3 Things I Wish I Had Checked Before Saying "Please Handle Everything"
3 Things I Wish I Had Checked Before Saying "Please Handle Everything"
When I outsourced my website, I knew almost nothing.
Servers.
Domains.
WordPress.
SSL.
Maintenance fees.
Management fees.
I had heard the words, but that was it.
However, I didn't understand what each one meant or how much I really needed to know about them.
So, in the middle of the meeting, I said this:
"I'm not good with that kind of thing, so could you please handle everything?"
At the time, I thought that was the safest decision.
I have my main business.
I have my daily work.
I have to deal with customers.
I also have to think about money.
On top of that, I didn't have the energy to study the technical aspects of a website.
So, I left it to the experts.
I don't think that in itself was wrong.
Even now, I don't think I should have done it all myself.
The problem was that I thought "delegating" and "handing it over without knowing anything" were the same thing.
It's okay to outsource.
It's okay to rely on experts.
It's okay to ask others to do things you're not good at.
But I should have checked at least the bare minimum.
If I were doing it now, before outsourcing a website, I would at least ask these three things.
1. Whose name is the domain registered under?
First, the domain.
For example,
example.com
example.jp
example.net
Things like these, which serve as the address for a website.
Who is managing this?
Is it me?
Is it the production company?
In whose name is the contract?
Can I access the management screen?
Can it be transferred?
It is better to check these things.
In the past, I took domains quite lightly.
I only cared about how the website looked.
The design of the top page.
The atmosphere of the photos.
The layout of the text.
The inquiry form.
Of course, I think those are important too.
But looking back, there was a more fundamental part.
Who holds the address of that site?
Proceeding without knowing this is quite scary.
Because a domain is much more important than the appearance.
You put it on business cards.
You put it on flyers.
You tell customers about it.
You link to it from social media.
It is recognized by Google.
Over time, trust accumulates in that URL.
Yet, if you are in a state where you cannot manage that domain yourself, you may run into trouble later.
I want to change the production company.
I want to change the server.
I want to rebuild the website.
I want to review the contract.
When you think that,
"We manage the domain here"
"Procedures are required for transfer"
"If you cancel, it may become unusable"
If you are told that, it suddenly becomes scary.
I am not saying that there was malicious intent from the beginning.
However, if the sole proprietor knows nothing, they cannot even stand on the starting line of negotiations.
When the topic of domains comes up,
"I don't really understand, so I'll leave it to you"
is what people end up saying.
At that moment, you are handing over a part of your business's identity without really understanding what it entails.
Therefore, you should at least ask these questions.
"In whose name is the domain registered?"
"Can I also access the management dashboard?"
"Can I transfer it to another company in the future?"
"Can I continue to use this domain after canceling the contract?"
I think just asking these questions makes a significant difference.
You don't need to understand every technical explanation.
But,
"who holds the address of your business"
is something you should at least know.
2. Do you also have the login information?
Next is login information.
This was also truly important.
When you have a website built, several management dashboards will appear.
For example,
The WordPress dashboard.
The server dashboard.
The domain dashboard.
The email dashboard.
The analytics dashboard.
Of course, you don't need to touch all of them every day.
In fact, if you touch them without knowing what you are doing, there is a possibility you might break something.
Therefore, you usually leave it to the production company.
That sounds good.
But it is dangerous to have no knowledge of your login information at all.
I used to be quite vague about this myself.
"We will handle the updates."
"We will take care of the management."
"Please contact us if you need anything."
When you are told that, it feels reassuring.
You don't have to touch it yourself.
There is no worry about breaking it by mistake.
You don't have to think about troublesome things.
That sense of relief was significant.
But looking back, it wasn't so much that I was reassured, but rather that I had just stopped thinking about it.
For example, when you want to fix a little bit of text.
You want to change business hours.
You want to change prices.
You want to post an announcement.
You want to delete old information.
You want to replace a photo.
Even for such small corrections, you need to contact them every time.
And then, you wait for their reply.
Wait one day.
Wait two days.
Wait even longer in some cases.
Even though it is just a one-line correction, you cannot fix your own website yourself.
This is quietly exhausting.
Moreover, what is even scarier is when it comes to cancellation or migration.
Without login information, you cannot check your own site, even though it is yours.
Is there a backup?
Where is the data?
Who is the administrator?
Is it in a state where it can be handed over to another company?
You don't even know that.
Saying "I want to cancel" in this state makes you feel quite anxious.
That is why you should ask before outsourcing.
