Chris Martin

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Following recent conversations with web developers, whilst trying to obtain FTP access for prospective client’s sites, I have begun to notice a certain trend developing in the response from said developers and it has led me to wonder what the big secret is.

When advising clients on search visibility and whether their current web site will support SEO, FTP access is needed to get the complete picture of what you are going to be working with.

So you call the web developer or hosting company and ask them for FTP access, so you can actually help one of their customers to build their online business, and the response is one of shock, denial and secrecy. This I do not understand

Is it because the idea of customer service is completely alien to these people, or is it because of the highly sensitive information that  can be accessed here, perhaps secret files on the truth about who shot Kennedy?

Apparently not, all most web sites have is source code, files and folders, data and images Etc. Nothing desperate intellectual property wise and no reason for a veil of secrecy.

So what’s the big to do?

I’m no techie, but even I get what ‘read-only’ access means and access can be limited to a single public folder, so surely there is no big problem, but these people react like you have asked to for their cash card and pin number

I now believe it is this: that customer service within this industry has a got a long way to go, and that these people are protecting themselves.

In an age where people are hysterical about data theft, many developers are reluctant to release any information on the development of  a client web site - they want to be seen as the only knowlegable person (after all "knowledge is power" the guys at microsoft are keen to tell us) on a particular web site, the only person who can work effectively on a web site - persuading many companies not to change their web sites or hosting companies for years - for fear of losing everything.

I’m sure there must be many companies and individuals out there with older websites with no idea of what a modern web solution could be doing for their business,  because they are wary of crossing those who people who hold the keys to their online real estate and somehow loosing the lot.

So FTP Gate keepers, open up and chill out!!
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Discussion

Posted by Darryl Browne on Oct 31st, 2008
I think this is the reason:

If you spend £20,000 on a website and give someone with skills similar to myself ftp access, I could download all your source code, spend a few days writing a new CSS file and replacing images and I have just got myself a website worth £20,000 for a few days work and nobody can tell the difference.

This is what would make me nervous about giving away ftp access. Its not that any of the code is special, its just that you open the door for someone to get what you paid for at a fraction of the investment and effort.
Posted by Rik on Nov 26th, 2008
I know the feeling! I work for quite a technical SEO company so we often need FTP access to make both code and content changes to websites.

I've had a few clients' web developers refuse to give access and then charge the client more than we do to implement our recommended changes!
Posted by janis on Nov 6th, 2009
I am in the same situation at the moment. We have received some assistance with SEO work, however, our web developer will not give out the ftp details. I am really trapped here as they also own the copyright to the website. Is there any way around it? Do SEO companies really need ftp access and if so, what for?
Posted by Mindy on Nov 9th, 2009
Hi Janis,

I'm not sure there's a good way around your developer owning your copyright, barring getting a new website. But if and when you do - make sure you get complete ownership.In terms of FTP, on the whole, yes, we do need FTP access if only so we can do a full inspection of the code and test things out - even if it's on our own demo. So many problems can arise from the way a site is constructed that we do need to know if you can make necessary changes so that we can get on with our remit to make your site search engine friendly.

You may not want your SEO company to make any development changes themselves - which is always your choice - but it will help them improve your traffic/rankings/conversions if you let them into your code so they can guide your developer to make the right changes.
Posted by Seb on Jan 21st, 2010
The issue I have with giving ftp access to SEO's is that I don't know what they're doing. It's not my protectionist, single-minded behaviour. My ignorance is driven by a real concern that they may screw my work up. I worry, because I care.

Furthermore, it makes no sense to demand for ftp access if the site is content managed. Surely they should be asking for access to the CMS. FTP access makes me think that they want to litter the server with static files. In any case, say I do grant access to the CMS how can I trust that they won't muck up my system?

Maybe I'm overly wary because here in Italy SEO companies have cornered the market with patently blackhat methodologies: link farms, MFA Sites, doorway pages galore, tiny h1 headers that serve no purpose other than littering a site with keywords in prominent positions, not to speak of those footer links that lead users away into an eternal vortex of unrelated, keyword-stuffed sites, managed by the same SEO company.

I think the point of my little rant is that it boils down to a matter trust. I've been on the tail end of similar misgivings with potential clients. And the same is probably true of most initial stranger-to-stranger encounters. Trust needs to be won over and built on every time we meet someone new.
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