When an agency has control over a website, this can leave the customer in a very frustrating situation, especially if access is denied by the agency and updates will not be carried out.
Understanding who has control and how access can be achieved is vital to being in the driving seat again. When you know two very important pieces of information regarding domain and hosting, this can alleviate the problem.
How was the domain name purchased?
Purchased from a domain registrar (such as Go Daddy or 123reg) – If this option was chosen then you would have login details, to enable you to access your domain settings. Lost or forgotten details are easily retained via a ‘forgotten password’ button, or by contacting the relevant support team. If you’re unsure of who is your domain registrar then simply click on whois to find out.
The agency bought it – This technically means that they own the domain, however, this doesn’t mean a dead end. Simply request a domain transfer through a new domain registrar account. The web agency should agree to the request, meaning the domain name control is back in the hands of the customer.
How was the website hosting purchased?
I purchased it myself – Great, this means you have control over your website. A login area will be available to you, but if you’ve forgotten the login details then you can select the option ‘forgotten password’ or contact the help team direct for additional support. If you’ve completely forgotten who hosts your website, then a simple check via whois will let you know who your domain registrar is. The domain is usually where the website hosting is, however, you can go to the DNS settings to reveal where the domain points to regarding hosting.
I pay the website agency to host my website – The agency will own the hosting and the CMS platform that holds all the content too. This may sound like bad news, but it can be resolved. You’ll need to purchase new website hosting, giving back the control you need for your website, and ensure that the CMS (Content Management System) can be supported by the new hosting provider. Arrange with the current website agency for all files, folders, content and backups to be transferred to the new hosting provider.
What if I own the hosting but don’t have access to the website’s CMS?
You can ask the website agency to create an Admin account for you. Once you’ve accessed the admin side of the website, you’ll be able to remove the agency’s access, manage the website yourself or ask others to manage your site for you.
Want a trusted website agency to take care of your website? Then give us a call on 01277 849161
