Who should own your website?

You. At least the parts that matter: the domain, the DNS, your Google listing and every word and photo. Here is what should be in your name, and what your web team should run for you.

See the ownership map Ask us to check yours

What should be yours.

These are the pieces that make your business findable and reachable. If any of them sits in someone else's account, you don't fully control your own business online, however good the relationship is today.

Hosting, code and reporting are the parts that take skill and attention every week. That's the work you hire a web team for, and a good one makes it easy to leave if you ever want to.

Left: what should always be in your business's name. Right: what a good web team runs for you, and hands back if you ever leave.

A five-minute check.

Log into your domain registrar. If you can't, find out who can.
Check the name on the domain account. It should be your business.
Open your Google Business Profile. You should be an owner, not just a manager.
Ask your web team for a copy of your content and how you'd leave if you had to. A good team answers that easily.
Read your privacy policy and terms. They should name your business, not a template; here is what those pages need to cover.

Questions we hear.

Who should own my domain name?

You should, always. Register it in an account in your own name that you can log into, even if someone else manages the settings. A domain registered to a web designer is the most common way businesses lose control of their own website.

Why your website is property

What if my web designer registered my domain?

Ask them to move it into an account in your name now, while you're on good terms. It takes a few minutes and costs nothing. If they won't or can't, that's the moment to bring in help.

When your web person disappears

Where should I register my domain?

Cloudflare is generally the best choice: it sells domains at cost and runs some of the fastest DNS available. GoDaddy and Squarespace are acceptable.

Do I own the code of my website?

You own your content and your domain. The code we write is licensed to you for as long as you use it, and if you ever leave, you get an export of the code, content and media so the site can run anywhere.