Who Owns Your Website? Domains, Hosting and Logins Explained

A dental office in Crowfoot decides to switch web companies. The new developer asks for the domain login. Nobody at the office has it. The old developer registered the domain years ago under their own account, and now they've stopped returning emails. The website, the clinic's email addresses and every link in every Google listing all depend on a login someone else controls.

This is more common than it should be. If you've ever wondered who owns my website, the honest answer is that a website is several separate pieces, and each one can belong to a different person. This guide explains each piece in plain terms, who should own it, and how to check where you stand today.

01The pieces that make up a website

When people say "my website," they usually mean five or six different things bundled together. Knowing the pieces makes ownership questions much easier.

02Your domain: the piece that matters most

If you only fix one thing after reading this, fix this one. Your domain is your address on the internet, and usually your email too. If someone else controls it, they control whether your site and email work.

How to check

1. Find the registrar. That's the company where the domain was bought. Search your email for "domain renewal" or "registration" to find receipts.
2. Log in. If you can, check that the registrant (the legal owner) is your business, and that the account email is one you control.
3. Turn on auto-renew and two-factor login. Expired domains can be bought by someone else, and getting them back is hard.
4. If you can't log in, ask whoever set it up to transfer it to an account in your name, or to add you as the owner.

03Hosting and site files

Hosting is where your site lives. It's reasonable for a developer to host your site, especially if they're also maintaining it. What matters is that you know the arrangement and what happens if you leave.

Three common setups

• Website builders (Wix, Squarespace and similar). The site lives on their platform. You can usually own the account, but you generally can't take the design to another host; leaving means rebuilding. Our Wix vs Squarespace vs custom comparison covers this trade-off.
• Your own hosting account. You pay the host directly and the developer works inside your account. This gives you the most control.
• Developer-hosted. The developer runs the hosting and bills you. Fine, as long as the agreement says you can get a copy of your site and content if you part ways.

04Google accounts and ad accounts

These are easy to overlook because they're not "the website," but they hold years of your data: reviews, search history, ad performance and conversion tracking.

• Google Business Profile. You should be the primary owner. Developers and staff can be added as managers. Our Google Business Profile guide explains roles.
• Google Analytics. The property should sit in an account your business owns, with admin access for you.
• Google Search Console. You should be a verified owner, not just a user someone else added.
• Google Ads. The account and the billing should be yours. Ad spend should be charged to your card, not passed through someone else's account.
• Social and directory listings. Facebook pages, Instagram, Yelp and others should have you as an admin.

If a vendor owns your ad account, they own your history. Ask for your own account from the start.

05Logins: where they live and who has them

Ownership on paper doesn't help if the only person who knows the password left last spring. Treat logins like keys to the shop.

1. List every account. Registrar, hosting or builder, email, Google accounts, ad accounts, social media, any booking or form tools.
2. Store them in a password manager owned by the business, not on a spreadsheet or in one person's phone.
3. Use a shared business email for account ownership, such as admin@yourbusiness.ca, so it doesn't vanish when someone leaves.
4. Turn on two-factor login, and make sure more than one trusted person can approve it.
5. Review access when people change. When a staff member or vendor leaves, remove them. Our employee offboarding checklist includes this step.

06Locked out? How to get control back

If you've already discovered that someone else holds the keys, don't panic. Most of it can be recovered, though it takes some patience. Work through it in this order, because each step makes the next easier.

1. Ask politely first. Many lockouts are simply forgotten setups. Email the previous developer or whoever set it up, list exactly which accounts you need transferred, and give a reasonable deadline.
2. Recover the domain. If they don't respond, contact the registrar directly. Have proof ready that you are the business: incorporation or registration documents, a business licence, invoices showing you paid for the domain.
3. Recover your email. Once the domain is yours, you can point email to a provider you control.
4. Reclaim Google Business Profile. Google has a process to request ownership of a profile someone else manages. It can take time, so start early.
5. Decide on the site itself. If you can get a copy of the files, great. If not, rebuilding a small-business site is often quicker than a long fight over old files.

Keep a written record of every request and reply. If a dispute ever comes up, a clear paper trail is far more useful than a phone conversation you half remember. If there's a written contract with ownership terms, re-read it before you escalate, and get advice if it's unclear.

07Questions to ask before you hire a web developer

Most ownership problems can be avoided with a few questions at the start. A good developer will answer them quickly and put the answers in writing.

• Will the domain be registered in my business name? If you already own one, will I keep control of it?
• Where will the site be hosted, and whose account is it?
• If we part ways, what do I get? A copy of the files, an export of content, or nothing?
• Who owns the design and code? Is any of it licensed rather than transferred to me?
• Will my Google and ad accounts be in my name?
• Is there a minimum contract term, and what happens to the site if I cancel?

When comparing quotes, these answers matter as much as the price. Our guide on what a website costs in Calgary covers the money side, and our pre-launch website checklist includes ownership checks you can run before go-live.

08Where Sidekick fits

When we build a website and Google Ads setup, the site goes on your own domain and the Google Ads account is yours, with ad spend paid straight to Google from your account. There's no lock-in contract, and ongoing help is month to month. If you just want help untangling who controls your current site, that's a fair use of a free 10-minute call.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns my website, me or my web designer?

It depends on your agreement. The domain, your content and your Google accounts should be yours. Design files, code and hosting depend on the contract, so ask and get the answer in writing before work starts.

How do I find out who owns my domain name?

Log into the registrar account if you have one, or use a WHOIS or registration lookup tool. Many .ca and .com records hide personal details, so the registrar account itself is the most reliable proof.

Can I move my website to a different developer?

Usually yes if you own the domain and accounts. Sites on proprietary builders or a developer's private platform may need to be rebuilt rather than moved, so ask about this before you sign.

What's the difference between a domain and hosting?

The domain is your address, like yourbusiness.ca. Hosting is the computer that stores your site and serves it to visitors. You can buy them from the same company or from different ones.

My old developer won't respond. How do I get my website back?

Start with the domain: contact the registrar with proof you own the business. Then recover your Google accounts through their recovery process. If the site files are lost, a rebuild is often faster than chasing them.