Owning your website, domain and logins

Many practices find out who owns their website only when they try to leave their web designer or agency. The domain turns out to be registered to the agency, the site is built on a platform only they can access, and the content “belongs to” them under a contract nobody read. Sorting this out before there’s a problem takes an afternoon.

The four things to own

• The domain name. It should be registered in the practice’s name, under an account the practice controls, with a practice email address (not a staff member’s personal one) and auto-renew turned on. A lapsed domain takes your website and often your email down with it.
• Hosting. Either the practice holds the hosting account, or the contract says the agency will hand over the site files and database when asked.
• The content. The text, photos, logo and design you paid for. Your contract should say the practice owns them.
• The accounts around the site: Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile, your online booking tool and any ad accounts. The practice should be the owner, with the agency added as a user.

Logins

Keep every login in a password manager that the practice owner controls. Turn on two-step verification where it’s offered. When an office manager or a vendor leaves, remove their access and change shared passwords the same week. Once a year, check that you can actually log in to each account; finding out during an emergency is too late.

Proprietary platforms

Some dental marketing companies build sites on their own platforms. That can work fine, but it usually means you can’t take the site with you, only the content. Know that before you sign, and get a written commitment to export your content, photos and redirect information if you leave.

What to ask a web designer

1. Who will own the domain, hosting, content and design, in writing?
2. Will the practice have its own admin login to the website, analytics and Search Console from day one?
3. What happens if we leave: what do we get, in what format, and how quickly?
4. Will you redirect old page addresses if the site structure changes, so existing links and rankings aren’t lost?
5. Will you sign a business associate agreement if the site or its forms handle patient information?
6. Who writes the service pages, and will a dentist approve them before they go live?

The guide to hiring a dental marketing agency covers contracts and red flags in more depth.

Your checklist

The free dental website checklist covers every item in this guide on one page. Work through it on a phone with your team, then again whenever the site changes.