Who actually owns your website?
The website may have your business name across the top while the important accounts sit somewhere else entirely. Before you buy a site, make sure you understand what you control, what you can take away and what depends on another service.
Start with the domain account
Your domain is the web address people use to find you. Ask whose account it is registered through, whose details are on it and how renewal works. Make sure you know how to get access when you need it.
In my website projects the domain is registered in your name. Renewal charges are separate from the website price. I can help with the setup, but you should not have to guess who controls your address.
Know which other accounts are involved
Hosting, email, booking software, the shop platform and your business listing may each have an account of their own. Make a short record of what exists, what it does, who pays for it and who can administer it.
Use appropriate business-controlled access and recovery details. Where a service supports separate users, that is usually a better way to give somebody access than passing one password around. Avoid making the only recovery route an address you cannot get into.
Ask what you can take with you
A website made from portable files is different from a site built inside a hosted platform. With the latter, some features may only work while you use that platform. A product catalogue may be exportable while the page design is not.
Ask what can be exported, in what form, and what moving would involve. A clear answer does not have to be a technical lecture. You need to understand the practical consequences of leaving, including any rebuilding that would be needed.
Separate your material from licensed tools
Your photographs, written content and business information sit alongside things such as fonts, software, plugins and stock assets. Those third-party materials may have their own licence terms and subscription requirements.
Get the ownership and usage arrangements for the project agreed in writing. Ask what you are receiving and what rights or ongoing services it relies on. Paying for a website does not by itself explain every licence involved.
A useful handover is part of the job
You should know how the site is run, where enquiries arrive, how to request changes and which bills will recur. For a shop or booking system, you also need to be comfortable doing the everyday tasks.
Keep the information somewhere the business can find it. The point of a handover is that you can use the site and make an informed decision about who helps with it later.
Four questions before work starts
Who controls the domain? Which accounts will be in my name? What can I take with me? What would changing developer involve?
Those questions are perfectly reasonable. I would rather talk them through at the beginning than leave you wondering later. If you already have a site and do not know where things stand, send me the details you have. We can start by working out what is there and what access you need.
Written by Stephen Murdoch.
Web designer and developer in Largs. If you've got a question about your own business, I'm happy to help.
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