Most owners never ask who owns their website until something goes wrong. The agency closes, a freelancer stops answering, or you want to switch and find out you can’t. By then the domain, the site, and years of reviews and search history may sit in someone else’s account. This guide is a checklist you can use today, whether you are about to hire someone or have had a site for years.
Why it matters
Your domain is your address. Your Google Business Profile is how people find you on the map. Your analytics show what is working. If any of these are in someone else’s name, they control them, even if you paid for them. Most vendors are honest. Owning your accounts just means you don’t have to rely on that.
The checklist: what to own in your own name
Each item below should be an account you log into yourself, with your business email, with your vendor added as a user. Not the other way around.
- 1Domain registrar
The company where your domain name is registered. You should be the account owner and the registrant contact. Turn on auto-renew so it never lapses.
- 2Hosting
Where the website runs. The account and the bill should be in your name. Your builder can be given access to do the work.
- 3Code repository
If your site is custom built, the code lives in a repository, often on GitHub. Ask for it in an account your business owns, or for a full copy at handover.
- 4Google Business Profile
Your listing on Google Maps and search, with your reviews. You should be the primary owner. An agency can be added as a manager.
- 5Google Analytics and Search Console
Your visitor numbers and how Google sees your site. Create them under your own Google account and add your vendor.
- 6AI accounts
If you have a chatbot or a voice agent, the accounts with the AI company or voice provider should be yours and billed to you, so it keeps working if you change vendors.
- 7Automation accounts
The automation tool, or the server it runs on, should be in your name too, with the workflows written down.
- 8Phone numbers and email
Business numbers used for texting or call tracking, and the email on your domain, belong on the same list.
Red flags in agency contracts
- The domain is registered in the agency’s name, or ‘on your behalf’ in their own account.
- The site is built on a ‘proprietary’ builder or platform you can’t take with you. If you leave, the site stays behind.
- The contract says the agency owns the design or the code, and you only get to use it while you pay.
- There is no handover clause: nothing says what you receive when the contract ends.
- One monthly fee bundles hosting, the domain and the site, so you can’t tell what you are paying for.
- Your Google Business Profile or analytics were set up under their account to save you time.
- Leaving needs a long notice period, or an exit fee, before you get your own files.
None of these always means bad intent. Some agencies do it because it is easier for them. But each one makes leaving harder, and you should know that before you sign.
What to ask before you sign
- Will the domain, hosting and code be in my name from day one?
- Which accounts will you create, and whose email will they use?
- If we stop working together, what exactly do I get, and how soon?
- Could another developer take over the site without you?
- What are the running costs, and who do I pay them to?
- Is the site built on something I can move, or only on your platform?
Get the answers in writing, in the contract or the plan. A good vendor answers these quickly and doesn’t mind being asked.
How to take back control if you don’t own them
If some of your accounts are in someone else’s name, don’t panic. Most can be moved. Work through them one at a time, starting with the domain.
- 1Make a list
Write down every account from the checklist above and who controls it today. Old invoices and emails are good clues.
- 2Ask in writing
Email your vendor and ask for each account to be moved to you, or for you to be made the owner. Keep it polite and specific. Most will do it.
- 3Move the domain first
Ask for the domain to be unlocked and for the transfer code. Then move it into a registrar account you own. Don’t let it expire during the move.
- 4Claim your Google Business Profile
If you are not the owner, request ownership through Google. Google has a process for this, even when the current owner doesn’t respond.
- 5Get a copy of the site
Ask for the code or a full export. If the site is on a closed platform, you may only get the text and images, and the site may need to be rebuilt.
- 6Change passwords and remove old access
Once an account is yours, change the password, turn on two-step login and remove anyone who no longer needs access.
What good looks like
In a healthy setup, you could part ways with your vendor on Friday and nothing would break on Monday. You would still log into your domain, hosting, profile and analytics. Another developer could pick up the code. You would pay the running costs straight to the providers. That is the bar to hold anyone to, including us.
At Rnext Labs, the code, accounts and data are yours from day one, set up in your name and written down. It starts with a free 30-minute call and a fixed price in writing.
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