Why

You

Should

Own

Your

Own

Domain

(Part

2)

If you joined us for our Part One blog on why owning your own domain name is essential, you’d know that not owning your own domain name can:

• Cause a lack of control in your digital space
• Open yourself and your business up to additional security risks
• Cause business continuity issues.

If you have not read part one, no worries, you can read it here! These are all critical issues to consider and address when setting up your business. However, it is just as essential to own your domain name when working alongside a web agency or marketing professional.  

Protect Your Business, Even in Professional Partnerships

It is important that you can trust the company or partner you are working with any business. However, just because you trust someone, doesn’t mean you should put yourself in a situation that could easily compromise your business. When a business decides to hire a web agency/marketing company to help them carve out their own digital space, the agency will often offer to take care of everything on the backend, including purchasing the domain name. 

We can not stress this enough: that you should be the one to purchase and supply the domain name because: 

• Business e-mail accounts are often tied to domain ownership.
• Using a domain owned by a separate entity increases the risk of your business being “held hostage” in certain situations. 
• Owning your domain provides more agency in choosing who you work with. 

Business E-mail Accounts Tie Directly to Domain Ownership

More often than not, business e-mails tie directly to domain ownership. These e-mails are the sort that point back to a specific domain, rather than a provider; ie, Gmail, iCloud, etc. As most online communication comes from e-mails, losing access to said e-mails can be devastating for businesses of any size. 

Example:

Consider the case of Gingham and Lace, run by Babette M. Gingham and Lace is an online wedding consultant company. As such they rely on direct communication via e-mail with not only their clients but vendor partners too. These partners include catering, florists, venues, and more.

When Babette first set up her business, she was thrilled to find an agency to work with her to get her website up and running. This meant she could give 100% of her focus on her clients. They handled everything from setting up the site to purchasing the domain and setting up the accompanying business e-mail. For a while, everything was great. Gingham and Lace had a beautifully crafted site, and Babette’s business grew.

However, when the agency that Babette had partnered with to craft her digital space decided to raise prices, things quickly went downhill. The agency held the rights to the domain and e-mails, and since Gingham and Lace could no longer afford their services, Babette was effectively locked out of her e-mail. While the wedding industry is already a tricky mess to navigate on the best of days, the instant (in)access to clients and vendors damaged not only a handful of weddings for the season but also Gingham and Lace’s brand reputation irreparably. 

Increased Risk of Business Being “Held Hostage” 

Letting an outside agency own your domain can give them an additional hold over your business and open up opportunities for your business to be “held hostage.” 

Example:

We had an acquaintance, Jay, from another web agency, tell us about a particular case he ran into over the last year. Jay was working alongside a Chamber of Commerce department in his community. The Chamber of Commerce had previously partnered with a different agency. The agency had control of all of the backend items, including the domain. When the Chamber of Commerce decided to switch web agencies, things got complicated. The original agency claimed that the client owed them $15,000 in services. When the Chamber refused to pay, the agency simply shut the website and associated e-mails down. One can imagine the headache that would come with losing access to a local Chamber site. Not to mention the need to rebuild from scratch. Because the original agency technically owned the domain, there was nothing the Chamber could do other than pay what amounted to ransom or start from scratch. 

Increased Agency in Who You Work With

Owning your domain also allows you to make changes with the marketing team or web agency you choose to employ without delays or gaps affecting your clients.

Example:

Remember Babette from Gingham and Lace in our earlier example? After her first experience working with a web agency, she knew going into her new chapter, she wanted to do things differently. So when she and her sister Ariel opened Whitechapel Hills together, a countryside wedding venue, Babette wanted to own her domain outright. Whitechapel Hills allowed Babette the freedom to still be involved with her passion for helping make couples’ big days perfect. This time, when the agency did not craft a space that she felt fully represented her business, she was able to seek out a different marketing team. And since she owned her domain she was able to take it with her without causing any gap or delay in bookings or services. 

What can you do?

Need a domain? Check to see if the one you want is available at whois.com. If you already have a domain, you should first check to see who owns it at lookup.icann.org. (Go ahead and do that now; we will still be here when you are done!) If someone else does indeed own your domain, very little can often be done. In some lucky cases, an agency may be willing to transfer ownership of a domain. They may also be willing to negotiate a sale of the domain. Both actions should always be done utilizing an escrow service to protect all parties involved.

There are more litigious routes a business can take as well. However, more often than not, the costs and time that a lawsuit might take do not help with the immediate problems at hand. 

In Reflection

A business domain is essential for crafting your digital space. It is imperative that business owners retain the proper rights and control that owning their domain can offer them, even when working with an agency. We highly suggest protecting your business and utilizing the resources in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. Trust us, You will thank yourself later. 

Digital Renegades strives to be a resource for you to take your business to the next level of success. Reach out now for your consultation. We will happily answer any of your questions about domain ownership, digital solutions, and more.