A Story Every Business Owner Should Pay Attention To
Yesterday I was trying to book an appointment with a local business.
Nothing unusual there.
I had been there before, so I clicked the bookmark I already had saved in my browser and expected to land on their website.
Instead, I got a 404 error.
Okay. Annoying, but it happens.
Websites get moved. Pages get renamed. Sometimes somebody accidentally deletes something they shouldn’t.
So I headed over to their Facebook page to find the correct website.
The Facebook page was still pointing to the same broken website.
Then I checked Instagram.
Same thing.
At this point, I figured maybe they had switched websites and simply forgotten to update a few links.
So I did a Google search.
I found what appeared to be another website, but it didn’t look quite right. The branding was right. The content felt incomplete and outdated. It just wasn’t what I remembered.
Something seemed off.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I picked up the phone and called them.
What I found out was honestly kind of heartbreaking.
Their website person had disappeared.
Whether they retired, moved away, closed shop, skipped the country, or simply vanished into the ether, doesn’t matter. What I do know is that the business owner was left trying to untangle a mess they didn’t create.
And unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen it happen.
The Problem Isn’t the Website
Well… not really.
The website is just the symptom.
The real problem is that too many business owners don’t actually control the assets their business relies on.
I know. It’s not exciting.
Nobody starts a business dreaming about domain registrars, hosting accounts, DNS settings, admin permissions, and login credentials.
But those boring little details can turn into a major headache surprisingly fast.
I’ve seen business owners locked out of websites, lose access to social media pages; and I’ve seen Google Business Profiles that nobody can get into because the original creator left years ago.
I’ve even seen situations where a business owner didn’t technically own their own domain name.
Imagine discovering that after ten years of building a brand around it.
Your Website Isn’t Just Marketing
This is where I think a lot of people get tripped up.
They see the website as a marketing expense.
Something nice to have.
Something that helps people find them. That is all.
But your website is an asset.
Your domain name is an asset.
Your Google Business Profile is an asset.
Your Facebook page, Instagram account, LinkedIn company page, and online directory listings are assets too.
They’re part of your business infrastructure.
If your phone company disconnected your business number tomorrow, you’d notice.
If somebody changed the locks on your office, you’d notice.
If customers suddenly couldn’t find your website, book appointments, contact you, or verify your hours, you’d notice that too.
The problem is that many business owners don’t realize how dependent they are on these systems until something breaks.
“But I Trust My Website Person”
Good.
You should.
Most website designers, marketers, developers, and SEO professionals are good people who genuinely want their clients to succeed.
I’ve worked with some fantastic professionals over the years.
This isn’t about trust.
It’s about preparedness.
People retire.
People change careers.
People get sick.
Businesses close.
Life happens.
Even if your website person is wonderful, there should still be a way for you to access your own assets if something unexpected occurs.
Think of it like having a spare house key.
Having one doesn’t mean you don’t trust the person holding the other key.
It just means you’re being smart.
A Quick Reality Check
If I asked you these questions right now, could you answer them?
- Where is your domain name registered?
- Who owns the hosting account?
- Do you have administrator access to your website?
- Do you know how to log into your Google Business Profile?
- Are you an admin on your Facebook page?
- Could you access everything if your current website provider disappeared tomorrow?
A surprising number of business owners can’t answer those questions.
And please don’t take that as criticism.
Most of them have never been taught to ask.
They hired someone to build a website, assumed everything was handled properly, and got back to running their business.
That’s completely understandable.
But it’s worth checking.
The Cost of a Missing Website
The business owner I spoke with today wasn’t just dealing with a technical problem.
They are dealing with confused customers.
People clicking dead links.
People wondering whether the business is still operating.
People potentially booking elsewhere because they couldn’t find the information they needed.
How many people saw that broken website and simply moved on?
We’ll never know.
That’s the frustrating part.
Most business owners only see the customers who call.
They never see the customers who leave.
My Recommendation
Own your assets.
Not necessarily to manage them.
Not necessarily to update them.
Not necessarily to spend your evenings learning DNS records.
Just own them.
Keep copies of your logins.
Make sure your domain is registered in your name.
Make sure you have access to your hosting.
Make sure you’re listed as an owner on your Google Business Profile.
Make sure you’re an administrator on your social media accounts.
Then, if you hire a professional to help manage those things, fantastic.
That’s often the best use of your time.
But if circumstances change, you’ll still be able to access what belongs to you.
Five Minutes Today Could Save You Weeks Later
Before you close this page, take a few minutes and make a list.
- Where is your website hosted?
- Who owns the domain?
- Who has access to your social media accounts?
- Can you get into your Google Business Profile?
- Do you know where your website backups are stored?
You don’t need all the answers immediately.
You just need to start asking the questions.
Because trust me, discovering you don’t have access after something breaks is a much worse time to learn the lesson.
And if today’s story proves anything, it’s that this isn’t some rare problem that only happens to other people.
It happens more often than you might think.
