The two-minute check on your phone
Go to whois.icann.org and type in your domain. The result shows which registrar holds the domain, when it was created and when it expires. Personal contact details are usually hidden for privacy, so do not expect to see a name. That is normal.
Next, ask yourself one question. Do I have a login at that registrar? If you can log in, see the domain under your account, and your email is the registrant contact, you own it. If the only person who can log in is your web designer, the domain is in their hands, even if you pay the bill every year.
If you cannot find a login, ask the designer today for the registrar name and an account in your name. Write down the answer and the date you asked.
- Registrar name and expiry date from the WHOIS lookup
- A registrar login that you control
- Your email listed as the registrant contact
- A note of who answered your question and when
Four things that are not the same
Owners often think of 'my website' as one thing. It is four separate things, and each one can be owned by a different person.
Email on your domain is a fifth thing to watch. If the domain moves badly, email stops. Plan the move before you start, and you will not lose a single customer message.
One more trap. A free site on a builder's subdomain, like yourshop.somebuilder.com, is not a domain you own. You cannot take that address with you. The same goes for a business that only has a Facebook page.
- The domain. The address, like yourshop.com. Rented yearly from a registrar. Whoever is listed as the registrant controls it. ICANN says changes to the registrant go through the registrar, not through ICANN.
- The hosting. The computer the site runs on. Paid monthly or yearly. You can switch hosts without losing the domain.
- The content. Your photos, your menu, your logo and the words on the page. Who owns these depends on your contract, not on who typed them.
- The Google listing. Your Business Profile on Maps and Search. It lives in a Google account, separate from the website and the domain.
Signs you are locked in
Being locked in does not always look like a fight. Often it is quiet. A tire shop in Hayward can run for years on a site it does not control, and only find out when the designer stops answering.
There is one rule worth knowing from ICANN's transfer policy. A registrar may not block a transfer because of a payment dispute between it and a reseller when you have paid for the registration. It also may not use the transfer process to collect money for other services. So 'you owe me for design work, I will not release the domain' is not a valid reason to deny a transfer, as long as you are the registrant.
If the designer is the registrant, it becomes an ownership question instead. ICANN lists four paths: negotiate with the current registrant, wait for the domain to expire, go to court, or file a UDRP case for abusive registrations. Those paths are slow and costly. Prevention is the whole game.
- The domain is registered in the designer's name or company
- You do not have the registrar login, and they say they will 'handle it'
- The site is built on their private platform and they cannot give you a copy
- The Google listing was created under their account and you are not an owner on it
- There is an exit fee in the contract, or there is no contract at all
- They stopped answering and the renewal date is coming
What to ask before you hire
Ask these questions before you pay anything. Get the answers in writing, even if that is a text message. A good provider will not mind. A bad one will get vague.
A monthly care plan is normal. It pays for hosting, updates and support. It is not the same as the provider owning your site. The test is simple. If you stop paying, do you walk away with the domain, the content and the Google listing? If the answer is no, keep looking.
- Will the domain be registered in my name or my business name, with my email as the registrant?
- Will I have my own registrar login? Most registrars let you add a helper without sharing your password.
- Who pays the renewal, and what happens if you stop answering?
- If I cancel, do I keep the domain, the content, the photos and the Google listing?
- Will I be the primary owner of the Google Business Profile, with you as a manager?
- Can I get a copy of my website if I leave, and in what format?
- What is included in the monthly plan, and what is a one-time cost?
- Is there a minimum term, a cancellation fee or an exit fee?
- Who owns the phone number used for any call tracking?
- Will you give me a list of every account you create for me, with the logins?
How to move away from a provider
Moving is a sequence. Do it in this order and your site and email keep working the whole time.
Why does the registrant change come last? ICANN's ownership page says that when the registrant name, organization or email changes, the registrar must lock the domain against transfer to another registrar for 60 days. Some registrars let the prior registrant opt out, but only before the change is made. ICANN's own advice is to transfer first, then update the registrant. The transfer policy has been under review, so confirm the current rule with your registrar before you start.
Two other locks exist. A domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of its first registration, or within 60 days of a prior transfer. Ask the new registrar what a transfer costs before you begin.
If the old provider refuses to cooperate and you are the registrant, you can file a complaint with ICANN Contractual Compliance. If the old provider is the registrant, start with negotiation and note the expiry date.
- Get a copy of the site first. Pages, photos, logo, menu. Ask in writing and save it to your phone or a drive.
- Open your own account at a registrar you choose.
- Make sure you can log in at the current registrar, or get the transfer code from the current registrant.
- Unlock the domain and start the transfer from the new registrar. Approve the confirmation email.
- Set up email and hosting records at the new place before you point the domain there.
- Only after the transfer completes, update the registrant name and email.