How can business owners protect their web sites and online assets?
Webdesigners should make a full backup copy available to every site owner on request; right after the webdesign is complete and online. As the webdesign progress, a new backup copy should be available to you. Content managed web sites or the so-called Database websites, the actual database and a backup of your normal webdesign should be available to you. Ask your webdesign person up front, even before you choose a particular designer, if the source code and webdesign files would be available to you.

Graphics and content for your web site
If you as a business owner pay a person to design graphics and write up content for your web site, you are entitled to this content and in reality the owner of it. webdesign Tip: Your web graphics are utilised on letterheads and business stationary - why pay another graphic designer for this - insist on the content that is rightfully yours. You own them because you paid for them.

Let's look at domain webhosting
I have also come across very suspect webhosting companies. Some webhosting companies physically disable the standard functions in the control panel of their server, so the owner of a web site cannot log in and create web site backups! Why would they do that? Yes there are space limitations on any webhosting server, however why would one keep a backup on the same server? Should the webhosting server ever have a problem it would only make sense to have your webdesign backed up elsewhere. Let us look at Server Reliability. Some webhosting companies look very promising up front. The smaller company that is just entering the wild world of online advertising may find nothing wrong with his webhosting company. Now it gets to a point where the business would like to start selling online and promote his services through having an online blog and a bigger better web site is required. Therefore, he pays the regular webdesign person to do the webdesign and host it where it was all the time... The business and site gains hacker attention and is down three out of five days! Make very sure your server is secure. If you have to, get your webdesign done and host it on a server for a probation period. If you are not happy, use your backup copy of your webdesign and get a reputable webhosting company to move the web site for you.

Always think of the future when having webdesign done!
It is very unpleasant and unprofessional to have online clients get to your business web site and it is offline. Error pages drive visitors away and 90% of them will not return as they start to fear that your web site is not trustworthy to open on their computers. Everybody by now knows that often we get lead to suspicious web sites through e-mails. I personally recommend rather paying a little more for a lot more in future by webhosting with a reputable company. Support Does the webhosting and webdesign company provide you with a phone number so that you can call them when you have a problem? Do you have to talk to a server through e-mail with hardly any human intervention? I have found that when webhosting companies provide you with a phone number to talk to a real person, they more then likely have the structure in place to provide you the excellent service that you need for something as important as your business web site.