Most business owners assume they own their website because they paid for it. Often that is true. But “the website” is really several separate pieces, and each one can be registered, licensed or controlled by someone else: a former designer, an old employee, or a platform you can never fully leave.
You usually find out at the worst moment. The designer stops answering, the domain expires, or you want to redesign and discover you cannot get the files. This guide shows you exactly what to check, how to check it in about ten minutes, and what your next web design contract should say.
The short answer: you own your website when your business is the registered owner of the domain, holds the main hosting account (or has a written right to a full copy of the site), has the design and content assigned to it in writing, and is the owner, not just a user, of your Google and analytics accounts.
Your Website Is Really Seven Different Things
Each piece below can have a different owner. Check them one by one.
| Piece | Who should control it | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Your business, as registrant | Log in to the registrar; run an ICANN Lookup |
| Hosting account | You, or your provider with a written exit plan | Find who pays the bill and who holds the login |
| Website files and database | You should be able to get a full copy anytime | Ask for a current backup; confirm you can move it |
| Design, code and written content | Assigned to you in writing | Read the ownership clause in your contract |
| Logo and brand files | You, with original source files | Check you have AI, EPS or SVG versions |
| Google and analytics accounts | You as owner; your designer as a user | Check the user and permissions settings |
| Themes, plugins, photos, fonts | Licensed for your business use | Ask for license records or receipts |
1. Who Owns Your Domain Name?
Your domain (yourbusiness.com) is the most important piece. If someone else controls it, they control where your website and often your email point. Two things matter:
- The registrant: the person or business legally listed as the domain’s owner. This should be your business name.
- The registrar account: the login at the company where the domain is registered (such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace Domains or Cloudflare). You need this login too, not just your name on the record.
How to check your domain in five minutes
- Search your domain on ICANN Lookup. It shows the registrar and the expiry date.
- If the owner details are hidden behind a privacy service, that is normal. Log in to the registrar account itself to see the registrant.
- If you have never had a login, ask whoever set up your site which registrar and account the domain sits in.
- Turn on auto-renew and add a payment method and an email address you control.
A word of warning: fake “domain renewal” and “domain expiry” notices are one of the most common scams aimed at small businesses. If a letter or email asks you to pay to renew your domain, check it against your real registrar first. Our guide to web design and website scams shows what these notices look like.
2. Who Controls Your Hosting?
Hosting is where your website’s files live. Many small businesses host through their web designer, and that is perfectly fine, as long as you understand the arrangement. The question is not whose name is on the server. It is whether you can leave with your site if you need to.
Ask your provider these three questions:
- Can I get a complete backup of my site, files and database, on request?
- If I move to another host, will you help transfer the site, and is there a fee?
- Who receives security and renewal alerts?
Managed hosting can save you a lot of headaches; see what to look for in website hosting rates for small businesses and how Anchorage web designers handle hosting. Regular, off-site backups matter just as much as ownership, which is why website backup and recovery should be part of any hosting plan.
3. Can You Actually Take Your Website With You?
This is where platform choice matters. A self-hosted WordPress site is portable: its files and database can be copied to almost any host. That flexibility is one reason we often recommend WordPress web design for Anchorage businesses.
Hosted builders like Wix and Squarespace work differently. You can keep and transfer your domain, but the design itself generally cannot be moved to another host; leaving usually means rebuilding. We cover the hidden costs of that in why Wix and Squarespace cost local businesses money.
Custom-coded sites sit in between. You can move them only if you have the full source code and the knowledge to run it, so ask for both in writing.
4. Who Owns the Design, Code and Content?
Paying for a website does not automatically transfer copyright. Under general US copyright law, the person who creates a work usually owns it unless the work is made for hire or the rights are assigned in writing. Work by an independent designer or agency is often not “work made for hire” by default, so the safest approach is a contract clause that assigns the design and content to you once the project is paid in full.
That covers several things:
- Custom design and code created specifically for your site.
- Written content: service pages, blog posts and copy. If you paid for website content and copywriting, confirm the contract gives you full rights to reuse it anywhere.
- Your logo and brand identity: make sure you receive final source files, not just a PNG. If you are planning a new logo, see our logo design and brand strategy services.
Two exceptions are normal and fair: designers keep ownership of their general tools and pre-existing code, and they often keep the right to show your project in their portfolio. A good contract simply says so clearly.
This section is general information, not legal advice. For contract questions, talk to a business attorney.
5. Third-Party Licenses: Themes, Plugins, Photos and Fonts
Some parts of your site are never “owned” by anyone but their creator. They are licensed. That includes premium WordPress themes and plugins, stock photos and many web fonts.
- Ask whether premium licenses are in your name or your designer’s. If they are under the designer’s account, updates may stop when you part ways.
- Keep records of stock photo licenses. Using an image without the right license can lead to infringement claims.
- Expired plugin licenses often mean missed security updates, a risk we cover in website security audits.
