Technology can be very intimidating and a helping hand is usually sought after quite frequently - even I do it! The problem occurs when a business or organization invests in a website that stays with a webmaster. Sure, not all webmasters are bad, but if the everyone in the web firm died - the business or organization would have no recourse but to build a new one. The primary example of this is when a web firm sells a company an "inexpensive" website where they purchase the domain name, takes care of the hosting, and charge a monthly maintenance fee. It has become so common now, at every client meeting I attend, that's usually one of the first questions - "Sure there's the initial investment, but what are you going to charge us to maintain the website?" The answer should be simple - "Unless you need me, there are no additional charges."
The problem with a contractual agreement such as this is that purchasing business or organization doesn't have actual control. Often times domains or hosting packages are purchased with the recipients name, address and phone number, but the email, login and password are still associated with the web firm. This doesn't help at all - because the web firm could potentially walk away and steel the domain name and website!
Always Own Your Domian.
I don't care what other web firms or design companies will tell you, it is worth learning how to purchase/own your domain name - and at least know enough about them to have administrative writes. You can easily set up a technical contact that your web firm can use to do what they need to with it, but in the end - YOU - not they - should be in control of the domain's account. If you find yourself asking - "I wonder who owns my domain?" Then you really need to contact the company you worked with in developing your website and get the domain name transfered into your name.
Always Own Your Hosting.
Hosting through a small company that "Does It All" - may work perfectly for you! As long as they are a moral and reputable company, you will be fine. The problem is when you find out too late that the company or individual that your business or organization is hosting through is temperamental. If you own your domain name, you should own the hosting. Give your web firm a tech sub account (it is important to find out if the company you want to own the hosting through - like GoDaddy or Network Solutions - offers that option) so they can log in and have FTP and SQL access. In the end, you should be the one who own the "Delete Account Forever" power, not the web firm.
Never Fall For the "Maintenance" Gag.
A lot of companies will sell you on "$40-a-month" maintenance packages in addition to your web design. If you are going to use it - then prefect. However, most businesses won't use it as often as they originally think- so be very careful. If you're going to invest in maintenance, and you're not sure how much you'll need, do a 2-4 month trial of using a "pay-as-you-go" modification system (assuming your web firm will allow this). In other words, when you want to make a modification, just send it to your web firm and pay the hourly rate. After a few months of this, look at how much you've spent and then see if investing in a maintenance package is right for you. You'll be very surprised.
Wrapping Up.
Again, always own your domain, hosting, and never pay more that you think you'll need on maintenance you may never use. I spent two years working at Network Solutions and "Stolen Websites" or "Lost Websites" were two of the the hottest issue that would come through over our support lines. Do yourself a favor and don't let it happen to you!
ZakGraphix - “Raising the Standard of Design, One Website at a Time.”
Micah Zak
St. Louis Web Design – ZakGraphix.com