We have seen it time and time again as web developers.  Website owners also know this situation very well.

A person has decided to change their website.  (The change also means changing service providers.) The headache comes when most website owners find that the service provider also hosts their website.  Not only that, but many times it is built using a proprietary CMS that risks hindering the website should it be moved.

So now a string of questions must be asked, solved, and action taken just to access the information needed.  Hours are wasted, money spent, and nothing has happened except switching service providers.

We have always aimed to solve this problem once and for all for clients. (Atleast the headache part of it).   As a website owner, your web presence is crucial to business operations.  Why should you allow service providers to control the stability of that?

Hosting
First let’s look at hosting.  It is necessary for a website owner to own and control their own hosting environment.  Many times, you can find fully supported hosting providers with rates at a fraction of the cost of what your service provider up-sells to you.   Sure you might still need someone to service the website, but what you have done is eliminated the middle man between you and your website.  If you need to change service providers, it is as simple as calling a new firm and giving them access.

CMS
Many firms sell their services based on the convenience factor of having an all in one Content Management System.  You don’t need to do anything.  You host with them, use their editing tools to make changes and you have to do very little.  What they usually don’t tell you is that your website will be put on a generic template system that will make it look almost identical to every other site they have on the system.  Your website is unique and needs to be expressed that way.  Something else that you might not see before signing up is the captive nature of the content edited on the system.  If you decided to upgrade your site, you have run into a very troublesome situation.  What if you want to move to another service provider?  Good luck with the transition.  It will cost many hours to change for your new needs.

This is where WordPress comes in.   This solves the issues created by using locked in ‘all-in-one’ website systems.  Not only can you control your website hosting, but you can run it on what is easily the most recognized CMS on the planet.  Plus it’s FREE!!

So we have already identified the freedom you get by going this route.  Are there other advantages?  Sure!  WordPress is backed by a large community.  It has thousands of plugins that will enhance the usability of your website.  It can take care of  anything and everything a generic proprietary system can minus the costs.

You then have the ability to take the code, database, and your website freely to any hosting provider.  You own and control it all.

These are the problems RhinoSEO identifies and tackles with a client’s best interests in mind.  It is important to spot potential ‘lock in’ offerings that are aimed at bettering the service provider’s bottom line.  Don’t pay for convenience.  Pay for control and the same conveniences come with it.  Stop the vicious cycle of headaches caused by changing services providers.

You will thank yourself for the decision later!

Who can identify with the problems addressed in this post?