Do You Actually Own Your Business Website? What to Check Before You Keep Paying
A lot of business owners assume that if they have been paying for their website every month, the website belongs to them. That is not always the case.
Some website providers operate on a subscription or rental-style model. You pay a monthly fee to keep the website running, but depending on the agreement, you may not actually own the website itself.
That can become an expensive problem if you ever want to leave.
You may decide you want a redesign.
You may want to change providers.
You may want someone else to manage your website.
Or you may simply get tired of paying the same monthly fee year after year.
That is often when business owners discover something they never thought to ask at the beginning “can I actually take my website with me?”
What happens if you stop paying?
This is probably the most important question to ask. If you stopped paying your website provider tomorrow, what would happen?
Would the website remain yours?
Could you move it somewhere else?
Could another website designer work on it?
Or would you need to start again?
This is where a website that looked cheaper at the beginning can become expensive over time.
For example, a $299 monthly website subscription works out to:
$3,588 per year
$10,764 over three years
$17,940 over five years
Imagine paying nearly $18,000 over five years and then finding out you need to pay again for a completely new website because the original site cannot come with you. That is why it is important to understand exactly what you are paying for.
A monthly website fee is not automatically a problem
There are completely legitimate reasons to pay ongoing website costs.
Your website may have ongoing fees for:
hosting
domain registration
software
maintenance
technical support
updates
Those costs are different from paying indefinitely simply to retain access to the website itself.
The important question is not “do I pay monthly?”
It is “what do I actually own?”
Can you take your website to another provider?
Businesses change. The provider that suited you when you first started may not suit you five years later.
Before signing up to any website arrangement, it is worth asking:
Can I move this website elsewhere?
Can another website designer work on it?
Do I have access to the website?
What happens if I cancel?
Who owns the content and images?
Who controls the domain name?
If the answer is that leaving means starting from scratch, you need to know that before committing to years of payments.
Make sure you control your domain name
Your domain name is a critical part of your online presence.
For example:
yourbusiness.com.au
Your business should know where the domain is registered, who controls it and who receives the renewal notices. A website provider can manage a domain on your behalf, but you should not be completely locked out of something so important to your business.
The same applies to your website access. You do not necessarily need to manage the website yourself, but you should understand where it lives and who controls it.
What looks cheaper can cost more
Monthly website packages can look appealing because the upfront cost is lower. For some businesses, they can be a perfectly suitable option. But it is important to look at the total cost, not just the monthly payment.
What looks like the cheaper option at the start can end up costing considerably more if you pay for years and then have to start again when you want to leave. Before you sign up, ask what happens at the end of the relationship. That one question can save a lot of frustration later.
When I build a website, it belongs to your business
At NQ Social Collective, I keep website ownership simple. When I build a website for your business, the website is yours. There will still be normal ongoing costs associated with running a website, such as your website platform, domain and any software you choose to use. But you are not paying me an ongoing monthly fee simply to keep access to the website I built for you. I also want you to understand your setup.
You should know:
where your website is hosted
where your domain is registered
what ongoing costs you have
how to access the website
what your business owns
Your website should be a business asset.
Already paying monthly for your website?
If you already pay a monthly website fee, there is no need to assume there is a problem. Start by asking your provider “if I stopped using your service, could I take my website somewhere else?”
You may find that you own your website and the monthly fee simply covers hosting, maintenance and support. Or you may discover that you are effectively renting it. Either way, it is better to know now than after years of payments.
Need a new website or website redesign?
NQ Social Collective provides website design and website redesign for Townsville and North Queensland businesses, with website projects also available Australia-wide. If you need a new business website, want to redesign an existing website, or are considering moving away from a monthly website subscription arrangement, I can help you work out the best way forward.
Sometimes the first step is simply understanding what you currently have - and what you actually own.
Continue Reading
If you found this helpful, you might also like:
Why Your Website Could Be Costing You Customers
Your website doesn’t have to look bad to be costing you work
5 Things to Check Before Spending Money on Advertising
How Often Should You Update Your Business Website?
Need help with your website?
Get in touch with NQ Social Collective to discuss website design, website redesign or an Online Setup Review.
Get in Touch →
Request an Online Setup Review →
View All Services →
Explore Website Design →
