If you own or manage a website there are 3 things you should have at your disposal.
- The contact and login information for your domain registrar (where your www address is registered)
- The contact and login information for your Web Host. If your Web Host doesn’t have a Control Panel for you to log into, you should consider moving your site to a Web Host that does (see: “What is this ‘Hosting’ Thing and Why Should I Care?“)
- An up-to-date copy of your website files (and database files, if your website is database driven – note: all CMS sites like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and ZenCart are database driven)
Why is it important to have these three things?
- Control and Portability: If you have these three things, you have complete control over where your website files are stored and the ability to quickly move your website files and database if the need arises.
- Insurance: Like it or not, bad things can happen – and like they say in the Boy Scouts “Always be Prepared”. New Black Cap Design clients have told us stories about their previous hosting account or domain registration account being hacked or compromised or their Web Developer going out of business without notice – leaving them up the creek without a paddle.
If you don’t have this information, and you don’t know how to get it, contact your Web Developer and simply ask for a copy of all three. If your Developer balks or says “no” that’s indication there may be issues regarding the ownership of your website – something that definitely warrants further investigation.
If your site is based on a hosted WordPress CMS, you’re in luck. WordPress gives you the ability to generate a file and database backup (copy) of your site, with the click of a button. (Note: you’ll need a backup plugin to enable this feature. All Black Cap Design WordPress installations include this 1-click backup software).
For more information concerning domain registration, website hosting and website backup tools, please contact us at , or call 1-705-927-2308.