Do You Actually Own Your Website? Questions to Ask Before You Sign
A recurring conversation in this business goes roughly like this: a company wants to move to a new agency, asks for their website files, and finds out they don't have any claim to them. Sometimes they don't even control their own domain name.
It's avoidable with four questions asked before signing anything.
1. Who owns the domain name?
This is the one that causes the most damage. Your domain is your business identity — the address customers type, the email addresses your team uses, everything.
If your agency registered it under their own account, they control it. Most agencies will hand it over on request without drama. Some won't, or will charge for it, or will simply take weeks to respond while your email hangs in the balance.
Check it: look up your domain in a public WHOIS lookup. The registrant should be your business. Better still, hold the registrar account yourself and grant your agency access.
2. Who owns the website itself?
Ask directly: when this is built and paid for, do I own the site and its content?
The answer should be yes. Our own position is straightforward — once the site is built and the setup fee is paid, the client owns the website and its content. We reserve only the right to show it in our portfolio, and we'll drop that if asked.
Some agencies operate a rental model where you never own anything and payments continue indefinitely. That can be a legitimate arrangement at a lower monthly price — but you should know that's what you're buying.
3. What happens if you cancel?
Get this in writing before you need it.
Our answer: cancel the monthly care plan and the site stays live for 30 days, then hosting and SSL coverage end. We'll provide a full backup of your files on request.
The answers that should concern you are "the site comes down immediately" or "we don't provide backups." Both mean you're renting with no exit.
4. Is there a long-term contract?
Monthly maintenance shouldn't require a multi-year commitment. Ours doesn't — cancel any time with 30 days' notice.
If an agency requires a two-year lock-in for hosting and maintenance, ask what you're getting that justifies removing your ability to leave. Sometimes there's a real answer. Often the lock-in is the business model.
Also worth confirming
Analytics access. Google Analytics and Search Console should be under your account with the agency granted access, not the reverse. That's your business data.
Google Business Profile ownership. You should be the primary owner. Agencies get manager access. This one causes real pain when it goes wrong — the listing frequently matters more than the site.
Content and images. If the agency wrote your copy or licensed stock photos, clarify whether the license transfers.
None of this means distrust
Most agencies are honest and will answer these questions in a sentence each. The point isn't suspicion — it's that a good working relationship survives clear terms, and a bad one is revealed by them.
If asking who owns the domain makes someone defensive, that's the most useful information you'll get all week.
If you're already in this spot
Start with the domain. Look up the registrar, request a transfer, get it under your own account. Everything else is recoverable — a website can be rebuilt. Losing control of the domain your customers and email depend on is the one that genuinely hurts.
Warehouse 13 Media publishes its terms, pricing, and service contract openly. Clients own their sites.