1. The domain is registered to you
Your domain (yourbusiness.com) is the address everything else points to. ICANN defines the registrant as the person or business that registers the domain. That should be you or your company, in an account you can sign into. If your designer registered it in their name, it is theirs on paper, even if you paid for it.
2. The hosting account is yours, or there is a written handoff plan
Some designers host every client on their own server. That can be a good service. Just get in writing what happens if you leave: you get a full copy of the site, and they help move it within a set number of days.
3. You hold the top-level admin login
Not an editor account. The highest level of access the platform offers. You may never use it, and that is fine. It should still exist and be in your hands.
4. You are the owner of your Google Business Profile
Google gives a profile owners and managers. Owners have full control, including adding and removing people. Managers can do almost everything else but cannot remove users or the profile. You should be the primary owner. Anyone helping you should be a manager.
5. Analytics and Search Console live in your Google account
Your traffic history is part of your business. Google Analytics and Google Search Console should belong to your Google account, with access granted to whoever helps you. When you part ways, you remove their access and keep years of data.
6. The content, photos, and design are yours once paid
Your contract should say the final site and its content belong to you after the final payment. Ask how photos and fonts are licensed. A stock photo licensed to your designer may not transfer to you.
7. There is a clear exit clause
The best time to agree on how you leave is before you start. What files you get, in what format, how fast, and at what cost, if any.
How to check what you have today
- Sign into the account where your domain renews. If you do not know where that is, that is the first problem to fix.
- Try logging into your website's admin. If you only have an editor login or none at all, ask for owner access.
- Open your Google Business Profile, go to the people and access settings, and see who the owners are.
A note on website builders
With Wix, Squarespace, and similar builders, you own your content and your domain, but the site itself lives on that platform. You cannot pick it up and move it somewhere else as is. That is fine for many businesses. Just know it going in. More on builders versus hiring someone.
When I build a site, the domain, the logins, and the files are set up to be yours once the project is paid. If you work with someone else, ask them for the same seven things. A good designer will not mind.
Common questions
My designer registered my domain. Is that a problem?
It can be. The person listed as registrant controls the domain. Ask your designer to transfer it into an account in your name.
Can I move my site if I own the domain but not the hosting?
Yes, if you can get a full copy of the site files and database. Without them you keep the address but may have to rebuild the site.
Who should own my Google Business Profile?
You should be the primary owner. Anyone helping you should be added as a manager, which you can remove any time.
Not sure what you have or what you need? Tell me what you are trying to do and I will give you a straight answer, not a sales pitch.