I would have to agree with Art.
I also, provide my clients with full service when it comes to hosting and domain services. I like Julie set up my clients with a Gmail account and anything dealing with the website goes thru this email address. The client gets all this information upon payment in full for the website work. For any services that are not included in the price for building the website, my clients provide me with the credit card and information that I need to complete the transactions for them. When all transactions are completed, I send them the copies of the invoices received so that they have them for their business records. Most of the time they are going with the hosting company that I recommend because it makes it easier for me to help them in the future. As far as domain names, I do the same, unless they already have a domain name. Usually the domain name is purchased from a different vendor than the hosting company. As clients, they usually don't want to or don't know how to deal with the technical issues of the internet. They just want a website and want it working the way it should be. That's why they hired us in the first place. Even thought I have set up to resell hosting and domain services, I haven't gotten that part set up on my end just yet. At the moment it is easier just to charge a little extra in the website design and development and included the services. If they don't need the services I will deduct that from their final invoice. So far all my clients have needed the extra help with hosting and domain services. Andrew Lippert eagle_123 Owner, Eagle Web Design [email protected] www.eaglebusinessweb.com (512) 705-1248 From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Art Thompson, Jr. Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:21 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Refresh Austin: 5360] domain names and clients Brandtley, I totally agree that this is something that should be considered before diving in and have heard just about every horror story. However, I would also caution anyone who's gone the route of registering a domain for their client using the client's own account & setting up hosting using the client's own account that you can't simply tell them "it's not my problem--call tech support" when their site's down as you're not being much help to them. And, frankly, may inspire them to look elsewhere. I've chosen my path because I have a rock-solid host and because my clients have requested it and they appreciate that I manage all of the tricky, technical issues. They've each made it clear that, while they do want a website, they don't care at all about updating DNS records. Again, it all depends on what type of shop you want to be. Fortunately, there are many options. Cheers, Art Thompson, Jr. Logical Things, Inc. 917-609-1158 [m] 512-777-1158 [w] www.LogicalThings.com www.twitter.com/LogicalThings www.linkedin.com/in/LogicalThings We design, build and deploy branded Microsites, Landing Pages, Blogs, Eblasts and Whatever Comes Next. -- On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 3:39 PM, Brandtley McMinn <[email protected]> wrote: Be wary of becoming a hosting reseller. Essentially, YOU register the domain and hosting.. so if anything goes wrong, your client calls YOU about it. This becomes a real hassle since you then have to take time out of your other production work to contact your hosting service or debug the hosting account. Not saying the kickbacks on hosting resale isn't nice and all, but it really is a service you should research before delving into. Another option is becoming an affiliate with a hosting provider. So that when your client decides to go with their hosting service, you make a certain percentage as commission for referring them. Just do some research before moving forward with these avenues. Best regards, -- Brandtley McMinn - Creative Director Gigglebox Studios XD [email protected] 512.406.1666 On 6/23/2010 2:38 PM, Art Thompson, Jr. wrote: Hi Holly, I should have been more specific about my billing process, so please allow me to elaborate: 1. I register domains using my own account, but using the client's specified name as the LEGAL OWNER. The last thing in the world you want is to be the LEGAL OWNER of someone else's domain. 2. I simply add the cost of registration as another line item to my invoice for that particular project. 2a. More often than not, if I'm having to register a domain, I'm also setting up hosting. If you haven't already set yourself up as a hosting reseller and are inclined to do so, I would get on this as it makes life much easier. (I use Rackspace Cloud Sites and couldn't be happier. They have an excellent client billing feature and, no, I'm not compensated in any way for saying that.) 3. I usually include a copy of the domain reg bill I receive with my invoice to show the client that I'm not marking up the cost. And why would I, for a few extra bucks? 3a. There's no need for either of us to send each other credit card info. No need to create new domain registrar accounts or Gmail accounts that the clients will never keep track of. Again, since I registered the domain, I get the renewal notices. The only thing worse than a website going down because the domain renewal has lapsed is if it's also snatched up by someone else. Can you think of a worse conversation to have with your client, even if it's to say it was their fault for missing the email(s)? 