What is Website Ownership?

As your business grows, your website becomes increasingly crucial to your success. You've invested time and resources into building it, but here's a critical question: Do you actually own your website?

"Of course I own my website," you might think. "I paid for it, didn't I?"

Not so fast! Unfortunately, website ownership isn't as straightforward as it might seem, and understanding it could save your business from serious headaches and costs down the road.

After years of working with digital agencies, we are saddened by the fact that some providers tell their clients that they own their websites but once the client wants to move on without them, some agencies have changed their tune and can even get to the point of extorting clients with that they rightfully own.

At STOA, one of our main values is to provide transparent solutions that truly serve our clients. Absolute ownership is an indivisible part of it. In this article, you will understand what website ownership really means, how it affects your business, how to tell if you own your site and what to do if you don’t!

What Does Website Ownership Really Mean?

Website ownership goes beyond just having a live website with your business name on it. True ownership means having complete control and decision-making power over your digital asset. This includes:

• Access to your website's backend (the control panel where you can make changes)

• Control over your domain name registration

• Management of your hosting account (where your website’s files live)

• Authority to grant or revoke access to others

Think of it like owning a physical store. Just as you want to have the keys to your building and the ability to choose your contractors, you should have full control over your digital shop/storefront. This is non-negotiable and we strongly recommend avoiding any service provider that doesn’t give you all of this information upfront.

Why Website Ownership Matters to Your Business

For established businesses that work hard to keep on growing, a website isn't just a digital business card – it's a crucial business asset, part of their sales process.

In down-to-earth terms, here’s why ownership matters:

Control Over Your Digital Presence

• Make timely updates to your products, services, or pricing

• Respond quickly to market changes or opportunities (even if you need or want your provider’s help with the changes)

• Maintain brand consistency across all platforms

Financial Security

• Avoid unexpected costs from service provider changes

• Prevent being locked into unfavorable contracts

• Maintain business continuity during vendor transitions

• Avoid later costs of recovering ownership

• Actually understanding what you are paying for every year

Growth Flexibility

• Scale your website as your business grows

• Integrate new tools and technologies when needed

• Change service providers without losing your digital asset

Owning vs. Managing Your Business Website

Now, you may be worried reading this. You may think, “if I have to do all the work, updating things and keeping my site up, I don’t want to own it.” However, there is a big difference between owning and managing and for most businesses, this is an important difference to address.

While owning your website is described above, it doesn’t mean that your business (or in many cases yourself) is stuck with managing, updating, and keeping up with the website. It is very possible that you don’t have the experience or the time to do so. That’s not an issue— you should own your website no matter what. Then, you can hire anyone, in-house or external, to manage it.

As mentioned above, under Growth Flexibility, when you own your website, you can quickly and painlessly change service providers for them to manage your website. Because you know where your site lives and how to access to it, you can simply grant access to new partners (and revoke access to ex-partners!).

This is about having control of your asset. Owning a house doesn’t mean that you are bound to repair it yourself. Because you own it, you can happily and freely hire the contractors you like the most (and fire them if they don’t do the job).

The Components of Website Ownership

So what does owning your website mean in practical terms? There are a number of components that go into fully owning your website, and it’s about what you have access to.

Still considering home ownership, think about all the components of owning your home: the deed, the mortgage, the utilities, being recognized by the post office, etc. The same applies for the moving part of your business’ website.

1. Backend Access

Your website's backend is where content gets updated and settings are managed. This is typically through a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress, Framer, or Webflow (our three favorites!). You should always have:

• Administrator-level login credentials

• Access to website’s files and databases

• Control over user permissions

2. Domain Control

Your domain name (www.stoa.agency, for example) is your digital address. True ownership means:

• Access to domain registration account

• Ability to update DNS settings (where the domain is point to, for example)

• Control over domain renewals and transfers

3. Hosting Management

Web hosting is where your website "lives." You should have:

• Access to hosting account credentials

• Control over hosting renewals and upgrades

• Ability to manage server settings

One simple pre-condition is that wherever the website is hosted, it should be under an account that belongs exclusively to your business. For example, if your website is hosted in SiteGround (one of STOA’s favorite hosting providers), the account must be under one of your business emails unless there is a clear, transparent agreement with the developer to have the site hosted in one of their accounts. The latter option is our least favorite but still valid for businesses that are hands-off and prefer to delegate 100% of these matters.