Will the WordPress login information be shared?
Do I also have administrator privileges?
Can I verify the server login information?
Where are the backups located?
Can I perform basic updates myself?
The important thing here is,
not that you do all the work yourself.
It is to have an escape route.
If something happens, you can check it.
You can consult with others.
You can have other options.
You won't be completely dependent on the other party.
That alone makes a big difference.
I think some people are afraid to say, "Please give me the login information."
I was the same way.
I felt like I was somehow doubting the other person.
I felt like I was acting arrogant even though I'm an amateur.
I wondered if it was okay to ask such things.
But now, I think differently.
It is okay to ask.
In fact, it is more dangerous not to ask.
Since it is the website for your own business, checking the login information was a normal thing to do.
The reason I couldn't ask wasn't just because I lacked knowledge.
I didn't want to be thought of as someone who doesn't understand.
I didn't want to be thought of as a troublesome client.
I didn't want to create an awkward atmosphere.
I had those feelings.
But that hesitation will cause you suffering later.
3. Can you explain the details of the costs you pay every month?
Finally, the monthly costs.
I really wish I had checked this as well.
When you outsource a website, there are sometimes monthly fees in addition to the production costs.
Maintenance fees.
Management fees.
Server costs.
SSL fees.
Update fees.
Support fees.
SEO fees.
They go by many names.
Of course, the monthly fee itself is not inherently bad.
Some costs are necessary if they are actually doing the work.
Security updates.
Backups.
Troubleshooting.
Minor revisions.
Server management.
Fixing form issues.
Access analysis reports.
It is not strange to pay for things like these.
The problem is,
not being able to explain what you are paying for.
I used to be quite vague about this in the past.
I was being charged every month.
But I didn't really understand the breakdown.
"It's a maintenance fee."
"It's a server cost."
"It's a management fee."
When I was told that, I just assumed that was how it was.
However, when I thought about it calmly later, I had questions.
What exactly is being maintained?
How often are they working on it?
Is the amount the same even in months with no updates?
Is the server cost the actual expense?
What is included in the support fee?
Is text revision a separate charge?
Is image replacement a separate charge?
Will they fix it if the contact form breaks?
I hadn't properly asked about these things.
I think the scary thing about monthly fees is that each individual amount seems small.
5,000 yen a month.
10,000 yen a month.
15,000 yen a month.
At the time, I could manage to pay it.
"Well, I guess it's a necessary expense."
"I suppose this much can't be helped."
"I'm leaving it to the experts, after all."
That is what I would think.
However, when that continues for one, three, or five years, it becomes quite significant.
Moreover, I don't even know what was being done for me during that time.
This is the scary part.
Regardless of whether it's expensive or cheap, it has become an expense I cannot explain.
When running a business, fixed costs have a quiet but steady impact.
They go out little by little every month. But I'm afraid to stop them. Reviewing them is also a hassle. And it's awkward to ask about them.
As a result, I end up just paying them indefinitely.
I have a lot of regrets about this.
I wish I had asked sooner.
What is included in this monthly fee? What specific work do you do each month? Is the fee the same even in months with no updates? What is the actual cost of the server? What is the difference between maintenance fees and update fees? If I cancel, what happens to my site and data?
I wish I had asked these questions at the beginning.
If the other party is a reputable company, I believe they should be able to explain it normally.
Conversely, if their explanation is vague or the atmosphere suddenly turns sour, that's the point where you should pause and reconsider.
Monthly fees are not inherently bad.
However, 'paying every month without really knowing why' is dangerous.
'Leaving it all to someone else' can sometimes turn into dependency rather than peace of mind.
You don't need to study everything about websites yourself.
Sole proprietors are busy.
You have your main business. You have clients. You have to think about daily sales. There is administrative work. There are things at home to take care of.
That is why I think it is natural to outsource things you are not good at.
However, when outsourcing, I shouldn't have given up even the minimum level of control.
I made a mistake there.
"I don't know, so please handle it."
This is not a bad phrase.
But,
"I don't know, so I won't check anything."
"I don't know, so I'll pay whatever is asked."
"I don't know, so I don't need the login information."
"I don't know, so I don't need to read the contract terms."
It's dangerous to go that far.
Entrusting someone with a task is different from dumping it on them entirely.
Trusting someone is different from not verifying things.
I wasn't able to distinguish between those two.
I think I was probably just anxious.
I know I need a website.
But I don't know what to do or how to do it.
I don't want to fail.
I don't want to create something strange.
But I can't judge it myself.
