Securing Your Website From Your Developer After You're Done Working With Them

• How can you be sure to remain in control of your website, so a rogue developer doesn’t lock you out for some reason?

• Below are steps you should take from day 1 to remain in control and decide who has access

How can I make sure web developers aren’t accessing my WordPress website backend – especially if I don’t trust them anymore?  

If you’ve hired a web developer to build your website for you then they’re normally comes a time when you might need to in that relationship and cut off their access to your website backend. How do you accomplish this?

First off, you should be the owner of the hosting account – and any designs, templates, or builders (like Elementor for instance) if possible

When you’re using a builder like Squarespace or Wix then that company owns the website builder and they handle the hosting. 

But you should be the one on the account paying for it not your web developer. If the web developer has signed up for the account and is paying for it and they have control over it and you don’t want that.

If you are using template designs or paying a developer for a design or maybe using a building framework like elementary for your word press you should be the owner of those things again keep the web developer from claiming ownership or exerting control over you especially in the event that things go sour between you.

Here are the steps to setting up, owning, controlling and managing your own web site hosting account – and how to keep your developer out if you need to

The web developer you’ve hired will need access to your WordPress (and or Elementor) backend to build the site.

They MAY need access to your web hosting account too – and that’s probably fine. If they ask for it, ask them what they need it for. But it’s a legitimate thing to need that access to set up your email, manage or backup your database(s), manage files, etc. They will probably want this access.

Follow this process to maintain control over your website:

The process should be this:

1. You purchase Elementor (if you’re using it, it’s fine if you’re not, then ignore that step) and you pay for the Bluehost/hosting account. That way you’re the owner of both.
2. Then give your web team login info for Bluehost and send them the Elementor file or give them Elementor login if they need it.
3. They will upload Elementor to Bluehost and begin working.
4. They will eventually complete the site for you, to your satisfaction.
5. You’ll test everything on the site yourself to make sure nothing is broken or not working.
6. After you’re sure this is all good and things are perfect, you will delete any account access to your Bluehost account that they were using AND you will CHANGE YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE ACCT PASSWORD.   DO NOT LOSE THAT PASSWORD.
7. Then they will be locked out of your website acct. 
8. Then you pay them the final installment of what you owe since everything is now done to your satisfaction.  Never pay final installment until you’re sure you’re happy.

But then you will ask the developer to make some changes most likely. This always happens. You think you’re done but guaranteed – you will decide you want to make changes or edits or additions and you need your web developer to do it.

So now you need to make a User Acct for them to log into your website at least (Not for Bluehost, only for your WordPress/Elementor site).

Then the developer does the work and as long as you trust them, they can use that account as needed.

If there’s ever a time when you don’t trust the web developer anymore, you delete that Website User Acct. that you made… and for safety, you change your Website Administrative password too.

Then you should be safe.

Good luck!