The Keys to Your Website: Everything You Need to Keep Your Digital Properties Running

Everyone needs keys. We keep them close — in that little trinket dish by the front door, on a keychain jingling around as we run errands, snug in our pockets.

Keys allow us to control access to the places and things we care about. We use keys to enter our homes and our cars, to lock up our bikes, to open and close mail boxes. Keys keep us secure. We share them with friends and family in case of emergencies, or for ease and convenience. We label and organize them. We rely on them often — and we’d be lost without them. 

The keys to a website are no different, except that website keys aren’t physical objects; they’re logins, passwords, and information you need to have control over your site.

You Need the Keys to Your Website

Every organization should have complete autonomy over their digital properties. When you own, and can access, all your needed licenses and web service accounts, you are not beholden to any one vendor.

When we onboard new clients at DevCollaborative, we ask clients to share their sites’ keys with us so our developers, project managers, and strategists have what they need to work on the website. 

For us, making sure we have what we need early on in the relationship helps us support you in the long run. For you, having all of your site’s keys in hand can prevent website downtime and lost emails, and ensures that you’re in control of your site and its content.

What are the Keys to a Site, Exactly? 

Our nonprofit clients work tirelessly to make the world a better place, typically with far fewer resources than for-profit organizations. The last thing we want to do is add another item to your to-do list. But keeping track of the most important components of your web presence is well worth your time.  

To own your web presence, you’ll need access to these essential “keys”: 

• Domain name registrar account 
• Website hosting account & content management system logins
• Email-sending services account
• Plugin licenses 
• Website analytics account 

Domain Name Registrar Account

The domain name registrar is a company that manages your domain name — that is, the URL at which your website is accessible, e.g. “organization.org” or “company.com”. It’s also often part of your email address, e.g. “flastname@organization.org”. 
Other terms for this are “DNS account”, “DNS records”, or “DNS host”. 

Your domain registrar account gives you access to an editable DNS record that points web browsers to the server (your hosting account) where the code for your website lives. It also tells email services where to send email messages. 

In this way, your domain is like the street address of your online house, and the registrar is like Google or Apple Maps. When people are looking for your site and type your web address in a browser, your DNS record routes them to the codebase of your site. 

Popular domain registrars include GoDaddy, Network Solutions, DreamHost, Hover, and Cloudflare. Some of these companies offer additional services such as website and email hosting, and Content Delivery Network (CDN) services. That can sometimes make it confusing as to what role the registrar company is playing. 

Domain registration typically needs to be renewed every 1-3 years. If you miss a renewal payment and the registrar stops routing your web address to your site, your website will look like it’s  offline or “down”. 

Domain Registration Key Takeaways

• Know your domain registrar company 
• Make sure your domain registrar account is associated with an active email address that is fully accessible to one or more people who work at your organization; a shared email address like info@yourorg.org can be helpful
• Store your login credentials in a password manager
• Know the date your domain registration renewal payment is due
• Make sure the credit card on file is valid

Web Hosting & Content Management System (CMS) Account Logins

Your hosting account is the place (a computer called a “server”) where your website is stored. Your CMS, like WordPress or Drupal, is your website’s house; your content lives inside. The keys here are your logins, and you need them to get in.

Some popular hosting services are GoDaddy, WP Engine, Digital Ocean, Kinsta, Acquia, and Pantheon.

Your hosting account stores:

• All your website code, including the underlying CMS (e.g. Drupal or WordPress)
• The database that contains the text content of your website
• The file system that stores all the media on your website, including images and documents

Your hosting account should provide:

• Server-level security for your website so it doesn’t get hacked
• Daily backups so that your website can be recovered from disaster
• Tools for developers to maintain your site 

Hosting & CMS Key Takeaways

• Know the login info for your CMS (e.g. Drupal or WordPress)
• Know the name and login of your hosting provider
• Know your hosting providers urgent tech support contact information
• Know who in your organization is the owner of the hosting account
• Make sure the credit card on file is valid

Essential Third-Party Services: Email-Sending & Plugin Licenses

Email-Sending Services 

Websites usually need an external email delivery service to ensure that the CMS can send emails. For example, your CMS needs to be able to send password reset emails in case a user forgets their password. You might hear this type of email from websites referred to as “SMTP mail”, or an “SMTP service”. 

Your organization’s IT team may have already set up an email delivery service for you. If not, we recommend Brevo, which has a free tier and delegated access so you can easily share access with your website support provider. Other providers include MailGun, SendGrid, etc.

Setting up an email delivery service requires DNS edits, whether you do this on your own or ask your website support provider for help, it’s an example of why it is important for you to have access to this information.

Plugin Licenses 

WordPress and Drupal provide most of your website functionality out-of-the-box. Often, the core functionality of these systems is extended with plugins or modules that are installed and customized to your site. Many WordPress sites use plugins to add functionality, such as filtered listing pages or custom fields. 

Drupal modules are typically free, but some WordPress plugins require license fees in order to use them. 

Some agencies purchase and own the licenses themselves. At DevCollab, we feel strongly that the plugin licenses should be purchased by your organization, so that you own all the functionality on your website. We keep a copy of the license in our records for routine updates and development, but you retain ownership of it.

Essential Third-Party Services Key Takeaways

• Use an active email address that is fully accessible to one or more people who work at your organization; a shared email address like info@yourorg.org can be helpful
• Delegate access to your email sending  service to those who need it, including your website support provider, for troubleshooting
• After purchasing a plugin, add your website support provider’s email to your contacts so you receive renewal notification emails
• Make a note of plugin license renewal dates, the email used to purchase the licenses, and the credit card used
• Forward the purchase receipt email to any contacts that may need it, including your website support provider

Website Analytics Accounts

Data about website traffic and user behavior is vital to making decisions about your website. Even if you don’t check your analytics regularly, it’s important to have your login available in case someone needs to look at traffic reports in order to troubleshoot a problem. 

Some common data providers include traffic report services like Plausible, Matomo, or Google Analytics. 

Analytics services are installed by adding a small piece of code that connects your website to the service. Typically that code is installed by a website support provider as part of the initial site build, or as part of a feature enhancement project. 

Your organization should own its own analytics account. When you create the account, be sure to add partners and team members as users so they can log in and help as needed. 

Website Analytics Key Takeaways

• Use an active email address that is fully accessible to one or more people who work at your organization; a shared email address like info@yourorg.org can be helpful
• Delegate access to developers and strategists

Own Your Website, Keep Your Keys Close 

At the end of the day, nobody likes having to crawl into their house through a window on the first floor because they’re locked out. 

Consider a password storage platform like 1Password for safe-keeping and easy access. And log into your accounts regularly to make sure everything is running smoothly, keeping an eye out for when passwords are at risk or need to be reset.

Having the keys to your site will help guarantee your website’s long-term success. 

Reach out to us at DevCollaborative for more information about what we do and how we might work together and sign up for our quarterly newsletter for more great tips like these.