Keep Control of your Online Presence

In every industry, there are good & bad service providers but when your online presence is so important it pays to work with experienced professionals.

I have been a web developer in web/digital for 30 years and come across some shady operators over the years but since 2020, the industry has been exploding with new digital agencies. Many of these newer agencies lack experience and some are just outright scam artists (sorry but it’s true)

I am not sure if the issues I am seeing are down to a lack of knowledge or agencies taking advantage of clients with limited digital experience.

It’s one of those things that makes me angry! Here are my tips on how to keep control of your online presence!

Secure your online presence

Your online presence is usually made up of a website, social media accounts and your various other logins.

If you don’t have an online presence yet and need help with a domain & social media handles, check out my blog on Choosing a Website Domain

Domain Name

The number 1 most important part of your online presence is your domain name. It’s your business address on the internet so never hand over the ownership to someone else.

I regularly see domains transferred to agencies but you don’t need to do that, we don’t need to own them, we just need to have access to them.

How to buy a domain or set up an account so your domain can be transferred to you

Head over to NameCheap.com to set up an account. You can purchase domain names or have them transferred to you simply and easily. Transfers to Namecheap are easy to do and list the 3 steps of how to transfer on their website.

Website Hosting

I have maintenance and care plans that include hosting, but if you wish to self-host, that’s fine too.

I can assist you in setting up your hosting and you can give me collaborative access or add me as a team member then remove me at any time.

I work with 3 hosting companies that allow Collaboration Access so we can have access without needing your account details. We can set up your website, hosting, CDN, SSL etc and you can remove the collaboration after the project is complete.

Cloudways

Cloudways is my favourite Hosting as it’s fast and secure. It is managed VPS hosting and is a little more technical than the other hosts I mention but it’s worth it if you want a blazing-fast website.

Once you purchase Cloudways you can add me as a team member so I can configure it for you and install WordPress and anything else you need.

WPX

WPX have very Fast WordPress Hosting + email and other services included. WPX has lovely customer service that are very helpful and they offer free migrations too

Once your purchase hosting you can add me as a contact and I can set up everything for you. You can remove me at any time.

WPengine

WPEngine is highly recommended -if you are self-hosting. They have the best customer service we have encountered, they are safe, and secure and have some great features for self-hosting clients.

It’s easy to purchase. Simply choose the package you need (the first one is right for most), use the generic settings & pay the annual price

SiteGround

Siteground is a 1 stop shop and they sell domains + include email in their very well-priced packages. Site grounds Customer care isn’t my favourite but if you aren’t doing much other than some text changes to your website, these guys are all you need.

Whilst WPengine is the best hosting, we have used Siteground successfully for many clients.

Their user panel is very simple for beginners and there are a lot of inclusions such as email.

There is an Australian Data Centre which is great if you are Australian-based

SiteGround Signup and Collaboration

To use collaboration you will need to purchase either GrowBig or GoGeek

• GoGeek is the best package as it has priority support + other techy stuff that is useful for a fast website.
• GrowBig is ample tho if you want to keep your costs down.
• The startup doesn’t offer Collaboration so if you wish to use this package there are 3 options
  • You provide your login
  • You set up the hosting and provide a migration code
  • You set up the hosting and provide an administrator login to WordPress

Please note that the pricing shown is for your initial purchase so if you buy 12 months of GoGeek you will pay $14.99pm ($197 annually) but in 12 months the rate will go up to $49.99. So Purchase 2 years if you wish to get the low prices locked in.

What is a Website Collaborator?

The collaborator is a user with access to the Site Tools of your site (without the email section). They have their own SiteGround Client Area and do not log into yours.

They can request support from SiteGround regarding your website or others. You can add collaborators when you wish to give access to developers, designers or others to collaborate on your site. This service is available on GrowBig and has higher hosting plans.

How do I add a Collaborator?

To add a collaborator to your site, go to your Client Area (click on your profile icon in the top right of your screen) then select Manage Users. Then, click on the Add New User button and a pop-up window will appear where you can select the collaborator option.

If you need any help when you set up website hosting please get in touch and I can sort that out for you as part of my WordPress VIP Intensive.

Google Business Profile

Once you set this up you can share it with others and remove them when they are no longer part of your team.

Social Media

There is nothing worse than having your social media hacked. If you have someone help you with social media you can give them editor access on Facebook or you can use a social media tool such as publer and give limited access to others whilst they work with you.

Always keep your passwords safe and secure and don’t share them with anyone

I hope you found this blog useful and are taking steps to secure your online presence. It’s too important not to

Until Next Time