Erluvi - Web Design

Do You Own Your Website? by Healthy Web Design takes a good look at the hidden pain and suffering and control that comes from choosing a cheap web host for your blog compared to making a conscious business decision on how to host your blog.

It’s true, companies such as Yahoo!, SiteBuilder, and Homestead offer some great, and easy-to-use services. If you use their templated designs, you can often have a website up very quickly. And for seemingly little cost.

Yet, as Sara and I soon discussed, there is a cost. And it’s a cost that usually goes without knowing.

Sara thought the design she was using was okay - “good enough for now.” And she felt ready to create the pages of her site using this template from Yahoo! just to get things moving.

Then she asked me a very important question…

“Dawud, if I want to stop using Yahoo!, what do I need to do to move my website,” she asked?

I said, “There’s the crux…you can’t do anything…it’s not your website?”

She said, “What do you mean it’s not my website, I’m paying for it?”

It’s true, she is paying for it. She’s paying for the hosting on Yahoo!’s servers and for the privilege to use their templates for her design. But she doesn’t own any part of the design itself. So once Sara stops using Yahoo! for hosting, she looses her website all together. The only thing she can retain is her content. But only if she gets it off “her” website before closing the account.

When you make the decision to start your own independent blog, on Blogger, WordPress.com, and other free or cheap blogging services and hosts, make sure you know all the fine print. You need to know who controls your blog? You or your host?

The host server needs you have for your blog today are not the server needs your blog may need tomorrow. Think through exactly what you need and then project into the future.

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