Last week, John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing brought up a very good point that if you own a website, you should have control over your domain name. It sounds obvious, but many website owners don’t. With that said, here are three important lessons that I have learned from working at a Web design firm:

1. Know the Information
   It is fine if your website designer registers your domain name and secures your hosting, but be sure that you get vendor information, account numbers, usernames, passwords, and expiration dates for both your domain records and your hosting company. This information is necessary if you ever plan to have any other designers work on your website.
2. If It’s Flash, Own It
   If you own a 100% Flash website, be sure that you own a copy of the design file. This is not the file that is uploaded to the Web server (.swf file) but is a file that allows designers to make changes (.fla file). It is a good thing to have in case your designer drops off the face of the earth and you need another designer to update your site. To read more about Flash problems, SitePoint has a good article on the detriments of 100% Flash.
3. If Necessary, Use a Safety Net
   The task of managing account information can be difficult for some website owners. If you think you will have trouble remembering and managing important information like when your hosting or domain name expires, find a dependable designer or staff member who can help you manage it. Make them your safety net. Forgetting to renew an expiring domain name is not an enjoyable experience.