Are you having trouble accessing your website domain or backend? Ever worried about getting access to your web hosting service? Is your website being held hostage?

Let’s say you already have your website up and running. You have prepared all the important posts, updates, and announcements for your company. Everything is already scheduled for launch but then your website data is frozen; your website becomes inaccessible. Say what? All those preparations, planning, and digital products are all gone! What happens when you lose all your company’s marketing assets?

That’s not something everything thinks could happen – but it can and does. That’s why you should always be wary of whoever is involved in your website activities.

In today’s blog post, we’ll help you identify the signs of your website being held hostage and how to protect your website from these attacks before it starts.

 

5 Signs Your Website Is Being Held Hostage

Your website can be held hostage in almost every line of work, especially those in e-commerce and B2B marketing businesses. So, how would you know if your website is vulnerable to this?

Here are some signs that you may have lost access to your website.

  • Developer taking ownership. Despite you being the company owner, the developer does not give you total ownership. They take full control of the domain under the guise that the technical issues should be left to them.
  • The developer may be hiding important website building process information, such as domain name and admin access credentials.
  • Your website only becomes accessible when you meet the demands of the developer. For instance, you won’t have access until you pay an unreasonable additional amount.
  • If you received an email or notification from a web hosting company stating they have detected malware on your company website.
  • The developer is missing in action, especially when discussing a contract.

It can be really difficult to maintain control of your website, especially your content and data when many people are involved. Your company’s name, services, and products could be at risk. What’s more frustrating is you would have to start from scratch by redesigning a new website, moving to a new web hosting service and registering a new domain name if this happened to you. This could mean you will spend even more time, energy, and dollars on your website unnecessarily!

 

Tips To Prevent Your Website From Being Hostage

Knowing the early signs of your website being held hostage can prevent the issue from escalating. You need to understand that not being as skilled as your web developer puts you and your company at a disadvantage but it doesn’t mean all is lost. A smart way not to lose your website is to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Here are some basic tips on how you keep your website safe.

Just before designing and launching your website, always check if you are provided with the following:

  • Name of the hosting company where your website will run through and contact information
  • Control panel (cPanel) or access to your website’s database
  • Domain name/URL, username, and password
  • FTP server name, address, username, and password will give you access to your website files.
  • List of software used to create your website and the necessary licenses, certifications, and fees.

It is important your developer stays transparent and shares this information with you before launching your website. If you have no access to your website and web hosting, it would be tough to regain control of your databases and access credentials.

website, web hosting

How to Protect Your Website From Being Hostage

Understanding how to protect your website from such an attacker will help you minimize any business operation disruptions. This will also help safeguard your personal information, company databases, products, and also business revenues.

  • Keep track of the domain owner and host. Creating your company website doesn’t necessarily mean you own the servers of your website’s host. But to ensure that you are given full access to all your website’s content, you should personally register your website’s host account in case website recovery issues arise. You can easily confirm the identity of the host company.
  • Register hosting account. Register and learn to build your website hosting account. You must be in total control of your account so future updates for your company’s website won’t have any issues or complications.
  • Register domain name. This is your website’s URL and main identity. Your URL is your main address. It is the information you share with other people. Be sure to purchase the domain to be recognized as the main owner and not the developer.
  • Hire a trusted web developer. If you are planning to hire a website developer or designer for your company, assess their credentials first, do your research. Make sure that your chosen developer understands the technicalities of your company website and is a way of how you want to present your brand or services.
  • Get your analytics data. It is also important to register your business to Google analytics, which helps your SEO, online presence, and conversion run the data. This is to help you gain full access to your company’s data if your web developer decided to delete all your data.

If you can, try asking the previous clients the developer or designer worked with to see if their work ethics matches yours.

  • Have a contract with your developer. After hiring a web developer, craft a contract that states all the necessary agreements and disclosures about your company’s private data. Also, make sure to indicate that your website is ‘owned’ by you and your business.
  • Always prepare a backup. Have all your website files and data a backup. When your website is being held hostage, all your files and data are at risk of being stolen by an anonymous source. Therefore, having a stored backup data allows you to delete all your website’s running data simply. Your backup can save your entire website in the chance your domain isn’t accessible, and website data isn’t recoverable anymore.

Your website keeps your company at par with the business market. One of the only ways to promote your company and brand is to keep your website safe. Create a safe space for your company and website with Hoopjumper. Whether it’s your first time getting web hosting or you’re unsure of your website’s safety, HoopJumper can save you from any hostage situation.

 

Should A Web Developer Keep Your Website Control?

The only time a developer or agency should keep your website in control is when the client does not pay the website in full. There should be a clause in the contract that says ‘do not release the website until the final payment is received.’ This line clearly states that a company will not have full control and operation of the website if full payment is not delivered.

However, if the client is withholding payment for a reason, this should be discussed clearly with the web developer.

Communication is the key to ensure the client and the developer are happy and on the same page. This should keep the website complete and ready for operation.

But, if there’s no contract discussed or signed, then you may be too trusting. There is no obligation or grounds for the developer to release the company’s website completion. This may restrict your chance to engage in business with the developer.

 

HoopJumper Offers The Best Website Hosting Services

Here at Hoopjumper, our team is dedicated to keeping your company and your website protected. Free your website from all the internet dangers and keep your business running smoothly. We know that your website is valuable to you and your company.

Your website is the cornerstone of your marketing, so schedule a complimentary consultation call with HoopJumper and get the best web hosting service where you aren’t held hostage.