain name, go to Network Solutions and do a WHOIS search on your domain name. Verify that the contact info and registrant info is in YOUR name.
* A very informative legal article concerning domain ownership is located here.
Insist that all web site files and logins be provided to you upon completion and final payment of web services. If something happens to a web agency and they go out of business, etc. you should have everything in hand to readily pass along to another web designer in order to keep your web site going without interruption. If a web agency refuses to give you your login info and hosted web site files, find another agency. Oftentimes, if a client is not satisfied with their web agency and tries to leave for another agency, the files and login info will be held hostage unless an additional price is paid to acquire them. At Alpine Web Media we do not hold our clients hostage. All information and files are provided to them upon final payment and completion of their project. Our philosophy is that if we're doing a great job for our client, there is nothing to worry about. If they are not happy with our services, wish to work on their own web site, etc. we will not charge them extra for what they have already paid for.
Contact us or call to schedule an appointment at your location or our office.