Hiring a web designer · October 2026
Who owns your website? Six things to check before you sign.
Most business owners assume the website they paid for is theirs. Often it is. But we regularly hear from people who cannot change their own site, move it, or even get into it, because the domain, the hosting or the logins were set up in someone else’s name. These six questions take ten minutes and save a lot of trouble later.
The Six Questions
Ask them before you sign anything, and get the answers in writing.
1. Whose name is the domain in?
Your domain (yourbusiness.com) should be registered to your business, with your email as the owner contact. A designer can manage it for you, but they should not own it. If they do, they control your address on the internet, and your email may depend on it too.
2. Can the site move if you leave?
Ask what happens to the website if you stop working together. The right answer is that you get a full copy and help moving it. Be careful with sites built on a platform the designer owns, where the site can only live on their system.
3. Do you own the content and the design?
The words, photos and logo you paid for should belong to you. Read the agreement for phrases like “license” or “remains the property of”. Stock photos are licensed, which is normal, but your custom work should be yours.
4. Will you have the logins?
You do not have to touch the website yourself, but you should know where the logins are kept and be able to get them on request. A good partner hands them over without a fuss.
5. Who owns your Google accounts?
Your Google Business Profile, Google Analytics and Search Console hold years of reviews and data. They should be owned by your business, with the designer added as a manager. If the designer is the only owner, you can lose them when you part ways.
6. How long is the contract, and how do you end it?
Look for the length of the agreement, the notice you have to give, and any fees for leaving or for getting your files. Long contracts are not always bad, but you should know exactly what you are agreeing to.
Red Flags to Watch For
Any one of these is worth a direct question before you go ahead.
The domain is in their name
Ask for it to be registered to you, or transferred to you after launch.
A fee to get your own files
Some agreements charge to release the website when you leave. Ask before you sign, not after.
Vague answers about leaving
If nobody can explain what happens when you move on, assume it will be hard.
Already Stuck?
If you cannot reach your designer or cannot get into your own website, it is usually fixable. Start with the domain: look up who it is registered to, then work through the hosting and logins one at a time. Our guide Ghosted by your web designer? 5 steps to regain control walks through it, and switching web companies explains how a move works.
How We Handle It at Graticle
We manage websites for businesses that want it all taken care of, and we think you should always be in control of what is yours.
You own it
Your website, your domain and your content belong to you. We look after them for you.
No long-term contracts
You stay because it is working, not because you are locked in. If you leave, we hand everything over.
