Warning: Don’t Make This Major Password Mistake

Every now and then you might receive an email from us with a subject that says something like this: important info, please save! 

This email contains instructions on how to find your login information for the website we just built for you.

Did you know that 90% of the time our clients just hit the “archive” button and forget about this email? Did you know this is actually one of the biggest mistakes you can possibly make?

Here’s why.

1. Your business relies on your website.

Most of our clients would tell us that the success of their business relies on their website being up and functioning. If that’s the case, you should know exactly how to access each piece of it. 

This includes your domain registrar, your host, and your content management system. 

These passwords are like the keys to your home, or to your retail store, or to your major office location. Would you make those keys the rotating responsibility of whomever you hired to build or make changes inside the building? You might give them a copy, but you’d make sure you have copies of your own.

Not comfortable with the technology? Don’t understand how it works? Ask! Make sure you take some notes for yourself. We’ll help you through it until you’re 100% sure you know what to do and how to use this information. 

See also: What Logins and Passwords You Need for Your Website Launch

2. Organized companies run more effectively.

Let’s face it, an organized business runs more smoothly and effectively. 

If you’re not saving these passwords, you may not be saving other important passwords either. Keeping all your passwords safely at your fingertips saves you lots of time in all aspects of your business.

Some business owners keep a physical password book locked in their desk. We recommend using a password management program like Keeper, Dashlane, or LastPass. 

The last place you want to keep our instructions on how to find your logins is in the archive of an email account where you might have to dig them up again. There’s no guarantee you’ll remember the right search keywords. Archives are often the place where emails go to die! 

3. You might want to hire a new web developer in the future. 

We’d love to be the last web developer you ever hire, but that’s not how things work here in the real world. Needs change, and if yours do then you’re going to want to be able to quickly hand off exactly what they need.

What will they need? The same things we needed! So make sure you have it all close at hand and ready to go.

4. We should be your backup plan, not your first line of defense.

Yes, of course, we are happy to provide you with the information again.

But what are you going to do if we are not available when you need it? Sometimes we go on vacation. We take weekends off. 

Here’s What To Do Instead 

As mentioned, there are some fantastic password managers out there. We love LastPass. Keypass is another option. These are more secure options than email accounts or documents or even physical password books.

But any option that keeps all your passwords accessible, secure, and in one place is the better option. Find one that works for you, stick to it, and use it the next time we send you the keys to your website!