Tonight, I almost had to learn some PHP. For those of you who know me well, you can stop laughing now. I’ve been interested in learning more about placing AdWords on this site. AdWords for clients is easy to set-up and manage. Plugging them in to a site is something altogether different.
My first task was to understand the system basics — creating the ad layout and tracking. Then, I needed an easy way to test it. My MediaWiki installation proved to be a great test. Once it was in the left gutter, I migrated over to this TypePad blog.
If I hosted this blog with TypePad, it would be very easy to add the code. However, I host with Yahoo so its up to me to edit the PHP/CGI/whatever and I elected not to do so. My attempts have stalled for two reasons: 1. Placement — I’m not sure where I’d like to see the ads, and 2. Upgrades to Moveable Type are automatic at Yahoo! by default. Since the upgrades are automatic and I do not have to worry about it, I’m probably going to put in manual AdSense code until I locate a variables script/file for the system that does not get overwritten by Yahoo.
Here is a list of a few things you’ll need to make sure you truly own your site & files. It’s a basic list — if you have any comments, please let me know.
1. Make sure the domain name is registered in the name of the company and not your web designer. The contact information should be up to date. Check WHOIS at NetSol, GoDaddy.com, and Register.com.
2. Make sure you are the owner of the web hosting contract.
3. Change your passwords to the FTP site where you host your files once any 3rd party designer/programmer is wrapped up with his/her work.
4. Change any passwords for the content management system, if one is in place.
5. Make sure that you have a local copy of your web site files. Your hosting provider should have the back-up systems in place, but we like to be extra careful.
6. Ask your designer for the source files for any graphic or other media files. Many designers will keep these files on their computers since uploading them to the site serves no purpose. You’ll want these when it comes time to edit the files.
7. If your site uses any third party tools or systems, make sure you know where they came from, if you own the code, and how you would migrate to another designer and/or web host.
8. Does your contract specify whether you own the code? Many designers and their contracts do not specify this — so it could be a point of contention if you decide to leave them.
9. If you use a solo designer or small firm, question them on what you should do for service if they are not available. If the designer decides to take a vacation and you need something, a trusted referral will help in a pinch.
