DO I OWN MY BUSINESS'S WEBSITE?
If you're a Lawyer, Chiropractor, Dentist, or Real Estate Agent, the answer is likely "No."
You're probably the victim of a predatory business model known as "Digital Sharecropping."
You believe you're paying for "maintenance" and "SEO." You are actually paying rent.
And just like a physical apartment, when you stop paying, you get evicted. The landlord keeps the keys. The landlord keeps the furniture. And you are left on the street with nothing.
Even worse, living in this place is making your invisible to perspective clients because the landlords are, either knowingly or foolishly, running the establishment so poorly that google and AI Agents ignore its existence.
This is why you need to get out now and hire someone (maybe me? to build you a website that you ACTUALLY own
THE $30,000 MISTAKE
(The Forensic Accounting)
Let’s look at your invoice. You are likely paying between $300 and $1,500 a month for your "all-in-one" website and marketing package.
It feels manageable. It is an operating expense. It is a financial disaster.
The 5-Year "Rental" Math
Monthly Rent: $500 (Conservative average)
5-Year Cost: $30,000
Asset Value at Year 5: $0
You have paid $30,000. You own 0% of the code. You own 0% of the design. In some cases, you don't even own your Domain Name.
The 5-Year "Ownership" Math
Custom Build: $5,000 (One-time CapEx)
Premium Hosting: $50/mo
5-Year Cost: $8,000
Asset Value at Year 5: $5,000+ (A sellable digital asset)
The "Convenience Fee" cost you $22,000. And you have nothing to show for it.
THE "INVISIBILITY CLOAK"
(Why You Don't Rank)
Your Website Landlord promised you "Content Marketing." They said they would post blogs for you. "5 Tips for Back Pain." "Why You Need a Will."
Here is the dirty secret: They didn't write that for you. They wrote it once. Then they syndicated it to 2,000 other clients on their platform.
The "Duplicate Content" Penalty
Google’s algorithm is designed to filter out unoriginal content. When it sees the exact same blog post on 2,000 different dental websites, it has to make a choice. It picks one winner (usually the Landlord's own site). It ignores the rest.
Smile Marketing and ChiroMatrix are notorious for this. They flood your site with "canned" newsletters and articles. This doesn't build authority. It triggers Google’s duplicate content filters. You are literally paying to be ignored.
THE GEO-FENCE
(Why You Can't Grow)
Do you want clients from the town next door? Of course you do.
But your Website Landlord’s platform is rigid. To manage thousands of sites cheaply, they use automated "Name, Address, Phone" (NAP) insertion. They hard-code your site to your physical zip code.
The Limitation: You cannot easily build custom "Service Area Pages" for neighboring cities without breaking their template or paying extra fees. Smile Marketing, for example, often upsells clients to PPC (Paid Ads) when they complain about not ranking in nearby towns.
The Scam:
They break your organic reach with rigid code.
They sell you the "fix" (Google Ads) at a markup. You are trapped in a Geo-Fence of their making.
THE HOSTAGE SITUATION
(Read Your Contract. I Dare You.)
The "Website Landlord" business model relies on Fear of Loss. They make it impossible to leave.
The "Termination" Clause
We audited the Terms of Service for the major players. Here is what happens when you cancel:
FindLaw: They retain ownership of the design and code. You cannot move the site. You must pay a "buyout fee" to keep your own content.
Scorpion: Their websites are built on a proprietary CMS. You cannot export the code to WordPress. If you leave, you must rebuild from scratch.
Real Geeks: You are leasing the platform. You do not own the lead generation funnel or the code.
Officite: Their contract states they have the right to "delete all data, files, or other information" immediately upon termination.
97 Display: You are granted a "non-exclusive license." The templates remain their sole property.
They don't hand you the keys. They bulldoze the house.
THE WALL OF SHAME
Are You Renting From These Net Slumlords?
If you send a monthly check to these companies, you do not own your digital home.
LEGAL
FindLaw (Internet Brands)
Scorpion
Justia
CHIROPRACTIC
ChiroMatrix (iMatrix)
Smile Marketing
Perfect Patients
REAL ESTATE
BoomTown
Real Geeks
Placester
Luxury Presence
DENTAL
Officite
ProSites
FITNESS
97 Display
THE SOLUTION
Build Once. Own Forever.
Digital Independence is not a luxury. It is a survival requirement.
1. OWN THE CODE Build on open standards like WordPress. Code that lives on your server. Code that you can zip up and move to a new host whenever you want.
2. OWN THE CONTENT Write for your customers. Google rewards Unique, Helpful Content. One original article is worth 1,000 syndicated newsletters.
3. OWN THE ASSET Your website should increase your business valuation (EBITDA). When you sell your practice, you sell the website. You can't sell a rental agreement.
Stop Renting. Start Building.