Recently, several new clients have told us about a tricky tactic going around from a very large, very recognizable media company. I won’t identify the company by name – but I will share a few insights and things to consider if you find yourself a target.
You can read the full post of what the pitch looks like and what to watch out for on www.fivesparrows.com/blog, but here is a quick summary of what you should know:
1. Who owns the website after it is developed? (Not the domain or URL, but the actual website files)
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2. Can you host the site anywhere you choose?
3. Are you "locked in" to a proprietary system? Can you make your own updates with any standard tools?
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4. Do you get to keep the "tracking phone numbers" (or landing page URLs, etc.) for your campaigns, or are they reassigned to other companies if you move on?
No matter how good the solution sounds, make sure you understand what the company is really going to do with your website or other web “properties” they set up for you. Several of our refugee clients have told us that although the initial pitch was for a “leading edge” website and SEO improvements, the company was ultimately trying to sell them services like Google PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads, print ads, and ads on other web properties.
In using this company's "solution", our refugee clients learned their websites had been moved into company-specific systems on locked hosting accounts, and once the contract was cancelled they no longer had access to their websites.
Your website is a business asset that you should fully own and have control over, regardless of what web or marketing firm you work with. Make sure you don't inadvertently lock yourself into a solution you cannot move forward with.
