It’s the start of a New Year and the beginning of a new cycle in your internet business. Now is a good time to check and update the login information for your online accounts to make sure you that you still have access to your accounts and are still in control of them. You might think that “being in control” is an odd statement, but trust me if you have ever received a call from a website owner who has had their website hijacked and they need your help to try and regain access to it, it’s not that odd.
Do You Know Your Login Information
If you are a business owner who is working online, you should have a record of all the accounts you are using. From your website domain and hosting accounts to your social media, email and the other online resources you are utilizing (PPC, Analytics, Retail Marketing etc.), it is important for you to be able to access your accounts when you need them.
It may seem like common sense, but over the year’s I’ve gotten panicked calls from clients who have received some type of notice that there is a problem with their account and they cannot access the account to see what the issue is.
Even if you are using an internet marketing company to run aspects of your online business make sure you have access to your accounts. Internet marketing companies come and go, don’t assume your current company will have the access you need.
And if possible don’t give an internet marketing company the highest level of access to your accounts, many times an owner will give full access when they don’t have to just so they don’t have to deal with any future headaches.
Types of Issues you Run Could Into
Website issues – knowing how to access your website hosting account is vital because if there is ever an issue with your website this is where you are going to need to have access to.
Domain issues – When its time to renew and maybe your credit card is out-of-date, you’ll need to access the account to update your information.
Email issues – especially if you are using a third party email host, if your email goes down you’ll need access to trouble-shoot it.
Social Media issues – If you are letting someone else manage your Social Media and you don’t have the Admin access yourself then you are hoping that they will have your best interests in mind everytime.
Billing issues – It is standard on the Internet to be set up with recurring payments, if you get a billing notice from an account you set up a year ago and barely used (and forgot about) and now its time to pay your yearly bill and you don’t know you access information it will mean a lot of time tracking down some type of customer support to help you out.
Keep a Copy of Your Logins Offline
You should always keep a hard copy of your logins offline, this doesn’t mean in a file on your computer because sometimes computers crash and then your files could be lost for good.
Some types of security software allow you to store files in the Cloud which is a good idea, but having a hard copy in a file someplace that you have access to is an “old school” way to make sure you have access to your accounts.
Make sure you stay on top of your business from the start because it makes it easier to update your information as you grow and don’t rely on someone else to keep track of your access information, if you don’t know your business do you really own your business!
TYFYS
DMC