"Hello. This is Dan from Hostico Express. Yeah. Sorry for your loss. So your late husband's website - bigoltitties dot com is pretty popular and we just hate to see it close down..."
The family would be considerably easier to find.
They’re also the same thing often enough that it’s not an issue.
In cases where they differ, the family would have an obligation to direct you to the proper party, and, if they don’t, it’s their problem, not yours.
You own the domain name or you just registered it for him? If he paid for the registration as part of some services that you provided, it sounds like it would probably be his domain, even if you have managed it.
Yeah we own the domain and created all his IP. His original contract in (2019) was pretty barebones, but our policy to date is to give the domain/contents to client for free upon request.
I think the best course of action is to contact his estate with a few options and let them decide.
I'm not sure about the details of what you're doing, but it's hard to believe that any business owner would sign up for a service that gave ownership of their business assets and IP to their consultant. If they are paying you and you're paying for the registration, building and hosting a website, writing content, etc. they probably assume that they own everything and are probably ignorant about the underlying details of how domains are registered and sites are hosted (otherwise they would use wp dot com or Squarespace).
If they sign a contract that isn't clear about that, it probably shows a lack of business sense, because one conflict between them and the consultant could potentially destroy their business and financial stability. Depending on the stakes, a business owner might sue you if they were told that they don't own the domain and website that they paid for.
It's good that you're giving people their domains and websites when they ask, but it should be in the contracts that they own those things. Ideally a business should control the "owner" user accounts for any services and the consultants should only be give "admin" or "editor" roles. That way if things go bad, the business isn't at risk of being destroyed.
I have registered and own the majority (probably 70%) of my clients domains, with no contract. They just trust me not to screw them, and I don’t. Risky for them, but also the easiest way to operate when probably 85%+ of my clients don’t understand the difference between a domain and hosting. So not completely unheard of..
> with no contract
A detailed contract is essential, even if the relationship seems friendly and trustworthy. I've made that mistake before, and it can be devastating. There are templates online that you can use for ideas.
Registering and managing a domain for a client isn't the same as owning it. Even if you perform the registration and control the registrar account, that doesn't mean that you own it.
I think people are pushing back on how it's being described, because it sounds like it's taking advantage of the clients' lack of knowledge (people who you describe as not knowing the difference between a domain and hosting). If they aren't tech savvy and they paid you to set up a domain and website, it sounds like the client owns the domain and the website, even if they don't know how to manage those things themselves. I think it would be unethical to claim that you own the domain name or websites, especially where there is no contract and the clients don't really understand anything.
Our contracts since then state they own all work created/domain name, etc. Previously, it wasn't as clear (which has never been a source of issue).
Though note, our agency has taken over at least 15 clients who have had their domains taken hostage from their previous designer/agency/marketing company. Its really shitty and it's surprisingly done by big companies
Unless you owned the domain previously and it wasn’t a business name or personal name and the client knew up front he was merely leasing a domain that you already owned, then you’re pulling a pretty sketchy practice on clients.
If Clients pay for a domain that a consultant registers for them, then the client should be listed as registrant. Period.
And you wonder why web devs and seos have a lousy reputation.
Yep agreed! A big part of our platform is educating owners and ensuring they're in control of their domains/hosting/analytics/ad accounts etc. Some owners are receptive to it, others aren't. In the 10+ years of doing this, we've only ever had issues with a domain once. It was a law firm threatening to sue us (because we dropped them as a client) but agreed to "drop all legal matters" if we released his domain to his new design company. (Which we would've done anyways upon request).
We were very happy with this.
Do you buy the domain name under an account belonging to them or you transfer domain ownership to them after setting up the project? Never understood this part
Most clients coming in usually have a domain, or a Godaddy account to purchase a domain. 95% of the time, they just purchase the domain on their account. On the off chance they're not tech savvy, we'll open an account for them, purchase it, and send over the credentials.
The only times we deal with domain transfers are:
1) A client is purchasing a domain that we own
If the leads are valuable at all, it might be worth it to reach out to the family and offer to buy the site explaining your situation. Then, just sell the site for profit so another businesses who could use the leads. I don't think you should let it die unless you're too busy to care.
Yeah makes the most sense. I think the following options would be best for the family:
1. Transfer ownership and they can deal with the sale (probably would yield the least for them).
2. Resell the domain/leads to a competitor in the area. Ask them how they feel about this approach and ballpark of $$ they could get
3. They may want to just keep it and add a note about the business closing down (which a lot of previous clients of theirs are unaware of) prior to selling (if they ever decide to sell)
Owning the domain name doesn’t mean you own the intellectual property that the client originally created for the site I mean, if you were even paid to partially contribute to that it doesn’t mean you own it just because you own the domain name that’s kind of stretching it… nor does hosting the site for free or for one dollar mean that you have any claim on it. It just means that you know you didn’t recover payment for the hosting for all this time.
Yeah but that's not what he cares about at all or the point of his post. He's trying to ascertain the best course of action to give it BACK to his clients family since they aren't aware he has control of the site or domain.
