Well…not necessarily.

Here’s a cautionary tale we’ve heard more than once:  when a client asked for their website files from their vendor, they were ignored, told “No”, or handed a .txt file of the language they themselves initially provided to the developer. What do you do when you want to change vendors, designers, or hosting services and are told that the website you’ve been using—the one that is recognized by your customers, reflects your brand and communicates your message—isn’t really yours?

In many cases, you’re forced to rebuild the site from scratch—a costly and often unforeseen investment. Why? 
Misleading communications at the onset of the project left you unwittingly uniformed of what you “own”—and don’t own—when it comes to your website. Here are a few things to consider when searching for a firm to create a website for your company or redesign an existing one.

The “website” you see on screen is a complex beast. It is visuals and text…rendered by specific instructions like source code HTML, CSS, and scripts…all of which are contained within content management systems (CMS), databases, and templates…running on platforms…stored on servers-…whoa. If your vendor uses proprietary engines, platforms, software, templates or code to develop your site, they own those elements and likely won’t let you take them to another vendor. Of course, this is the very stuff that makes your site look and function like your site. But unless you created it or negotiated ownership in your contract, it’s not yours. You may be obligated to use that vendor and their product indefinitely because your site may not work in any other environment. This scenario is especially common in subscription-based models that charge a monthly or annual fee for development and hosting.

While ​initial low-cost quotes may be appealing to nonprofits or trade associations with limited budgets, it’s important to consider ROI. There may be greater long-term advantage to investing more dollars upfront for outright ownership of your site than to choosing a model that restricts your organization to a single vendor or product.​

Whatever route you take, be sure to negotiate to ​ow​n not only the content and design of your site, but also its HTML, CSS and JavaScript so you have full control of the source code. Register your own domain name and web-related accounts whenever possible, and record all associated logins and passwords; having control of your accounts gives you flexibility should you decide to change vendors or hosting services down the road. And, if you do select a vendor with proprietary components, be sure they include an appropriate license to use those elements in their contract with you.

For the record, Dever Designs always conveys ownership of design and provides complete archive files of projects to our clients.

A Website Solution That’s Responsive in More Ways Than One.

The National Conservation Leadership Institute (NCLI) has just launched the new version of their website, as redesigned by Dever Designs. NCLI sought our design expertise after a disappointing experience with a web development firm. Our responsive solution—designed to provide a positive user experience on multiple devices—addresses functionality issues in key sections of the site, provides their staff with tools to easily update content and manage the site in-house, and creates an aspirational quality that reflects the passion of the community they serve. Visit www.conservationleadership.org to explore the site and learn more about the important work of this unique organization. Site programming by Blue Atlas Interactive www.blueatlas.com.

*Data source:  www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics