Most firms assume they own their website because they paid for it. Often, the accounts that actually control it are held by a former employee, a freelancer, an agency or the platform itself. You usually find out at the worst possible moment: when you want to change something, move on, or the person who set it up stops answering.
The fix is simple, and it takes about thirty minutes. Here are the seven accounts that control your online presence, how to check who holds each one, and what to do if it isn't you.
Why ownership matters more than design
A beautiful site you don't control is a liability. If your web designer holds your domain, they can (accidentally or not) let it expire. If a site builder holds your design, leaving often means starting over. If a past employee is the only owner of your Google Business Profile, you may not be able to update your hours or respond to reviews.
None of this requires bad intent. It usually happens because someone set things up quickly, using their own email address, and nobody wrote it down.
The seven accounts to check
- Your domain name. This is the most important one. The person or company listed as the registrant controls the domain. ICANN, which oversees domain names, makes registrants responsible for keeping their contact details accurate and for the domain itself. Check it with ICANN's free lookup tool, then confirm you can log in to the registrar account and that renewal is set to automatic.
- DNS settings. DNS is the address book that points your domain at your website and your email. It's often managed at the registrar, or at a service like Cloudflare. Whoever controls DNS can take your site or email offline, so you need a login here too.
- Hosting. The account where your website files live should be in your firm's name, billed to your firm's card, with at least one administrator from your firm.
- The website itself. Ask a simple question: could you download a complete, working copy of your site today? On many hosted site builders you can export some content, but not a working version of the design. That's the definition of renting.
- Business email. If your email runs on your domain, someone holds the administrator account for it. That person can reset any mailbox, including yours.
- Google Business Profile. Each profile has exactly one primary owner, plus optional owners and managers. Owners have full control; managers can't add or remove users or delete the profile. Make sure the primary owner is a person at your firm, using a firm account.
- Analytics and Google Search Console. These hold your traffic history and your relationship with Google search. You should be an owner or administrator on both, not just a viewer.
Two bonus checks: your Google Ads account, if you run ads, and your social media pages. Both follow the same rule. Your firm owns them, and outside help gets added as a user.
Red flags to watch for
- Renewal notices for your domain go to someone else's email address.
- You've never seen the login page for your hosting or registrar.
- Your website invoice comes from a platform you've never heard of, through your designer.
- Your designer says the site "can't be moved."
- Nobody at your firm can say who the primary owner of your Google Business Profile is.
What to do if someone else holds an account
Start with a friendly, specific request. Most people are happy to hand things over when asked clearly. List each account and ask to be made the owner or administrator, then confirm it works by logging in yourself.
For a domain at the wrong registrar, ask for the transfer authorization code. Under ICANN's rules, your registrar must give it to you within five calendar days of your request, and must offer a reasonable way to remove any transfer lock. One timing tip from ICANN: after the registrant name on a domain changes, a transfer to another registrar can be blocked for 60 days, so if you plan to move registrars, transfer first and update the contact details afterward.
If someone won't cooperate, document your requests and your proof of ownership (invoices, business registration, emails). Registrars and Google both have recovery processes for legitimate owners.
How we handle it
At Veritect Digital, every account is created in the client's name from day one: domain, DNS, hosting, email, analytics and search. We're added as users, never owners. At launch you receive a handoff packet listing every account, where it lives and who has access. If you ever decide to work with someone else, you take everything with you.
Not sure where your accounts stand? Our free Website Health Check includes an ownership review.