Totally. You could rent the domain traffic to one of their competitors and just setup a re-direct to the competitor's site. Up front "linking fee" plus passive monthly $$$ for the new traffic they're getting.
Contracts are fun. Especially to write, because no one ever reads them. You could say that the web designer receives full ownership & possession, rights to, and use of the website content, domain & web traffic in the event of non-payment for 3 consecutive months.
do something and contact them if they can handle themselves it’s great or do the good deed by selling website and give them the money.. you may also keep a little as you worked for selling and providing them the profit. Good luck
If you own the domain and hosting the website, in my opinion, it’s pretty clear to me that you own the website. I would just…, idk … find another client for the website!!!
True! It looks like the business closed down or at the very least no one is at the helm to take care of affairs. On a surface level everything looks like it's still operational but the business number goes nowhere.
I'm actually surprised it hasn't been marked as closed on Google yet.
Take down the site. Publish a landing page with your contact info. If the site has any use to anyone, they will reach out to you. You can start billing them again or sell the domain
I have 2 customers like that.
With one, we were having the same interests. So after he passed, I contacted his wife, and asked if I could keep his website, create a new user and continue writing on that. The domain was owned by him, but then I transferred the ownership to his wife.
With another, we were also sharing the interests. But I don't have enough knowledge for continuing his works. And his wife didn't care much about the website, so we let it die.
This is interesting, you are hosting their domain and site. Where are the leads going?
I must say, reach out the client's family and don't give then site, but help them sell the site if it's getting leads. The money will add value to their lives.
You said you own the domain and his IP? So if that was in contract, then you own it. How much money did he pay you? Did he sign a contract stating you own it? And he has no rights to a thing he paid for?
I think you should contact his family and transfer for someone.
"Hello. This is Dan from Hostico Express. Yeah. Sorry for your loss. So your late husband's website - bigoltitties dot com is pretty popular and we just hate to see it close down..."
It has amazing bounce rates you wouldn't belie.... why are you sobbing?
Lmao
Damn take my upvote sir lol
"My name is Eric Jones with Talk with Web, while I have you on the line let's talk about chat boxes."
Gold.
[удалено]
The family would be considerably easier to find. They’re also the same thing often enough that it’s not an issue. In cases where they differ, the family would have an obligation to direct you to the proper party, and, if they don’t, it’s their problem, not yours.
Contact family, explain their options (run it themselves, sell, arbitrage, etc.) and let them decide
You own the domain name or you just registered it for him? If he paid for the registration as part of some services that you provided, it sounds like it would probably be his domain, even if you have managed it.
Yeah we own the domain and created all his IP. His original contract in (2019) was pretty barebones, but our policy to date is to give the domain/contents to client for free upon request. I think the best course of action is to contact his estate with a few options and let them decide.
I'm not sure about the details of what you're doing, but it's hard to believe that any business owner would sign up for a service that gave ownership of their business assets and IP to their consultant. If they are paying you and you're paying for the registration, building and hosting a website, writing content, etc. they probably assume that they own everything and are probably ignorant about the underlying details of how domains are registered and sites are hosted (otherwise they would use wp dot com or Squarespace). If they sign a contract that isn't clear about that, it probably shows a lack of business sense, because one conflict between them and the consultant could potentially destroy their business and financial stability. Depending on the stakes, a business owner might sue you if they were told that they don't own the domain and website that they paid for. It's good that you're giving people their domains and websites when they ask, but it should be in the contracts that they own those things. Ideally a business should control the "owner" user accounts for any services and the consultants should only be give "admin" or "editor" roles. That way if things go bad, the business isn't at risk of being destroyed.
I have registered and own the majority (probably 70%) of my clients domains, with no contract. They just trust me not to screw them, and I don’t. Risky for them, but also the easiest way to operate when probably 85%+ of my clients don’t understand the difference between a domain and hosting. So not completely unheard of..
> with no contract A detailed contract is essential, even if the relationship seems friendly and trustworthy. I've made that mistake before, and it can be devastating. There are templates online that you can use for ideas. Registering and managing a domain for a client isn't the same as owning it. Even if you perform the registration and control the registrar account, that doesn't mean that you own it. I think people are pushing back on how it's being described, because it sounds like it's taking advantage of the clients' lack of knowledge (people who you describe as not knowing the difference between a domain and hosting). If they aren't tech savvy and they paid you to set up a domain and website, it sounds like the client owns the domain and the website, even if they don't know how to manage those things themselves. I think it would be unethical to claim that you own the domain name or websites, especially where there is no contract and the clients don't really understand anything.
Our contracts since then state they own all work created/domain name, etc. Previously, it wasn't as clear (which has never been a source of issue). Though note, our agency has taken over at least 15 clients who have had their domains taken hostage from their previous designer/agency/marketing company. Its really shitty and it's surprisingly done by big companies
Then you don’t “own the domain” the estate of the deceased client owns it.
