It’s unfortunate how many scammers there are in the world, preying on those who need help or don’t know any better. A lot of them pass themselves off as legitimate businesses. Maybe they are legitimate businesses, but some of their business practices lead me to lump them in with those who send fictitious emails about your fake inheritance.

It’s a courageous thing to start your own business, and it’s hard. And expensive. You want to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to setting up your online presence, and these predatory businesses know it. Struggling entrepreneurs are easy targets for the following reasons:

1. Lack of time
2. Lack of knowledge
3. Limited funds

The first two usually go hand in hand. You know a lot about your business, but not necessarily everything needed to get it online. If you had more time, you could probably learn it all and do it all yourself. But you don’t, and that’s why you hire someone to do it for you. This is actually smart, because you don’t want to muddle things up. You want it done right, so you find an expert, or experts.

How a Web Designer Can Scam You
Some unscrupulous or lazy web designers will sell you on their services by talking up a good game, then leave you in the lurch after taking your money. It’s very much like building contractors who take off with your money without completing your house. Never give full payment up front. Pay for part of the services, and the rest after the job is complete.

A less obvious scam that I’ve seen is web designers who offer to do everything for you. They purchase your domain, set up hosting, design and build your site, and launch it. Dream come true, right? You don’t have to get your hands dirty at all. BUT what if you are unsatisfied? This person who has full control of your entire online presence can hold your website hostage. You can’t make any changes unless they give you permission. Wait a minute, who’s site is this again? I know of at least one victim who can’t even transfer his domain to a new hosting company to start over because he doesn’t even own it. At the very least you HAVE to own your own domain. YOU pay for it directly, you put YOUR name on the registry. All domain registrars can set up separate name entries for owners and for technical contacts. If you don’t own your own domain name, it’s like living in a house that you’re paying for, but it actually belongs to someone else. An honest designer will help you set everything up, but make sure that all domain and hosting services are in your name.

I can personally vouch for this honest and hardworking web designer:
Kathryn Wells – Great design aesthetic, patient, and great to work with.

How an SEO Expert Can Scam You
Search Engine Optimization is an arena that is rife with active scams that seem legitimate. It’s all about promising things that appeal to your lack of time, knowledge, and funds. This article, “8 SEO Scams That Won’t Die“, does a great job of breaking down how these scams work.

I can personally vouch for this busy but knowledgeable SEO expert:
Eugene Byun – Don’t let his bare bones website scare you. He knows what he’s doing, and doesn’t make misleading promises.

When You Need an All-In-One Solution
When it comes right down to it, most business owners would rather not deal with the technical stuff. “I don’t want to learn about SEO, I just want it to work!” This is how the scammers who offer to do everything for you reel you into their web, and once you’re stuck, it’s hard to untangle yourself from them. In addition to my earlier advice on owning your own domain, I also recommend getting professional advice from a trusted source. If you have no friends in the industry, then who do you turn to?

I guess this is where I do a little shameless plug for myself. I’ve helped countless people figure out what they need to do next, both friends and strangers alike. Most of them don’t use me for web design, and that’s fine, because I enjoy helping people. My full time job also keeps me busy. Which leads me to a shameless plug for my employer. Nexternal is an e-commerce solution for all levels of online sales. But what makes them stand out is the customer service. Day in and day out I hear the reps offer sage advice on the best way to proceed with their online business. Some of the callers become clients, some of them don’t, but all of them seem to be satisfied with the answers they receive. I’m impressed with the patience of the reps, and it makes me proud to be a part of it.

You might think, “She’s just saying that because she works there.” Well yes, and why shouldn’t I? What makes me like working at Nexternal so much is their sense of integrity mirrors my own. They are good people, and I feel like everyone who signs up has made the right choice. They have freed themselves from technical hell because Nexternal takes care of all the crap you’d rather not touch, like shopping cart installation, server configuration, search engine optimization, etc. With all this stuff included, you can finally focus on what you know best — your business.