Do I Own My Website? Domains, Hosting and Code Explained for Business Owners
By Alexey Chasin · Updated September 18, 2026 · 6 min read
You own your website only if five things are in your name: the domain registration, the hosting account, the source code (or, on a builder, the right to export it), the content and images, and the Google Business Profile. Many small businesses own the content and nothing else. Check each one today; the fixes are usually quick, and the next site you commission should put all five in your name from the start.
The five things that make up a website
1. The domain
Your address, like yourbusiness.com. It is registered at a registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains successor Squarespace Domains, Cloudflare). If the registration is in a developer's or agency's name, they own your address and can hold it. Check with a WHOIS lookup or by asking who has the registrar login.
2. The hosting
Where the files live. On a builder (Wix, Squarespace), the platform is the host and you cannot take the site elsewhere. On WordPress, it is a hosting account that should be in your name. On a custom site, it is an account on Vercel, Netlify or similar that should be yours.
3. The code
The files that make the site. Custom sites should be handed over in a repository in your name. WordPress sites are exportable. Builder sites are not: you can export text and images, not the site.
4. The content
Text, photos, logo. Usually yours, unless a contract says otherwise or the photos are stock licensed to the developer. Keep originals.
5. The Google Business Profile
Often claimed by a marketing company and never transferred. Check who is the primary owner at business.google.com. It should be you.
How to check, in ten minutes
| Asset | How to check | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | WHOIS lookup; who has the registrar login | Transfer registration to an account in your name |
| Hosting | Who receives the hosting bill | Move to an account you own, or have it transferred |
| Code | Ask for the repository or an export | Get it in writing; keep a copy |
| Content | Do you have the original files? | Collect them now |
| Business Profile | Owners list in business.google.com | Make yourself primary owner; remove old agencies |
The ownership clause to put in every contract
'Upon final payment, the client owns all deliverables including source code, content and design files; the domain and hosting accounts are registered in the client's name from the start of the project.' If a developer will not sign that, keep looking.
Lead-gen and rented websites
Some companies build contractors and practices a site for free or cheap and keep it, charging monthly and keeping the leads or the domain if you leave. Read the contract. If you do not own the domain and the code, you are renting your own customers.
Every site we build puts the domain, hosting and repository in your name from day one, in writing. If you want to leave, you take everything.