Say you had your website built three years ago. Everything went well and the phone rang. One day you want to add a new price list, and you realize you do not have the login. The person who built the site no longer answers your calls.
It is like someone else holding the keys to your shop. The shop is yours and so are the customers, but you cannot open the door. This article is about what to do before that happens: which parts of your website should belong to you, how to check it, and what to ask for when you commission a site. If the problem has already happened, I have a separate article about not being able to reach the person who built your site.
The parts of a website
A website is not one single thing. It is made of several accounts and registrations, and each can belong to a different person. Here is each one in a single sentence:
- Domain name: Your web address, the name you type to open your site, such as "exampleclinic.com". You rent it from a registrar, usually year by year.
- Hosting account: The place where your site's files are stored. Think of it as an internet storage unit. Your site sits there and is sent to visitors from there.
- Site admin panel: The login screen where you change texts, photos and your phone number. It normally opens with a username and password.
- Google Business Profile: The business card that shows on the map and in search. Your address, opening hours and reviews live here.
- Google Search Console: A free tool that shows how Google sees your site and which searches you appear for.
- Google Analytics: A measuring tool that shows how many people visit your site and what they do.
- Email accounts: Addresses like "info@exampleclinic.com" and who controls them.
The access list
The answer in the last column is the same in every row: you.
| What | Why it matters | Who should hold it |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | If the address is lost, the site and your email go with it | You as the registered owner, with your own email |
| Hosting account | The site stops loading if this account is closed | You as account owner; the builder as an added user |
| Site admin panel | Even a small correction needs a login | Administrator rights with you |
| Google Business Profile | Controls your map listing and reviews | You as primary owner |
| Search Console and Analytics | Years of data build up here | You as owner; the builder as an authorized user |
| Email accounts | Password reset messages arrive here | Managed by you |
Why your own name and your own email?
If you ever ask yourself who owns my website, the honest answer is: whoever holds the accounts. The reason is simple: when an account is opened with someone's email, the "forgot password" message goes to that person. If an account is in your name but uses the builder's email, you look like the owner on paper while the lock is in their hands in practice.
The builder does not have to act in bad faith. They may leave the trade, close their agency or change their email address. You are the one who lives with the result.
Continuity matters too. If renewal reminders go to someone else's inbox, you find out very late that you lost your address. Google accounts hold years of customer reviews, and those cannot be rewritten.
How to check today
Half an hour is enough for these steps:
- Look up the domain registration. Type your address into any domain lookup service to see which registrar holds it and often the expiry date. Some owner details may be hidden. The important part is finding the registrar.
- Do you have an account with the registrar? Invoices and renewal emails usually come from that company. Search your old emails for its name.
- Try logging into the admin panel yourself. Do you have the address, username and password? Do you sign in as an administrator or with limited rights?
- Check your Google accounts. In Business Profile, Search Console and Analytics, see whether your own account appears as "owner". If you were only added as a user, ownership sits with someone else.
- Write down who controls each email address and who knows the password.
The main question is this: who is the domain registered in the name of? If the answer is you or your business, you are halfway there. If something is missing, do not panic. In most cases you can talk to the builder and have ownership transferred, and the earlier you do it the easier it is.
What to ask for when you commission a site
Before any work starts, settle these points:
- You buy the domain, or the builder registers it in your name and with your email.
- The hosting account is opened in your name, with the builder added as an extra user if needed.
- You are the main owner of the Google accounts; the builder is added with only the rights needed.
- At handover, ask for a written list of all logins, and keep the passwords in your own safe place.
- Ask for the renewal dates (domain, hosting) and which email receives the reminders.
None of this is advanced. A good agency or freelancer expects these requests.
Put it in the contract
I am not a lawyer, so I do not give legal advice. But my suggestion is clear: have these points written into the contract or the quote. For example, in whose name the domain and accounts are opened, which details are handed over at delivery, and how access is transferred when the job ends. For the exact wording, it makes sense to ask a lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
The builder registered the domain. Is that a problem?
If the registration is in their name, your say over your own address may be weak. This can usually be fixed, but it depends on the registrar's rules. Talk to the builder and ask for the registration to be transferred to you.
Is it wrong for the builder to keep the passwords?
Having access as an extra user is fine. But the main account and the passwords should be with you. Do not leave passwords in one person's memory.
How often should I check?
Once a year, around the domain renewal, is enough. Go through the list again whenever you change the builder or agency.
Conclusion
The real owner of a website is whoever holds the accounts. Accounts opened in your own name and with your own email prevent many problems later. If you are planning a new site and want a setup where every access belongs to you from day one, you can reach me through my website design page.