It happens way more often than you think.  We have customer after customer come to us asking for changes to be made to their existing website.  They either want updates on their existing pages, pages or a shopping cart or a blog added, or to have the site search engine optimized.  As most of our customers are experts in their field, and not experts in web design or hosting, they are unaware if they:

1. are locked into a hosting agreement
2. own their website
3. own their domain name

Regardless of who your web designer is, make sure you find out the answers to the following questions:

1. How long is the hosting agreement and can I have the username and password for the hosting company?
2. Will I own the website and the images upon making the final payment to the design company?
3. Will the domain name be registered in my name or in the website design company’s name?

The answers to the above information can be verified at www.whois.domaintools.com (go to the Registration Tab).  For example, if a website is hosted at www.oneandone.com, a customer should see that the domain has been either set up in his/her name, or was set up in the designer’s name – but is transferrable, and that the “customer agreement” with the designer includes the transfer of the domain name.

We recently spoke with someone who had no idea that her domain name was owned by the original web designer, and that her domain and hosting were not transferrable.  So, she either has to pay the web designer as long as she wants the site maintained, or leave and lose the domain name and have the site recreated.

At Creative Carrot Studios, our customers all own their domain names, and websites and images upon receipt of final payment.