Who should own your domain and website? How to avoid being locked in

A familiar story: a business has used the same web designer for years. The relationship ends, and the owner discovers the domain is registered in the designer's name, the hosting account is theirs, and nobody has the admin password. Getting control back can take weeks, and sometimes the domain is lost entirely.

It's easy to prevent if you settle who owns your website and domain before the work starts. Here's what your business should own, and what to ask for.

What you should own

1. Your domain name

Your domain (yourbusiness.com) is the address for your website and your email. It should be registered with your business as the registrant, with contact details you control.

A developer can manage it for you, and many do, as long as the registration is in your name and you can get the login when you ask.

2. The website itself

When the project is paid for, you should own the website: the design, the content, and the files and database that make it work. With WordPress, that means you can take a full backup and move it to any host.

Note that some components, such as premium plugins, themes, fonts or stock photos, are licensed rather than owned. That's normal. Just make sure the licences are valid for your site.

The same applies to anything custom-built, such as a customer portal or booking system: agree in writing that your business owns the source code and data. Our guide to choosing between a custom web app and off-the-shelf software covers what to ask for.

3. Admin access

You should have an administrator login to your website, even if you never use it. If your developer disappears, that login is how the next person gets in.

4. Business accounts connected to the site

These should be in your business's name, with you (or a business email address you control) as the owner:

• Google Business Profile
• Google Analytics and Search Console
• Business email (Google Workspace, Zoho Mail or Microsoft 365), with licences billed to your business. If they aren't, put that right when you next move email to a new provider.
• Payment gateway accounts such as Razorpay

Your developer can be added as a user. You should remain the owner.

What's reasonable for a developer to manage

It's perfectly normal for a web company to host your site and manage renewals for you. That's a service, and a useful one. The line is simple: managing is fine, owning isn't. You should always be able to ask for your domain transfer code, a full website backup and admin access, and get them.

Questions to ask before you hire anyone

1. Whose name will the domain be registered in?
2. Will I get administrator access to the website?
3. When the project is paid for, do I own the website?
4. If I move to another provider later, will you hand over a full backup and the domain?
5. What exactly renews each year, and at what cost?

A trustworthy developer will answer all five in one message.

How to check your domain today

Search for a "WHOIS lookup" and enter your domain. Many registrars hide personal details for privacy, but the lookup shows the registrar and the expiry date. Log in to that registrar, or ask whoever manages your website to confirm the registrant is your business. Make a note of the expiry date too: letting a domain expire is the other common way businesses lose their domains.

Our approach

At AntsHum, you own your website once the final payment is made. We manage hosting and renewals through our website maintenance and hosting plans if you want us to, and remind you before anything is due. If your current setup is unclear, ask us to take a look. We'll tell you what you own and what you don't.