That's why I wanted someone to tell me, "It's going to be okay."
I still understand that feeling even now.
However, as long as you are running a business,
"handing everything over because you want peace of mind"
is dangerous.
You don't need to have expert knowledge from the start.
But if it involves your own business, you should at least perform a minimum level of verification.
List of things to ask before outsourcing
If I were to outsource a website now, these are the things I would ask.
About the domain
・In whose name will the domain be registered?
・Will I also have access to the management dashboard?
・Can it be transferred to another company in the future?
・Can I still use the domain after cancellation?
・How much are the renewal fees?
About the server
・Which company's server will be used?
・Who will be the contract holder?
・Will I also have access to the management dashboard?
・What is the actual cost of the server?
・What happens to the data if I cancel?
About WordPress
・Will I also have administrator privileges?
・Will login information be shared?
・Can I edit the text myself?
・What plugins and themes will be used?
・Are backups being taken?
About monthly fees
・What is included in the monthly fee?
・What kind of work is performed each month?
・How many update tasks are included?
・Are revision requests charged separately?
・Are maintenance fees and server costs separate?
・Are there any fees upon cancellation?
About the contract
・Does the data belong to me?
・Can it be migrated to another company after production?
・Will the site disappear if I cancel?
・What happens to the rights to images and text?
・Are there any contract term restrictions?
If you ask about these things, you can at least avoid the situation of "proceeding without knowing anything."
You don't have to understand everything.
Just taking notes on the answers is fine.
If you can't make a decision on the spot, you can take it home and look into it.
Even just doing that makes a big difference.
You don't have to be aggressive in how you ask
When I talk about this,
"Do I have to be pushy with the vendor?"
you might think.
But you don't need to ask in a confrontational way.
Rather, you can just ask normally.
For example,
"I'd like to understand this for the future, so could you tell me who the domain administrator is?"
"Could you share the login information so I can at least check things myself?"
"I'd like to organize the breakdown of the monthly costs, so could you tell me what is included?"
"If we decide to renew the site in the future, can the data be transferred?"
That should be enough.
If they explain these things politely, it will give you peace of mind.
Conversely,
"That's technical, so..."
"We don't usually share that with clients."
"We manage everything here, so you don't need to worry."
"If you cancel, you won't be able to use it."
"You don't need to worry about the small details."
If you keep getting responses like these, I think you should be a little cautious.
Of course, there may be things that cannot be shared for security reasons.
So, I'm not saying you should doubt everything.
But being in a position where things aren't explained to you is dangerous.
Will they explain things in a way that someone who doesn't know can understand?
I think this is very important.
The most dangerous thing is an atmosphere where you can't say 'I don't understand'
My biggest regret regarding my website isn't the fact that I lacked knowledge.
It's that I couldn't ask questions.
That is the biggest factor.
"Is it okay to ask something like this?"
"Will they think I'm an amateur?"
"I don't want to be seen as a troublesome client."
"They're the professionals, so I should just leave it to them."
That was how I used to swallow my doubts.
But as a result, I ended up remaining ignorant about important matters concerning my own business.
I think this happens more easily to smaller business owners.
You have to make every decision yourself.
But you aren't an expert in everything.
You can't keep things running without relying on experts.
But relying on them too much leads to dependency.
That balance is difficult.
That is precisely why I think it is important to have a minimum set of items to check.
You don't need to become an expert.
But,
just knowing that "it is okay to check this"
makes a difference.
It is okay to ask.
It is okay to verify.
It is okay to take notes.
If you don't understand, it is okay to take it home and look it up.
You don't have to pretend to understand everything on the spot.
If I could tell my past self one thing, this is what I would want to say most.
Summary
Before outsourcing your website, these are the three things you should at least check.
Whose name is the domain registered under?
Can I also have access to the login information?
Can I explain what is included in the monthly costs?
Even just these three things make a significant difference.
This is not about telling you to be suspicious of web design companies.
It is also not about telling you not to outsource.
In fact, you should outsource the things you are not good at.
However, before saying "I'll leave everything to you," there are a few things you should at least check.
I didn't do that.
I proceeded without understanding. I paid without asking. I stopped thinking because I wanted peace of mind.
As a result, I realized many things later on.
Not having knowledge is nothing to be ashamed of.
But if you keep saying "I don't understand, so I'll leave it all to you," you will end up with more parts of your own business that you cannot make decisions about yourself.
The smaller the business owner, the more careful you should be about that.
You don't have to be able to do everything.
But it is better not to let go of everything.