If you wanted to move on from your web design agency tomorrow, could you take your website with you? Many small business owners would answer “I’m not sure”. It may not matter today, but it’s far better to know the answer now than to discover it at an awkward moment later.
By the end of this article, you’ll know which accounts you should control, how to check your current position, and which question to ask your web designer to find out where you stand. Clear ownership is a foundation of good web design services, and it protects the investment you’ve made in your website.
Why Website Ownership Isn’t Always Clear
The natural assumption is that paying for a website means you own it. In practice, that doesn’t always hold true. Some web designers build on platforms that only they can access. Others keep the login details for your hosting, domain or website, even after it has gone live.
You may never think about this until something changes. A designer might become uncontactable, or a working relationship might come to an end. Without access, moving your site to a new provider becomes difficult, and you could face the time and cost of rebuilding your website from scratch.
The Three Accounts You Should Control
You should have full control of, and access to:
- Your domain name
- Your hosting account
- Your website admin login
If your web designer holds any of these, it’s worth addressing.
Delegated Access Keeps Things Simple
There is nothing wrong with a web designer managing logins as part of ongoing support. Handling the technical details can free you to focus on your business. The key is that a good web designer will ask for delegated access, so you remain the owner and stay in full control.
Keeping control of these accounts isn’t a sign of distrust. It simply makes sure your website stays yours and remains easy to access in the future.
A Simple Question to Ask Your Web Designer
Try asking: “If I wanted to move my website elsewhere in the future, what would that involve?”
A good web designer or agency will welcome this question. It’s reasonable to ask, and their answer will tell you a lot about how they operate.
How Click Results Approaches Website Ownership
At Click Results, we believe your website belongs to you. We build on WordPress, an open platform, and our clients retain full ownership of their domain, hosting and website logins. If you ever chose to move on, you would take everything with you.
Have questions about your website ownership? Get in touch with our web design team and we’ll help you make sure everything is in your name.
