Two years later, when it came up for renewal, you signed on for another five years and went about your business.

That’s the best case scenario. Here’s the worst.

This recently happened to one of my clients, a tile contractor.
Seeking to simplify the process, the web designer registered the domain name and purchased a hosting plan under his own account. That way, Mr. Tile wouldn’t have to worry, and when it came up for renewal the designer would notify him and take care of it.

Sounds good, right?

A year later, the unthinkable happens – the designer suffers a massive stroke and doesn’t survive.

Now what?

Time was running out on the contractor’s domain name and he did not want to lose his site. After a few calls to Network Solutions he was told he needed to get a copy of the death certificate. Well…that was out of the question. The next option was to make me, as the writer on the website, an account admin which would enable me to then turn the domain over to Mr. Tile.

Bottom line, after lots of back and forth, the contractor was able to work it out with Network Solutions, save his domain name and purchase a hosting plan in the nick of time.

Moral of the story: Register your own domain name and closely monitor your account so you don’t risk losing it. Be sure to renew your url and hosting package in plenty of time before they are due to expire. Don’t be like a friend of mine who wasn’t paying attention to her renewal notices and bingo – someone scooped up the name and turned it into a porn site!

Have you had any hair-raising experiences around your domain registration? We’d love to hear about and learn from them.

In her recent column in the San Francisco Examiner, graphic designer Stephanie Orma talks about the importance of working with a professional designer when creating or re-doing your website.  She writes:

“When startups and established businesses alike are looking to cut corners and save money, graphic design is usually at the top of their chopping block. But what these companies fail to realize is that good website design can literally mean the difference between being in the red or being in the black –- it’s that crucial. A website is often the first point of contact consumers have with a company. And just like in life, the first impression really does matter.”

She’s absolutely right. And the same can be said for good copywriting. As another cost-cutting measure, many companies write their own copy, even if this is not their area of expertise. And often the results are disastrous.  I’ve heard designers complain that they wait for months for the client to give them the copy. Think about all the revenue the company could have been earning during that time. Enough to have paid a professional freelance copywriter to get the job done right?

Copy and design work synergistically to create a positive online experience for your customers. Remember, you’ve got about two seconds to capture their attention.  They’ve come to your site with a mission…whether it’s to find information about your company or to purchase your product online. So that first impression is all-important.

Read Stephanie’s entire article here