4. Third-Party Services

There are third-party services that your business should have access to at all times:

• Google Analytics

• Google Search Console

• Google My Business listing (if applies)

Google services are a good start to this list but there are many others. Tools such as Google Analytics are industry-standard and must be implemented at launch of every website.

In the case of Analytics, it allows for traffic data collection and analysis, which tells you how many visitors you have and how they behave on your website. This information is of amazing value when it comes to making better marketing and sales decisions.

You should have free, independent access to these tools connected to your business website. This will allow your business to access and visualize data with independence. One common reason why some providers will “gatekeep” this information is to unnecessarily charge for reports when the client wants to know how the website is performing.

Data should be freely accessible to you, the business, and then you can choose to pay your provider to get help in interpreting the data and set the next steps (expertise in data-driven marketing is rare and valuable!).

Quick Ownership Checklist

So after reading all this, are you open to questioning the ownership status of your business website? Let’s do a quick exercise. Consider the following questions:

Can you answer "yes" to these questions?

• [ ] Do you have administrator access to your website's CMS?

• [ ] Can you log into your domain registrar account?

• [ ] Do you have access to your hosting control panel?

• [ ] Can you add or remove other users' access?

• [ ] Do you know which platform your website is built on?

• [ ] Do you have independent access to traffic reports?

Your development agency (or whoever created the website for your business) should be able to provide you with this information and documentation on how to jump in and manage your asset.

In some cases, like with STOA, you will receive detailed instructions on how to operate the site yourself, in case you prefer to run all changes in-house.

Warning Signs of Limited Ownership

Watch out for these red flags:

1. Your web developer won't share login credentials

2. You're unsure where your website is hosted

3. You don't receive domain renewal notices directly

4. You can't switch service providers or platform without explicit permission and intervention of your current provider

5. You cannot make even very minor changes on the website without the developer

Steps to Take if You Don't Own Your Website

Now, let’s move towards clear solutions.

If you happen not to fully own your business website, it is not the end of the world, of course. The cost of not owning your website can be expensive and painful (a few case studies coming soon!), but most developers will provide your business with the full website ownership you are entitled to. Some won’t do it by default and it is your business’ responsibility to ask the right questions and get what you need.

1. Gather Information

   • Document what access you currently have

   • List all services and providers involved

   • Collect any relevant contracts or agreements

   • Document what payments have been done

2. Contact Current Providers

   • Request full access credentials

   • Ask for transfer of ownership documentation

   • Get detailed information about your website's setup (hosting and CMS, for example)

3. Consider Professional Help

   • Consult with a web development agency that prioritizes client ownership (😉)

   • Get legal advice if needed

   • Plan for a potential website migration

4. Prevent Future Issues

   • Ensure new contracts clearly specify ownership terms

   • Maintain documentation of all access credentials

   • Regular backup your website files and data

Now, if you are facing the challenge of regaining full ownership of your site and are not sure where to start, at STOA, we provide Website Ownership Recovery services that include representing your business and deal with the communication with the service provider so we can get your assets back in your hands, permanently.

Moving Forward with Full Ownership

Once you have full ownership of your website, you can:

• Choose which professionals to work with

• Make informed decisions about updates and changes

• Protect your business's digital assets

• Scale your online presence as needed

Remember: You don't need to manage everything yourself. The goal isn't to become a web expert – it's to have the freedom to choose who manages your digital presence and how.

Once you have the freedom, you will have the confidence to choose and work with great partners that will bring value into your business.

It’s like owning your own home, and deciding you want to open up the space— you don’t have to take the walls down yourself, but no one can tell you you can’t!

Closing Thoughts

Website ownership isn't just about having a web presence or doing everything yourself; it's about maintaining control over a crucial business asset. As your business grows, having full ownership of your website ensures you can adapt, scale, and protect your digital investment.

Take action today: Review your website ownership status and take steps to secure full control if needed. Your business's digital future may depend on it.

Need help evaluating your website ownership situation? Contact STOA for a professional assessment and guidance on securing your digital assets.