Own your website or rent it? What to ask before you sign

Quick answer: "owning" your website means the domain, the hosting account and the site files are in your name, so you keep everything if you stop working with a designer. "Renting" means you pay a company monthly and the website lives in their system. Renting can be convenient, but if you cancel, you may lose the site. Ask before you sign.

What "owning" looks like

• The domain name is registered in your own account.
• The website is hosted in an account in your name. You invite your designer in as a helper.
• You can hire anyone else to work on it later, or do it yourself.
• Nobody ever needs your password, because you add helpers with their own logins.

What "renting" looks like

• You pay a monthly fee, often with little or nothing up front.
• The company builds and hosts the site in their own system.
• If you cancel, the site may go away, or you may have to pay to take it with you.
• Sometimes the company also controls the domain name. Make sure it's yours.

Which is right for you?

If you want the lowest bill this month and don't mind being tied to one company, renting can work. If you want to keep what you pay for, owning is safer. Many owners want both: to own everything, and still have someone handle updates. That's why I set things up this way at Open Sign Systems:

• Open Sign Setup: I build your website, Google profile and email system once, in your accounts.
• Open Sign Club (optional): send me updates any time for one monthly price. Pause or cancel whenever you want, and you keep everything.

Questions to ask before you sign anything

1. Whose name is the domain registered in?
2. If I cancel, what do I keep?
3. Is there a contract or a cancellation fee?
4. Will I ever have to share my passwords?