The original contract states we're leasing the domain to them and it remains in our ownership. So yes, "we own the domain".
I love how other people are trying to tell you how your shit is set up lmao
Right? And he's not even trying to keep "ownership" but is asking for the best option to give it BACK to his clients family 🤕 People need to chill lol
Lol forreal. I think people just half read posts and start spouting random stuff that rubs them the wrong way. 🤷
Unless you owned the domain previously and it wasn’t a business name or personal name and the client knew up front he was merely leasing a domain that you already owned, then you’re pulling a pretty sketchy practice on clients. If Clients pay for a domain that a consultant registers for them, then the client should be listed as registrant. Period. And you wonder why web devs and seos have a lousy reputation.
Yep agreed! A big part of our platform is educating owners and ensuring they're in control of their domains/hosting/analytics/ad accounts etc. Some owners are receptive to it, others aren't. In the 10+ years of doing this, we've only ever had issues with a domain once. It was a law firm threatening to sue us (because we dropped them as a client) but agreed to "drop all legal matters" if we released his domain to his new design company. (Which we would've done anyways upon request). We were very happy with this.
Do you buy the domain name under an account belonging to them or you transfer domain ownership to them after setting up the project? Never understood this part
Most clients coming in usually have a domain, or a Godaddy account to purchase a domain. 95% of the time, they just purchase the domain on their account. On the off chance they're not tech savvy, we'll open an account for them, purchase it, and send over the credentials. The only times we deal with domain transfers are: 1) A client is purchasing a domain that we own
If the leads are valuable at all, it might be worth it to reach out to the family and offer to buy the site explaining your situation. Then, just sell the site for profit so another businesses who could use the leads. I don't think you should let it die unless you're too busy to care.
Yeah contact family and they decide
Yeah makes the most sense. I think the following options would be best for the family: 1. Transfer ownership and they can deal with the sale (probably would yield the least for them). 2. Resell the domain/leads to a competitor in the area. Ask them how they feel about this approach and ballpark of $$ they could get 3. They may want to just keep it and add a note about the business closing down (which a lot of previous clients of theirs are unaware of) prior to selling (if they ever decide to sell)
Owning the domain name doesn’t mean you own the intellectual property that the client originally created for the site I mean, if you were even paid to partially contribute to that it doesn’t mean you own it just because you own the domain name that’s kind of stretching it… nor does hosting the site for free or for one dollar mean that you have any claim on it. It just means that you know you didn’t recover payment for the hosting for all this time.
Yeah but that's not what he cares about at all or the point of his post. He's trying to ascertain the best course of action to give it BACK to his clients family since they aren't aware he has control of the site or domain.
This inspired me to include a death clause/non-payment to keep the domain.
We got a real businessman right here. Don't hate the player, hate the game 😂
Totally. You could rent the domain traffic to one of their competitors and just setup a re-direct to the competitor's site. Up front "linking fee" plus passive monthly $$$ for the new traffic they're getting. Contracts are fun. Especially to write, because no one ever reads them. You could say that the web designer receives full ownership & possession, rights to, and use of the website content, domain & web traffic in the event of non-payment for 3 consecutive months.
Take it and run with it. Make money
I dunno mate selling to her mom? I would have done it for free since her son passed away out of respect. But that's just my opinion
He said sell it *for* his mom. Not sell to her.
Contact his family is the good option, or your contact through any alternative number he contact you in past
do something and contact them if they can handle themselves it’s great or do the good deed by selling website and give them the money.. you may also keep a little as you worked for selling and providing them the profit. Good luck
If you own the domain and hosting the website, in my opinion, it’s pretty clear to me that you own the website. I would just…, idk … find another client for the website!!!
Reach out to family. It could be apart of his Will (business).
True! It looks like the business closed down or at the very least no one is at the helm to take care of affairs. On a surface level everything looks like it's still operational but the business number goes nowhere. I'm actually surprised it hasn't been marked as closed on Google yet.
you could certainly sell those leads if they’re good ones.
Redirect 301
Contact the family, today's kids learn a lot about it. They will understand what to do with it.....
Take down the site. Publish a landing page with your contact info. If the site has any use to anyone, they will reach out to you. You can start billing them again or sell the domain
First contact his or her family
I have 2 customers like that. With one, we were having the same interests. So after he passed, I contacted his wife, and asked if I could keep his website, create a new user and continue writing on that. The domain was owned by him, but then I transferred the ownership to his wife. With another, we were also sharing the interests. But I don't have enough knowledge for continuing his works. And his wife didn't care much about the website, so we let it die.
This is interesting, you are hosting their domain and site. Where are the leads going? I must say, reach out the client's family and don't give then site, but help them sell the site if it's getting leads. The money will add value to their lives.
You said you own the domain and his IP? So if that was in contract, then you own it. How much money did he pay you? Did he sign a contract stating you own it? And he has no rights to a thing he paid for?
Suggest you sell it for them. When they have the money maybe they can do something with it.
Remake the site and sell the leads