When business owners are asked if they have a website, many will answer “yes”.  However, does this website really belong to you?

If your website is on a platform like SquareSpace or Shopify the answer is not completely. While convenient and an easy way to get started on the web, platforms like this have limitations.

The most obvious one, is that everything about that website lives on the platform. You cannot decided that your website should be placed on another host but still use SquareSpace or Shopify. Why should this matter?

Consider the recent changes that Facebook made to address privacy concerns. These changes benefit consumers but can interfere with the business model that many have developed around Facebook data. This New York Time article points out the issue surrounding Facebok’s changes. Many developers found they were now blocked from data they previous had access to. So, why is this relevant for website owners?

What would happen if your website platform made changes that interfered with your business? You might be forced to move from that platform and incur the expense and learning curve using something new.

This situation can be avoided by hosting your own websites and relying on open source solutions. Kool kat Web Designs recommends self-hosted WordPress along with WooCommerce for online stores.