Do you own your website?
At Ten Peaks Media, we consult with physicians and business owners on a fairly regular basis who do not own their domains or sites.
“In our experience, ensuring our clients own their content, their domain, and hosting is the only way to prove you have your client’s best interest to heart. We’ve found ourselves stepping into situations where this was never offered to the client by their previous provider or purposely buried in contracts, and the financial consequences can be shocking” says Michael O’Cana, Director of Website Development for Ten Peaks Media.
Are you one of the many business owners or physicians who don’t own their site? If so, you’re putting yourself at risk. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the dangers of not owning your website and the reasons why you should consider building one you own and control. Owning your domain is a necessity in today’s digital age, and we hope this blog post will convince you of that.
If you’re a business owner or physician, you know how important it is to have an online presence. Not only does it give your customers a place to go to learn more about your company and its products or services, but it also can be a powerful marketing tool.
The dangers of NOT owning your website
By not owning the IP (intellectual property) of your own brand/company you are exposing yourself to a danger that could impact your business at any point. What if the company you are renting from goes out of business? What if you get sideways with them or desire a change? All the work on the photos, content, website design, backlinks, and SEO can be gone in the blink of an eye!
- When you don’t own your site, you’re giving up control of your online reputation to someone else. If you’re not happy with the way your website looks or functions, you’re stuck.
- You’re also at the mercy of the platform’s terms and conditions. If they change their rules or go out of business, your domain could disappear overnight.
- And finally, you could be missing out on valuable leads and customers if you’re not optimized for search engine visibility.
So, if you’re still using a free website builder or a rented website and haven’t claimed your domain name, now is the time to take control of your online presence. Invest in a professionally designed website that will help you attract new customers and grow your business.
There are a few key dangers associated with leased websites
It’s no secret that many businesses choose to lease a domain rather than build their own. After all, it’s a low-cost alternative that can seem like the perfect solution. Leased websites appear to be a low-cost alternative to building and hosting your own domain. While this option can be appealing, it’s important to understand the risks associated with leased sites before making a decision.
- You Don’t Own the Website
The first and most obvious danger is that you don’t actually own the website. This means that you can be kicked off at any time, without warning or explanation. If this happens, all of your hard work building up the site will be for nothing.
- The Website May Not Be Built Properly
Another danger is that the website may not be built properly. This can lead to crashes, security vulnerabilities, and other problems. If you’re not familiar with web development, you may not be able to spot these problems until it’s too late.
- Your Ability to Customize may be Limited
Another common issue is that you may not be able to customize the site to meet your specific needs. This can be a problem if you want to add features or change the website’s design.
- You May Not Be Optimized for Search Engines
If the website is not optimized for search engines, it will be much harder for people to find you. This can lead to lost traffic and lost potential customers.
- You May Have to Pay More for Additional Features
Leased websites often come with basic features only. If you want to add additional features, such as an online store, contact forms, appointment forms, or a blog, you may have to pay extra. This can quickly increase your cost.
- You May Not Be Able to Use Your Own Domain Name
If you lease or rent, you may not be able to use your own domain name. Instead, you’ll likely have to use a subdomain of the website leasing company. This can make it difficult to build brand awareness and could harm your search engine optimization efforts.
- The Website May Not Be Mobile-Friendly
Another important consideration is that the site may not be mobile-friendly. With more and more people using smartphones and tablets to browse the internet, it’s crucial that your site is designed for these devices and is mobile optimized. If it’s not, you could be missing out on a lot of potential traffic and customers.
- You Could Be Locked into a Long-Term Contract
Leasing or renting often requires signing a long-term contract. This can be problematic if you’re not happy with the website or if your needs change. You may be stuck paying for a website that you’re not using or that isn’t providing a great user experience or meeting your needs.
- You Could Be Stuck with a Poor-Quality and Outdated Technology
If you’re not careful, you could end up leasing a site with a poor web page design that is poorly designed and coded. This can lead to several problems, including crashes, security vulnerabilities, and poor search engine optimization.
- You Could Lose Your Website Entirely
If the website leasing company goes out of business or decides to stop offering the service, you could lose your site entirely. This would mean starting from scratch and losing any domain authority you have built to this point, which could be costly and time-consuming.
The benefits of a professionally designed website
A professional website design can give your business a more polished, professional appearance which in turn can attract more customers or patients. It can also help to increase your visibility online and improve your search engine ranking.
But perhaps the most important reason to own your website is that it gives you control over your online presence. Without owning your domain and site, you are at the mercy of whoever is hosting your website (usually a free website builder) and their terms and conditions. This can be a recipe for disaster, as you have no control over what happens to your site or how it appears to website visitors and in search engines.
If you don’t own your website, you’re also putting yourself at risk of losing all your hard work if the builder decides to close down or change its terms and conditions. So, if you’re serious about your business or practice, make sure you own your website! It’s the best way to protect your online presence and ensure long-term success.
What if I’m leasing my website?
What can you do to protect your website and your business? The best solution is to own your custom domain outright. That way, you’ll have complete control over your website’s design, content, and hosting. Plus, you won’t have to worry about someone else taking it down or going out of business and taking you with them.
Hire a reputable web designer or developer to create a website from scratch. At Ten Peaks Media, we prefer building websites on the WordPress platform. We also can help protect, recover, and maintain valuable content, branding, and resources on your rented or leased site that you have worked hard to develop. Make sure you own your website and your domain URL outright. Don’t lease it from someone else.
The bottom line is that leasing is a risky proposition. If you don’t own your site, you could lose it – and all the hard work you’ve put into it – at any time. So, make sure you take the steps to protect your website by owning it outright. It’s the best way to safeguard your business online.
If you have any questions about website ownership or website design, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re always happy to help!
