I spoke to someone the other day who hired a web designer, supplied some content and photos, and then poof! The person disappeared, and suddenly my friend had no idea how to log in to his website, what his passwords were, or how to change the content. Theoretically, he “owned” his website, but did he?

Website ownership is more complicated than many business owners realize. Your domain name, hosting account, website files, content, software licenses, and analytics accounts are all separate pieces of the puzzle. Depending on how your website was created and how your accounts were set up, some of those assets may be controlled by your web designer, developer, or hosting provider rather than your business.

This might not seem like a big deal but believe me, when you want to switch web designers, move to another hosting company, or make changes to your website and discover that you don’t have access to everything you need, it becomes a huge deal.

Here are seven things every business owner should understand about website ownership.

1. Your Domain Name Should Be Registered in Your Name

Your domain name is your website’s address, so for us, it’s www.websymphonies.com. It’s one of your most important digital assets, and your business should generally be the registered holder. When someone registers a domain name, they’re entering into an agreement with a domain registrar. The registrant is the person or organization listed as holding the registration rights. You can check that information on ICANN’s website.

Sometimes a web designer or developer registers a client’s domain using their own account and contact information. Even if the business owner pays the registration fees, the developer may be listed as the registrant, which can be complicated if the relationship ends.

As a Charlotte web developer with more than 20 years of experience, our suggestion is to make sure of the following:

• Your business is listed as the domain registrant.
• You have access to the account where the domain is registered.
• Your business controls the email address used for renewal and transfer notifications.
• You know when your domain registration expires.

Your web designer can certainly help manage your domain, but your business should retain control of this essential asset.

2. You Should Have Access to Your Hosting Account

Domain registration and website hosting are two different things. Your domain name is your website’s address. Hosting is the service that stores your website’s files and makes them accessible online. For instance, we use Dreamhost.

Some web design companies manage hosting for their clients, which can be convenient. You don’t necessarily need to manage the technical details yourself. But you should understand where your website is hosted, who controls the account, and what happens if you decide to move to another provider.

Ask your web designer:

• Who is the hosting provider?
• Is my website hosted under my own account or yours?
• Can I move my website to another hosting company?
• Are there additional fees for transferring my website?
• Can I obtain a complete backup of my site?

You don’t necessarily need to manage your own hosting, but you should understand the arrangement and know what options you have.

3. You Should Have Administrator Access to Your Website

This is so crucial, I can’t emphasize it enough. Many websites (like if they’re built with WordPress) have different levels of user access. An administrator account provides extensive control over the website, including the ability to manage users, install plugins, change settings, and modify the site’s functionality.

Some business owners have only an editor account or another restricted login, which is fine for updating a blog post or web content but it’s not the same thing as being able to change the website altogether! As a business owner, you should have a way to access the administrative side of your website, even if your web developer handles most of the technical work. That’s because things get hairy fast if you don’t have admin access. This happened to my friend, whose web designer (not us) simply stopped responding to emails. Without appropriate access, he couldn’t make any change to his website. Not one.

Having administrator access gives you more control over your website and makes it easier to transition to another developer if necessary.

4. Who Owns Your Website’s Content and Design?

This one is tricky. You might assume that because you paid someone to create your website, you automatically own everything on it. But copyright ownership doesn’t necessarily work that way. Under U.S. copyright law, the person who creates original work generally owns the copyright unless an applicable work-made-for-hire arrangement or written copyright assignment establishes otherwise.

This can apply to:

• Website copy and written content
• Original photographs
• Custom illustrations and graphics
• Logos and other creative materials
• Custom website code

For example, if you hire a freelance copywriter to write your website content, paying the invoice doesn’t automatically transfer copyright ownership. The agreement should clarify who owns the finished work and what rights you’re receiving. The same principle applies to custom graphics, photography, and other creative materials. Before hiring someone to create your website, make sure your agreement explains what rights you’ll have to the materials they’re producing.

Also remember that stock photographs, fonts, and other third-party materials are often licensed rather than owned outright. You may have permission to use them without having the right to transfer or redistribute them.

5. Understand Who Controls Your Plugins, Themes, and Software Licenses

If you have a WordPress website, it probably relies on several plugins and possibly a premium theme to provide different features. Some are free. Others require paid licenses that must be renewed periodically. A developer may purchase premium plugins or themes through their own account and use those licenses across multiple client websites. That’s not a problem but as a business owner, you should understand what happens if you stop working with that developer.

Will your website continue functioning? Will you need to purchase your own licenses? Will you lose access to updates or support? Ask which plugins and premium tools your website uses, who holds the licenses, and whether those licenses can be transferred. You don’t need to own every piece of software used to build your website. But you should know which tools are essential to its operation and what happens if your licensing arrangement changes. As a Charlotte web developer, we’re happy to provide you with that information.

6. Make Sure You Can Access Your Website Files, Backups, and Data

Your website isn’t just what visitors see when they open a browser. It’s also files, databases, images, content, and other information that make everything work. If something goes wrong (or you decide to move your website) you’ll want access to a complete backup.

A backup can include:

• Website files
• Your WordPress database
• Images and uploaded media
• Themes and plugins
• Website configuration information

Regular backups are essential for recovering from technical problems, accidental deletions, security incidents, or other unexpected issues. You should know how frequently your website is backed up, where those backups are stored, and how they can be retrieved. It’s also worth asking whether you can obtain a copy of your website if you decide to move to another developer or hosting provider.

Having a backup isn’t quite the same as owning every component of your website, but it’s an important part of maintaining control over your digital presence.

7. Your Business Should Control Its Analytics and SEO Accounts

Your website generates valuable information about the people visiting your business. Tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console can help you understand where visitors come from, which pages they visit, what search terms bring them to your website, and how your site performs in search results. But what happens if those accounts were created by your web designer or SEO company?

If you don’t have access, you could lose valuable historical information when you change providers. Ideally, your business should own or control its Google Analytics property, Google Search Console property, and other important marketing accounts. You can then grant your web designer, SEO provider, or marketing team the appropriate access to do their work. This way, your business retains its historical data and can continue tracking website performance regardless of who manages the site.

A Website Ownership Checklist

Not sure whether you have everything covered? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is my business listed as the registrant of my domain name?
• Do I know which company hosts my website?
• Do I have administrator access to my website?
• Do I know who owns the website copy, graphics, photographs, and custom code?
• Do I understand which plugins and software licenses my website uses?
• Can I obtain a complete backup of my website?
• Does my business control its Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts?

If you can’t answer some of these questions, it’s worth having a conversation with the person who manages your website.

You Don’t Have to Manage Everything Yourself

Understanding website ownership doesn’t mean you need to become a web developer, manage your own hosting, or spend your weekends updating WordPress plugins. That’s one of the reasons businesses hire professional web designers and developers in the first place.

As a Charlotte web designer, we can handle the technical details and our ongoing website support can save you considerable time and frustration. The important distinction is between having someone manage your website and having someone else control your ability to access it.

A good working relationship with a web designer (like Web Symphonies!) should give you confidence that your website is being maintained properly while ensuring that your business retains appropriate access to its digital assets.

Your website is an investment in your business. It’s where potential customers learn about your services, evaluate your credibility, and decide whether to contact you. You should know what you’re paying for, who controls the different pieces, and what would happen if you decided to work with someone else.

You don’t need to understand every technical detail. You just need to ask the right questions and make sure your business isn’t unnecessarily dependent on one person or company for access to its own online presence. And that’s something we can help you with.

Get in touch with Web Symphonies via email or call (704) 336-9113.

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