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Many small (and big firms), organisation’s and even individuals (like blogger’s) rely on the service of a web site designer to provide internet site maintenance and website hosting. So what happens when your web designer goes missing?

This basically can be more significant than you might think. By sharing a recent experience, hopefully it will provide understanding of the possible issues.

Situation

I was approached by a client whose current web site designer, who was also providing hosting, had advised that they were ceasing to trade to pursue other interests. The web site designer had been very fair about this on their own web site and advising that they might provide support to current customers to transfer to a new provider. This included listing email addresses, mobile and landline telephone numbers.

I agreed to take on the site and set about the work to transfer the domain to my webhosting service so that we could transfer the internet site.

The customer supplied access to their Control Panel that permitted me to access the web site files, email accounts, for example. Nevertheless it did not permit the change of domain TAG or nameservers to transfer the website hosting.

Issues

When I looked at the internet site I realized that it had been developed employing a CMS (content management system), meaning that I couldn’t just copy the source files to upload to the new website hosting account.

The client did not have the required log-ins, passwords to use the CMS to enable the back up of database, source files, etc in order that they might be transferred.

It became very clear that we would need the support of the current web site designer to help facilitate the moving of domain and web site files.

I sent two emails to the website designer asking for clarification on what package was used to develop the internet site and if they could make the changes to the domain TAG and nameservers. Unfortunately no reply.

I asked the client to contact the client. Again no reply.

Over several days, countless endeavours by the customer a myself were made to contact the web designer. Sadly no answer.

I then attempted calling and leaving voice messages on the listed numbers. I even sent some texts to the mobile.

At about that point I was getting awfully concerned particularly as the domain was due for renewal at the end of April and didn’t require the client to chance losing the site name.

Fortunately , the site name had been registered in the clients name, not the web designer. This allowed me to contact Nominet (the UK registry of .uk domains).

They were very helpful and could see that the domain was in the client's’s name and confirmed that it would be possible to utilise the “Reestablish Identity Process” to recover control over the domain. This is a great service that permits the domain owner (or their website designer) to apply to recover control over the their domain. The service costs £10+vat and as long as an appropriate document on headed paper can be produced confirming the right to the domain, Nominet will allow the owner to regain control.

Luckily , just as the customer and myself were going to go down the route of “Reestablishing Identity”, the site design got in touch, changed the TAG and I transferred the domain to my service.

Unfortunately, while this process was going on, I had to redesign the web site for the customer as I did not think we would get access to the old web site.

Closing thoughts

This is a genuine world example. So so as to try and protect your domain and site:

– Always ask for the domain to be registered in your own name
– Ask for all of the required log-ins to Control Panel’s, online products used to develop your website (i.e. WordPress, Joomla, etc)
– Ask about the web designers policy for transferring your site

The 1st point is really important. If the domain is registered in your website designers name they're the legal owner, you can not use the “Restablish Identity Process”. This may then require you using the Nominet Dispute process (which can sometimes be extremely dear dependent on the level of enquiry) or the small claims court. All very time intensive, expensive and nerve-wrangling.

Read similar practical articles on my blog, Web Design Colchester.

Simon Wilkinson is the founder of Digital Ark, Colchester Web Design. Providing website design, website hosting and local mobile search solutions including Pay Monthly Website.