4. If or when the client does decide to take their business elsewhere, they initiate the transfer to their new domain registrar--this is different from transferring the LEGAL OWNER and MUCH simpler. Then I just unlock the domain and my hands are clean. In short, keep things simple for your clients, but inform them about the various machinations of owning a website. It also comes down to exactly what service you choose to provide for your clients. Are you a full-service shop? Is it determined on a case-by-case basis? The best thing is to explain things and ask if they want to manage and pay for everything themselves or if they want you to provide these services and send them one bill. Most of my clients fall in that second category and have been with me for years. Cheers, Art Thompson, Jr. Logical Things, Inc. 917-609-1158 [m] 512-777-1158 [w] www.LogicalThings.com www.twitter.com/LogicalThings www.linkedin.com/in/LogicalThings We design, build and deploy branded Microsites, Landing Pages, Blogs, Eblasts and Whatever Comes Next. -- On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 12:54 PM, Holly Fortenberry <[email protected]> wrote: Yes, I agree that I'd prefer to have the domain name registered directly to the client, just not sure about the best payment procedure to protect my credit card info. You all are saying to open up the acct. in the clients name, yet, in doing so, I am paying for it with my own company credit card but sending client the password to his/her account; so, that means the client has access to my company credit card info (unless I retype and delete that cc info each time which I guess I could do even though that's a pain). It seems as if there should be a better way, other than asking the client to provide me with their own credit card info. Thank you, Holly Art Thompson, Jr. wrote: Holly, I always register domains for my clients unless they specifically state that this is something they wish to do themselves. This has nothing to do with squeezing an extra few bucks out of them. I register all domains in my clients' names which makes them the "legal owner, thus avoiding issues down the road. It also means thtat I get renewal emails--not them, so I don't have to worry about them miissing it and their site disappearing. Hope this helps. Art Thompson, Jr. Logical Things, Inc. [email protected] 917-609-1158 [m] 512-692-9865 [w] www.LogicalThings.com www.twitter.com/LogicalThings www.linkedin.com/in/LogicalThings We design, build and deploy branded Microsites, Landing Pages, Blogs, Eblasts and Whatever Comes Next. -- On Jun 22, 2010 7:31 PM, "Mark Phillip" <[email protected]> wrote: Hey Holly, I always try to avoid it. The few dollars you'll save in registration costs isn't worth the pain of dealing with transferring the domain to the client at a later date. Thanks, Mark http://markphillip.com On Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 7:19 PM, Brandtley McMinn <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hey Holly, >... -- Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Refresh Austin" group. [ Posting ] To post to this group, send email to [email protected] Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy We do not accept job posts from recruiters. [ Unsubscribe ] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] [ More Info ] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin -- Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Refresh Austin" group. [ Posting ] To post to this group, send email to [email protected] Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy We do not accept job posts from recruiters. [ Unsubscribe ] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] <mailto:refresh-austin%[email protected]> [ More Info ] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin -- Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Refresh Austin" group. [ Posting ] To post to this group, send email to [email protected] Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy We do not accept job posts from recruiters. [ Unsubscribe ] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] [ More Info ] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin -- Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Refresh Austin" group. [ Posting ] To post to this group, send email to [email protected] Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy We do not accept job posts from recruiters. [ Unsubscribe ] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] <mailto:refresh-austin%[email protected]> [ More Info ] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin -- Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Refresh Austin" group. [ Posting ] To post to this group, send email to [email protected] Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy We do not accept job posts from recruiters. [ Unsubscribe ] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] [ More Info ] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin -- Our Web site: http://www.RefreshAustin.org/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Refresh Austin" group. [ Posting ] To post to this group, send email to [email protected] Job-related postings should follow http://tr.im/refreshaustinjobspolicy We do not accept job posts from recruiters. [ Unsubscribe ] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] [ More Info ] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Refresh-Austin
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