Who Owns Your Website? What to Settle Before You Sign
Most organizations find out who owns their website at the worst possible moment: when a developer stops answering, a domain is about to expire, or a new partner asks for logins nobody has. By then, settling ownership costs time, money, and sometimes the site itself.
The good news is that every one of these questions can be settled before you sign, in a single conversation. This guide covers what to settle, what to ask any website partner, and the warning signs that tell you to slow down. It applies to every partner you consider, including us.
The five things to settle before you sign
Your organization should be the owner of record for each of these. Your website partner should be a user you add, not the account holder.
| What to settle | Who should own it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Your organization, registered under an organizational email | Whoever controls the domain controls your website address and often your email |
| Hosting account | Your organization, with your payment method | If the host is billed to your developer, the site can go offline when that relationship ends |
| Website administrator accounts | Your staff hold the primary administrator login | Partners should have their own accounts that you can remove at any time |
| Paid plugin, theme, and service licenses | Your organization, or transferred to you at launch | Licenses held by a developer can lapse, leaving your site without security updates |
| Design files, content, and custom code | Your organization, delivered at launch | You paid for them; you should be able to give them to any future partner |
One test covers all five: if your partner disappeared tomorrow, could your organization log in, renew, and hand everything to someone new without asking anyone’s permission?
Continuity: what happens if your partner becomes unavailable
Every partner, large agency or independent consultant, can become unavailable: people change jobs, firms close, and priorities change. The question isn’t whether it could happen. It’s whether your website depends on one person when it does.
A website that doesn’t depend on one person has four things in place:
- Ownership settled. The five items above sit in your organization’s name.
- Standard tools. The site is built on a widely used platform, so another qualified developer can recognize it on the first day. A proprietary system only one firm understands is a risk, however well built.
- Staff who can run it. Your team has written documentation and training for everyday updates, plus a list of every account and service the site depends on.
- A handover plan in writing. The contract says what you receive, and how quickly, if the relationship ends.
Questions to ask any website partner
Ask these before you sign. A trustworthy partner will welcome them, because the answers protect both of you.
| Ask | A good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| Whose name will the domain, hosting, and licenses be in? | “Yours. We’ll set them up under your organization, or transfer them to you at launch.” |
| Can we remove your access at any time? | “Yes, and removing our accounts won’t affect how the site runs.” |
| What platform and tools will you use? | A named, widely used platform, with a reason it fits your staff. |
| If you became unavailable, who could take over? | “Any qualified developer on this platform,” plus a named backup if they have one. |
| What will our staff be able to update on their own? | A specific list, plus written documentation and training. |
| What do we receive if we stop working together? | A complete site export, account list, documentation, any custom code, and a transition conversation. |
| Who owns the design files and custom code? | “Your organization, delivered at launch.” |
Warning signs to slow down for
None of these means a partner is acting in bad faith. Each one means a question should be settled in writing before you sign.
- The proposal says nothing about who owns the domain, hosting, or accounts
- The partner registers the domain or hosting in their own name “for convenience”
- Your staff won’t have an administrator login, only a limited one
- The site is built on a system only that firm uses or supports
- Ongoing care is required to keep the site running, rather than offered as a choice
- Design files or code are described as licensed to you, not owned by you
- There is no mention of documentation, training, or what happens if the relationship ends
A checklist for your next proposal
Bring this to your next partner conversation, or attach it to your request for proposals.
- Domain registered in our organization’s name
- Hosting account in our name, with our payment method
- Our staff hold the primary administrator login
- Paid licenses in our name, or transferred to us at launch
- Design files, content, and custom code delivered to us at launch
- Built on a widely used platform another developer can maintain
- Written documentation and staff training included
- A list of every account and service the site depends on
- A written handover plan if the relationship ends
- A named backup or clear plan if the partner becomes unavailable
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should own our website domain?
Your organization should. Register it under an organizational email address that more than one staff member can access, not a personal or developer address.
Is it a problem if our developer pays for our hosting?
It can be. If hosting is billed to the developer, your site may go offline if that relationship ends or a payment lapses. Ask for the account to be in your organization’s name.
Can our website partner keep administrator access after launch?
Yes, as long as it’s their own account and your staff hold the primary administrator login. You should be able to remove a partner’s access at any time without affecting the site.
What should we receive if we change website partners?
A complete export of the site, a list of every account and service it depends on, documentation, any custom code, and a conversation with whoever takes over.
How do we find out who owns our current website?
Check where your domain is registered and whose name is on it, who receives the hosting bill, and who holds the primary administrator login. If any answer is “our developer” or “we’re not sure,” that’s the first thing to settle.
A website your organization can keep
A website is something your organization will own for years, often longer than any one staff member or partner. Settling ownership before you sign is the simplest way to protect that investment, and the answers tell you a great deal about the partner you’re choosing.
To see how we answer these questions for every project, read Your Website, Always Yours. If you’re not sure who controls your current site, a free 30-minute Website Clarity Snapshot will show you where you stand.