6. Your Google, Analytics and Social Accounts
These accounts hold years of reviews, data and history, and they are often created by whoever built the site. You should be the owner, with your designer or marketing team added as users or managers. Check:
- Google Business Profile: your listing and reviews in the map pack. Losing it can hurt local visibility overnight; see our guide to local SEO in Alaska.
- Google Analytics and Google Search Console: your traffic and search data. Without them you cannot measure the ROI of your SEO.
- Google Ads and Meta business accounts, if you run ads.
- Email: business email often runs on your domain. Make sure the admin account is yours.
A trustworthy Anchorage SEO partner works inside accounts you own, so all that history stays with your business.
Contract Checklist: What Your Web Design Agreement Should Say
Before you sign, look for clear answers to each of these:
- Ownership transfer: design, code and content are assigned to you after final payment.
- Domain registration: the domain is registered in your business name, in an account you can access.
- Hosting terms and exit: what hosting costs, and how and when you get a full copy of the site if you leave.
- Credentials: you receive admin logins for the site, domain and key accounts at launch.
- Deliverables: a list of what you receive, including logo source files and any written content.
- Third-party licenses: which themes, plugins, photos and fonts are used, and whose name they are in.
- Maintenance: what ongoing support covers and what it costs. Compare options in our article on Anchorage web design companies that offer maintenance.
- Termination and handover: how either side can end the agreement and how quickly files and access are handed over.
- Pre-existing tools and portfolio rights: what the designer keeps, stated plainly.
Clear terms do not have to make a project more expensive. If you are comparing quotes, our guide to web design costs in Anchorage explains what typically affects the price.
Red Flags That You May Not Own Your Website
- You have never had a login to your domain registrar or hosting account.
- Your domain is registered under your designer’s name or company.
- Your contract says nothing about ownership, or says the designer “retains all rights.”
- You are told your site “can’t be moved” or that leaving means losing everything.
- Renewal invoices come from a company you don’t recognize.
- A former employee set up Google Business Profile or Analytics with a personal email.
What to Do If Someone Else Controls Your Website
Most ownership problems are solved with a polite, written request. Work through these steps in order:
- Gather proof: invoices, contracts, emails and anything showing you paid for the site and domain.
- Ask in writing: request the domain transfer, a full site backup and admin access to every account. Be specific and give a reasonable deadline.
- Contact the registrar: if the designer is unreachable, registrars have processes for proving ownership of a domain.
- Reclaim Google accounts: Google Business Profile lets you request ownership of a listing that someone else controls.
- Get professional advice if the amounts or the dispute are significant.
- Plan for the worst case: if the files cannot be recovered, a rebuild may be faster than a fight. Start with our website redesign checklist.
If you already have a website but are not sure what you control, our help for existing businesses starts with exactly that question, and a professional website audit will map every account and access point for you.
Take Control Today: A 10-Minute Checklist
Work through this list and note the login and owner for each item in a password manager.
- Log in to your domain registrar and confirm your business is the registrant.
- Turn on domain auto-renew and update the billing email.
- Confirm who holds your hosting account and request a current backup.
- Make sure you have an administrator login to your website.
- Check owner access for Google Business Profile, Analytics and Search Console.
- Find your logo source files and your web design contract.
- List premium plugins, themes and photo licenses, and whose name they are in.
If the checklist turns up an outdated site as well, see whether it is time for a website refresh.
Choosing Your Next Web Designer
The best time to settle ownership is before the project starts. Ask any designer how they handle domains, hosting, files and accounts, and expect a clear, written answer. Our guide to the best web design companies in Anchorage for small businesses covers what else to look for, and new businesses can start on the right foot with our new business branding and web design process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I own my website if my web designer built it?
Not automatically. You own the domain if it is registered in your name, but the design, code and content usually need to be assigned to you in your contract. Check the ownership clause and ask for written confirmation if it is unclear.
How do I find out who owns my domain name?
Look up your domain with ICANN Lookup to find its registrar and expiry date. If the owner details are private, log in to the registrar account. If you have no login, ask whoever set up the domain which account it sits in.
Can my web designer keep my domain if I leave?
If the domain is registered in the designer’s name, they control it until it is transferred. That is why the domain should be registered in your business name from the start. If you paid for it, ask in writing for the transfer, with your invoices as proof.
Do I own my website if I use Wix or Squarespace?
You can own and transfer your domain and keep your content, but the site design generally cannot be moved to another platform. Leaving usually means rebuilding the site elsewhere.
What should a web design contract say about ownership?
It should assign the design, code and content to you after final payment, confirm the domain is registered in your name, explain hosting and handover terms, and list any third-party licenses and what the designer keeps.
Not Sure What You Control? Let’s Find Out
Bianca Frank Design is an Anchorage studio that builds, hosts and manages websites for Alaska businesses. If you are unsure who controls your domain, hosting or accounts, we can review your setup and give you a clear picture. Explore our website design services and website hosting and management, browse our web design FAQs, or contact us to talk it through.
