Setting up client domain registrations and hosting accounts
A friend who has just recently started in the web development business asked me what I do about client domain names and hosting accounts - who signs up for the them, and those name they are put in. I thought I'd repeat my answer here, in case it's helpful to someone else.
I've developed a system over the years which works well for me, so I'll explain it and the reasons for it.
I handle the two - domains and hosting - differently.
For domain names, first and foremost, I never register a client's domain under my name or business name. I don't think there's any reason to, and don't think it's in the best interests of the client, since he should always have control over his own domain name.
if the client already has his own domain names registered, I just ask for the login information for his account with the domain registrar, so that I can access the account to set the name servers. There is seldom any other reason for me to access that account. If the client needs a new domain name or names registered, and is comfortable doing it himself, I encourage that, but try to influence his choice of registrars, since I've found that some are much easier to deal with than others. I also ask him to be sure to make a note of his login information and give it to me.
If the client prefers that I do the registering, I'm glad to do it. I make sure I know what name, address, email address, etc., the client wants to use, as well as getting his credit card number, and put both the account and the domain name entirely in his name.
I handle hosting differently, for two reasons. (1) There is a more pressing reason to have the hosting account in my name: I will need to contact the host at times, and most hosts will not deal with a third party unless that party is authorized in some way by the person who owns the account. Of course, my client can inform the host that I am authorized to make decisions about the account, but when there's something urgent that needs to be done, that can be a real pain. (2) Legally/ethically, having the hosting account in my name is a lot different than having a domain name in my name; a business can depend entirely upon a domain name, whereas a particular hosting account isn't mission-critical. As long as the client has a backup copy of his own web site files, if the web developer were to be hit by a bus, he could carry on with his business without any serious problems.
A third reason for putting hosting accounts in my name is that at times, I have many client hosting accounts to look after, and it's much easier for me to have them all at one host under my name.
That's my system. By the way, the hosts I use for almost everything are HostMySite.com and CrystalTech.com, and the domain registrar I use is GoDaddy.com.
I've developed a system over the years which works well for me, so I'll explain it and the reasons for it.
I handle the two - domains and hosting - differently.
For domain names, first and foremost, I never register a client's domain under my name or business name. I don't think there's any reason to, and don't think it's in the best interests of the client, since he should always have control over his own domain name.
if the client already has his own domain names registered, I just ask for the login information for his account with the domain registrar, so that I can access the account to set the name servers. There is seldom any other reason for me to access that account. If the client needs a new domain name or names registered, and is comfortable doing it himself, I encourage that, but try to influence his choice of registrars, since I've found that some are much easier to deal with than others. I also ask him to be sure to make a note of his login information and give it to me.
If the client prefers that I do the registering, I'm glad to do it. I make sure I know what name, address, email address, etc., the client wants to use, as well as getting his credit card number, and put both the account and the domain name entirely in his name.
I handle hosting differently, for two reasons. (1) There is a more pressing reason to have the hosting account in my name: I will need to contact the host at times, and most hosts will not deal with a third party unless that party is authorized in some way by the person who owns the account. Of course, my client can inform the host that I am authorized to make decisions about the account, but when there's something urgent that needs to be done, that can be a real pain. (2) Legally/ethically, having the hosting account in my name is a lot different than having a domain name in my name; a business can depend entirely upon a domain name, whereas a particular hosting account isn't mission-critical. As long as the client has a backup copy of his own web site files, if the web developer were to be hit by a bus, he could carry on with his business without any serious problems.
A third reason for putting hosting accounts in my name is that at times, I have many client hosting accounts to look after, and it's much easier for me to have them all at one host under my name.
That's my system. By the way, the hosts I use for almost everything are HostMySite.com and CrystalTech.com, and the domain registrar I use is GoDaddy.com.
posted by Patty Ayers at
9:59 AM
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