Don't fall for this ugly web hosting trick
March 1st, 2007 • Posted by Bill Bice • Permalink
Last week, we talked about domain name renewal scams. Now it's time for another ugly little domain name problem.
Imagine if the lease for your spa's location didn't have your name on it. You could be held hostage by whoever's name was on the lease, subject to unreasonable demands or kicked out of your space.
The same principle applies to your domain name, as in "yourspa.com". There are some shady (usually small) website design/hosting companies that will catch you in this trap: you hire them to build your website, and they register a domain name for you — with themselves as the registrant. They're the only ones that can make changes to your domain name. Like where it's hosted.
To check your domain, go to what's called a Whois lookup and enter your domain name without the "www." part, i.e. "yourspa.com". Look for the "Whois Record" information, and make sure your name is under "Registrant" and your name and email address is under "Administrative Contact".
If it's not your name and email address, demand that the hosting company fixes it and that you are listed as the registrant. We've helped several SpaBoomers that switched to Dynamic Website solve exactly this problem.
Don't take this to mean you shouldn't hire a small web design company. For custom websites, a great option is a small design shop for which you've gotten personal recommendations.
But, just like you wouldn't establish a brick and mortar location without the lease being in your name, do the same for your website address.
Posted in General, Spa Website Design, Starting a Spa • Share • Trackback
March 1st, 2007 at 9:08 am
Thank you for posting this! I used to work for a small web hosting company that did exactly this (much to my dismay), so I already knew the dangers of that before starting my own website. I've tried to help many friends out of this problem too. I'm glad to see that SpaBoom is helping to educate on this matter, and that you're a company with integrity. It means alot!
March 1st, 2007 at 10:19 am
For privacy's sake, I recommend that people always use a proxy. If so, your name and email will NOT show up in a whois lookup. My registrant is listed as "Domains by Proxy, Inc."
Without this clarification, some people who read this blog may think their webdesigner has hijacked their site, rather than realizing they have done them a service with a proxy registration.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Good point about using domain name proxies, which definitely helps maintain the privacy of the domain name holder. This is a good thing for private individuals, who don't want their contact information broadcast on the Internet.
I want to caution businesses from using domain name proxies, however. It's been reported that Google and other search engines look at the domain name registrant information, and compare that to the information actually located on the website, and when there is a match, ascribe a higher score for the relevant search terms. In other words, it's considered "good SEO" to have your registrant information current, visible and identical to what is actually located on your website.
On a personal note, I think there is a strong moral and ethical argument for businesses to keep their registrant information current and visible. It makes it easier for other businesses to identify who you are and reach you. If a business has its registrant information hidden behind a proxy, doesn't it seem a bit shady?
While I'm on the topic of domain names and SEO, there are reports that registering your domain name for more than one year will also provide a slight SEO boost.
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:41 am
This is probably the most important post I have ever read regarding a newbie. Consider purchasing a professionally designed website.
I've seen this situation happen to me and a few friends in the past.