Bill was excited to speak with me about digital marketing for their family-owned company. Our mutual friend Frank had connected us, taking me up on my offer to share digital marketing ideas with anyone he felt would benefit. As background to my meeting with Bill, Frank shared that Bill’s company had just completed their first outsourced website project after many years of internally created and maintained sites. After the pleasantries regarding Frank’s introduction, Bill set the stage.
It Was Past Time for Something New
“Rick, I appreciate your time today but there’s really no reason for us to meet. We’re very happy with our new website and our on-going relationship with the company that created it.”
“Bill, I’m not here to steal their business. I value my relationship with Frank and his insights into who I should include in my network. I’ll stick to our time commitment today and hopefully offer up some food for thought as you grow your relationship with your new website provider. Do you mind sharing the story behind your new website?”
Bill shared they needed to make some changes to their previous website but that the employee who created it had left the company. Not only didn’t they know how to edit it, but they discovered the employee had left without sharing the login credentials. He felt it was time to explore a “professional” website and started asking around (he failed to ask Frank because he didn’t think he knew anyone who could help a manufacturing company) and researching providers. They vetted and selected a vendor, basing most of their decision on price.
The vendor offered to manage their domain name, expedite the completion of the new site by modifying a template they use for companies in their industry, share visitor statistics monthly and maintain the site on-going for what Bill thought was a reasonable monthly fee. Bill worked with their developer to add their logo, update the colors, include some company specific images and guide the creation of copy for the site. Their new site has a nice modern look and was completed in under 3 months.
But Then….
“You see Rick, we’re good to go and don’t really need your help.”
I thanked Bill for sharing the details and asked if he minded answering a few questions. He agreed. I performed a whois lookup on his website domain name and and asked if the Registrant Organization was correct.
“No Rick, that must be the company who built our website. Does that mean they now own our domain name?”
“Yes, Bill. The Registrant is the domain name owner. It looks like your domain may have been transferred to an account they own. Ideally they should have been listed as the Technical contact for the domain in your account.”
I asked Bill to do a Google search for his company name and share what was displayed.
“Rick, Why does the link for our website say ‘home’ and the description look like is was copied from the content on the page?”
“Bill, that means the page was not optimized for the search engines. Did your partner talk to you about the page titles and descriptions?”
“Obviously not Rick, is that hard to configure for a new website?”
“Not at all Bill, it’s very easy to do.”
I then used the Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and Google Page Speed Insights to do a quick technical analysis of his website. The first indicated issues with viewing the site on a smartphone and the 2nd showed the load time was painfully slow.
“Bill, Did they discuss the importance of viewing your new website on a smartphone with you?”
“Yes Rick, I told them I wanted a site that looked good on both a computer and a phone. Doesn’t today’s technology automatically work for both?”
“There are a few nuances to doing so Bill.”
We’re Nearing the End if Our Scheduled Time
“Bill, I’m sure you have something scheduled after this and I want to make good on my commitment.”
“No issue Rick, I need to hear what you have to say. I’m sending a chat message to push my meeting so you can continue. What else do you see that could be a problem?”
I went on the share that companies that “hijack” clients domain names or offer to purchase them for them often do so as a way to lock them in for life. It’s also common for their contacts to lock clients in for years AND indicate they own all the site content.
“How’s this legal Rick?”
“Bill, They’re betting that if you find out what they’ve done that you’ll keep quiet about your mistake and choose to maintain the status quo vs. pursue a legal battle they can draw out forever. Are they right?”
“Would we have to change our domain name to do something different?”
“Yes, that’s likely the case Bill.”
Let’s Wrap It Up
While we were unable to help Bill he has introduced us to others who’ve been able to avoid the enticing offer Bill encountered, he’s one of our biggest advocates. Here are a few simple suggestions to start your journey with anyone managing your most important digital marketing asset – your company website:
- Get a Gmail Account for the Company
- Purchase Your Domain Name in an Account You Own
- Use the Gmail Account to Enroll for Google Services
- Get Your Attorney to Review Their Contract
The purpose for doing so is to create a single email account for use in managing everything related to your digital presence. It will allow you to easily share content with marketing partners and use your contact details to recover the account in case you forget the password.
If it’s not in one now, create a new account using your new company Gmail with the registrar of your choice and request that it be transferred. Your digital marketing partner can be listed as the Technical Contact to assist you in managing renewals, security certificates and other services.
You’ll need accounts for everything from Google Analytics to YouTube. Create them all using your new company Gmail account. You can grant management rights to any partner providing services for you.
At a minimum you’ll enter the relationship with eyes wide open.
How to Contact Us
Call us at (513) 394-6431 or send us a message to share your story. We’d enjoy the chance to learn about you, your business and the challenges you’re facing to explore if we’re a fit for your digital marketing needs.
