A website is made of five separate things: the domain name, the hosting, the code, the content, and the accounts around it such as email and analytics. Your organisation should be the registered owner of the domain and hold a login to all the others. Check your domain's registration at lookup.icann.org, and get ownership written into any agreement before work starts.
The five parts
| Part | What it is | Who should hold it | If you lose it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Your address, such as yourbusiness.com | Your organisation, as the registered owner | The site and every email address stop. It may be bought by someone else. |
| Hosting | The computer that serves the site | An account you can log in to | The site goes offline, but can be moved if you have the files. |
| Code and design | The files that make up the site | You should have a copy | The site has to be rebuilt. |
| Content | Your words, photos and documents | You | It has to be written and collected again. |
| Accounts | Email, analytics, Google Business Profile, payment gateway | Your organisation, on a shared business email | History is lost and listings can be hijacked. |
Why the domain matters most
Everything else can be rebuilt. The domain cannot. Whoever is the registered owner can point it anywhere, move it, or let it lapse. If a developer or a staff member registered it in their own name, the organisation depends on that person's goodwill.
How to check yours
- Go to lookup.icann.org and enter your domain name.
- Note the registrar, which is the company the domain was bought through, and the expiry date.
- Look at the registrant. It is often hidden for privacy. If it is, ask the registrar or whoever registered it to confirm in writing whose name is on the account.
- Ask yourself: could we log in to that registrar account today? If not, you do not control the domain.
For .na and .com.na domains, ask the registrar that sold the domain.
Use a shared business email for every account
Register the domain, hosting and Google accounts with an address such as admin@yourbusiness.com that more than one trusted person can reach, not a personal address. When a staff member or committee member leaves, the accounts stay.
What to put in writing
- The domain is registered in the organisation's name.
- All logins are handed over at launch.
- The organisation owns the content it supplies.
- What rights the organisation has to the design and code if the relationship ends.
- Who renews the domain and hosting, and who is reminded.
We are web developers, not lawyers. For a large project or a dispute, have the agreement checked by a legal professional.
A handover record
At launch we give each client a written record: for every account, the provider, the owner, who has admin access, and the renewal date. If your current site has no such record, write one. It takes an hour and saves weeks when someone leaves.
| Account | Provider | Owner | Admin access | Renews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | ||||
| Hosting | ||||
| Analytics | ||||
| Google Business Profile | ||||
| Backups |
If you have already lost access, see what to do when you are locked out of your own website.