Domain, hosting, and who owns the website
A site that is not registered to the business is not an asset of the business. Domain, hosting, and code are three different things, and all three should sit with you or with a written way out.
Three assets, not one bundle
The domain is the name, for example ez-site.com. It is registered with a registrar, and the owner is whoever holds that account. Hosting is where the files are served from. The code is what was built. You can keep the domain at one registrar and serve the site from another host.
A builder who registers everything in their own name "to keep it simple" leaves you dependent on them the day you want to leave. It is simpler to register the domain to the business on day one.
What to check before you pay
A year of hosting can be included in a package. Inclusion is not ownership. The proposal should say in whose name it is registered, and what happens at the end of the year.
| Asset | Who should hold it | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | An account in the business name | Registered only to the vendor, with no access |
| Hosting | An account the business can receive | No export and no password |
| Code or system | A copy that can be moved | "You cannot leave the platform" |
| Content and images | The business | The vendor keeps rights to your text |
| Analytics | A property on the business account | The data lives only with the vendor |