In this guide · 9 sections
- 01Why website ownership matters
- 02The 10-point website ownership check
- 03Points 1 to 3: domain registrant, registrar and DNS
- 04Points 4 to 6: hosting, website admin and email
- 05Points 7 to 9: Google and Meta business accounts
- 06Point 10: who owns the code, design and content
- 07How to fix ownership gaps politely
- 08Do it yourself or get help?
- 09Frequently asked questions
Short answer
You own your website when your company is the domain registrant, the hosting, DNS and website admin accounts are in company-controlled logins, your Google and Meta business accounts list you as owner, and your contract assigns copyright in the design and content to you. Check each with the steps below.
Why website ownership matters
Most designers and agencies are honest; problems come from accidents. A freelancer registers the domain under their personal email to save time. A former staff member set up Google Business Profile with their Gmail. The hosting card expires and the site goes down because the renewal emails go to someone who left. Whoever controls these accounts controls your website, email and online reputation.
Run this check once a year, and whenever you change agency or staff. It takes about an hour.
The 10-point website ownership check
| # | What to check | Good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domain registrant | Your company name is the registrant |
| 2 | Registrar account | A login the company controls, with auto-renew and MFA |
| 3 | DNS | Managed in your registrar or Cloudflare account, not the agency's |
| 4 | Hosting account | In your name, paid by your card or invoice to you |
| 5 | Website admin (CMS) | At least one owner-level admin login for a company person |
| 6 | Business email | Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace admin is a company person |
| 7 | Google Business Profile | You are primary owner; the agency is a manager |
| 8 | Analytics and Search Console | Company person has Administrator or Owner access |
| 9 | Meta business assets | Your business portfolio owns the Page, Instagram and ad account |
| 10 | Code, design and content | Contract assigns copyright to you; you hold a full backup |
The sections below explain how to check each point and what to do if it fails.
Points 1 to 3: domain registrant, registrar and DNS
Start with the domain, because it controls both your website and your email.
Look up the domain
For .com and other generic domains, use ICANN Lookup. For .sg, use the WHOIS search on SGNIC's website. Note the registrar and the registrant organisation. Personal details may be hidden for privacy.
Confirm the registrant is your company
The registrant legally controls the domain. If the agency, the designer personally or an ex-employee is listed, ask for a change of registrant to your company.
Get your own registrar login
Either move the domain into a registrar account the company owns, or ask to be added. Turn on auto-renew and MFA, and use a shared admin mailbox for notices.
Check where DNS is managed
Look up the nameservers. If DNS sits in an agency's Cloudflare or hosting account, ask them to move it to yours or add you with full access. DNS controls email, so treat it as critical.
Our comparison of the best domain registrars in Singapore covers which registrars handle .sg, auto-renew and registry lock.
Points 4 to 6: hosting, website admin and email
- Hosting: ask who the hosting provider is and whose name and card the account is in. If it is the agency's shared server, that is common and fine, as long as the contract says you can have a full backup and move away.
- Website admin: on WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace or Webflow, there should be at least one top-level admin or owner login for a named company person, not a shared "admin" login only the agency knows. On Shopify, the store owner role belongs to whoever created it; check it is a company account.
- Business email: for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, a company person should be a global or super administrator, with a break-glass admin kept in a password manager.
Points 7 to 9: Google and Meta business accounts
Marketing accounts are the ones most often set up by someone else and never handed over.
- Google Business Profile: Google's help page on owners and managers says a profile can have several owners but only one primary owner, and managers cannot add or remove users. Make a company account the primary owner and give the agency manager access.
- Google Analytics: a company person should hold the Administrator role at account level. Google says only account-level Administrators can delete users, and the last Administrator cannot remove themselves.
- Google Search Console: a company account should be a verified owner of the property.
- Meta (Facebook and Instagram): the Page, Instagram account and ad account should belong to your own business portfolio, with a company person holding the highest permission level. Agencies should get partner access to your assets, not own them.
If you are an agency reading this from the other side, our guide on managing client logins and ad accounts explains how to set up access so clients keep ownership.
Point 10: who owns the code, design and content
This is a legal question, not a login. IPOS's page on copyright ownership explains that the creator of a work generally owns the copyright, including commissioned work, unless the author and the commissioner agree in writing that someone else will own it. Paying for a website does not, by itself, make you the copyright owner of its custom design, code or text.
A good position
- Contract assigns copyright in design, custom code and content to you on payment
- Third-party themes, plugins and fonts are licensed in your name
- You hold a full backup or code repository you can restore elsewhere
- Stock photos are licensed for your business
Red flags
- No written contract, or one silent on ownership
- Site built on the agency's proprietary platform with no export
- Theme or plugin licences in the agency's name
- Agency refuses to provide a backup
Our web design contract checklist lists the ownership clause and other terms to ask for. For an existing site with no contract, a short written agreement now is far easier than a dispute later. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
How to fix ownership gaps politely
Most agencies will help if you ask clearly and early. Frame it as housekeeping, not mistrust.
Ownership fix-up request
If an agency will not cooperate or has disappeared, our guide to getting website and domain access back from an agency covers the registrar, platform and legal routes.
Do it yourself or get help?
The lookups and requests are things an owner can do in an afternoon. The technical moves, such as transferring a domain between registrars, moving DNS without breaking email, or moving hosting, are where small mistakes cause outages.
Our Domain & DNS Setup (S$99) registers or transfers your domain into your company's name, sets DNS for website and email, and turns on auto-renew. If the site itself needs to move to a host you control, Website Migration (S$490) moves files, database and email settings with redirects kept in place.
Frequently asked questions
For .com and other generic domains, search the domain on ICANN Lookup. For .sg domains, use the WHOIS search on SGNIC's website. Both show the registrar and usually the registrant organisation, though personal contact details may be hidden. If the registrant is not your company, ask the registrar or your agency for a change of registrant.
Not necessarily. IPOS explains that the creator generally owns copyright, including in commissioned work, unless there is a written agreement saying otherwise. Logins and registrations are also separate from payment. Check your contract for a copyright assignment, and make sure the domain, hosting and admin accounts are in your company's name.
They can, but it is risky for you. The registrant legally controls the domain, so if the designer leaves, falls ill or a dispute starts, your website and email are at their mercy. Ask for the registrant to be changed to your company while the relationship is good; the designer can still manage it for you.
No. Google allows several owners but only one primary owner, and managers can do almost everything except add or remove users. Your company should be the primary owner and the agency a manager. That way, if you change agency, you remove their access instead of asking them to hand the profile back.
Once a year, and every time you change agency, designer or the staff member who handled the website. Also check when renewal notices arrive, because that is when you find out whose email is on the account. A one-hour annual check prevents most lost-domain and locked-out situations.