Navigating the Challenges of Inheriting a Small Business Website: A New Owner’s Journey

Inheriting a business is undoubtedly an emotional journey, and the added complexity of managing the company’s online presence can be daunting, especially when technology isn’t your forte. Recently, I found myself in this very situation. My boss passed away and left his small enterprise to me, along with a somewhat outdated and unattractive website. Now, as I step into my new role, I’m grappling with a pressing question: how do I access and update the website?

Understanding Where to Start

To effectively manage the business’s online identity, I first need to identify the platform on which the website was built. Unfortunately, my attempts to use web tools designed to trace content management systems (CMS) yielded no results. The appearance of the site, while functional, suggests it likely wasn’t built on popular platforms like WordPress or Wix. Instead, it appears to have been crafted through a more hands-on approach using HTML.

Assessing My Technical Skills

I possess some familiarity with HTML, which gives me a slight advantage. However, the real challenge lies in accessing the website’s backend to make necessary updates. Unlike user-friendly platforms where you simply log in to a centralized portal (like Wix.com for Wix users), my situation is a bit trickier. I have some login credentials, but I’m uncertain about where to apply them.

Finding the Right Access Point

The next step involves figuring out how to enter the backend of my predecessor’s website. Here are some approaches I’m considering:

1. Check Common Access Points: I plan to look for any administrative login pages on the website, typically following a standardized URL structure like www.yourwebsite.com/admin or www.yourwebsite.com/wp-admin.

2. Review Documentation: If any sort of documentation was left behind—whether project briefs or technical manuals—it would greatly help in understanding the technology stack and login protocols.

3. Web Hosting Provider Insight: We’ve got some passwords on file; one of them might relate to our hosting service. Learning which web host is being used can lead me to obtain further assistance or even a control panel area where I might manage the website.

4. Online Forums and Communities: Engaging with web development forums or communities could provide insights from individuals who have faced similar hurdles, possibly even leading to recommendations for software that helps reverse engineer the site’s build.

Conclusion: Em