DEV Community: Jai Nischal Verma

Who Should Own a Client's Domain and Hosting? A Handover Checklist

Jai Nischal Verma — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 05:25:22 +0000

If you build sites for clients, this is the setup I use on every project, and the one I'd want any client to insist on from any developer. It's written for small-business owners, so feel free to forward it to the client who still thinks "the website" is a file you email. Originally published at Sites You Own.

Short answer: you do. Not your designer, and not your cousin who "knows computers". Your domain should be registered to your business, with your own email address on the registrant record, inside a registrar account you can log into. Your hosting should be in your name and billed to your card. Your designer gets their own user access to both, never the master keys. And if you're in the US, paying for a website doesn't automatically make you its copyright owner, so get that bit in writing too.

That's the whole article. The rest is for anyone reading this with a slightly sinking feeling.

A Story That Is Completely Made Up (and Yet Weirdly Familiar)

Picture a bakery. Purely hypothetical. Years ago the owner's nephew built the website over a long weekend. He bought the domain on his own card, set up hosting with his personal email, and picked a WordPress password that lives only in his head. There was cake.

Fast forward. The nephew now lives in Goa, teaches surfing, and replies to WhatsApp on a schedule best described as lunar. The domain's renewal reminders have been landing in his inbox, unread, somewhere between a pizza coupon and a newsletter he keeps meaning to unsubscribe from. Then one Monday the bakery's website and its email go dark on the same morning. Nobody hacked anything. A reminder just went to the wrong person.

Notice there's no villain here. This kind of mess tends to start as a favour or a shortcut, not a scheme. The trouble shows up years later, when people move on. I didn't name my business Sites You Own by accident.

Who Should Own What: The Quick Version

What	Whose name it should be in	What your designer gets
Domain name	Your business, with your email as registrant	User access to the registrar account, or changes on request
DNS (registrar or Cloudflare)	Your account	A user invite
Hosting	Your account, paid with your card	Collaborator or user access you can remove
WordPress admin	You hold your own Administrator account	Their own login, removable any time
Design, content and custom code	You, via a written transfer on final payment	Permission to show it in their portfolio, if you agree
Premium theme and plugin licences	Bought in your name, or at least listed	Nothing extra
Email, Analytics, Search Console, Google Business Profile	Your Google or Microsoft account	User access

Your Domain: The One Thing You Really Can't Lose

Your domain is your address online, and usually your email address too. Lose it and both vanish together. A website can be rebuilt in a few weeks. A domain printed on your van and four thousand visiting cards is harder to replace.

Whoever is listed as the registrant is the domain holder as far as the registrar is concerned. And the email on that record matters more than people expect.

Why That Email Address Matters So Much

Quick test. Is your domain registered to a personal Hotmail address someone created in 2009 and last opened during a cricket World Cup? Worth checking before the domain checks for you.

Under ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy, registrars must send at least two renewal reminders, roughly a month and a week before a domain expires, and those reminders go to the registrant email on file. If that's your old designer's address, you'll never see them. If the domain lapses, the registrar disrupts the website and email so someone notices (a polite way of saying your phone starts ringing). After deletion there's a 30-day redemption period in which the registrant can still restore the name, usually for an extra fee.

One business owner on Quora described the exact trap: their developer registered the domain in the owner's name but with the developer's email, then refused to change it. Name on the record; control of nothing.

Moving a Domain Needs a Code Only the Holder Can Get

To move a domain to a different registrar you need its Auth-Code (also called an EPP or transfer code). ICANN's rules say the registrar must either let the domain holder generate that code in the control panel or provide it within five calendar days of a request. Whoever controls the registrar account controls the code. So "it's in your name" is half an answer. You want the login too.

Hosting: Your Card, Your Account, Their Access

Hosting is where your site's files and database live. Most small-business WordPress sites run happily on hosting somewhere around $5 to $30 a month, and I'd always rather a client pays the host directly than pays me a marked-up fee for the same server. (Full running costs: what a small business website costs.)

The old way to give a designer access was to WhatsApp them your password and hope for the best. You don't need to do that anymore. Decent hosts let you invite people with their own logins. On SiteGround, for example, you add a collaborator from the Manage Users screen and they accept an email invite. Kinsta lets you invite users with specific roles, so a developer never sees your billing. When the project ends, you remove them. No awkward emails.

What about designers who host every client on their own server and bill you once a year? It isn't always a bad deal; some include proper backups and support. But first ask: "If I leave, will you give me a full backup and help me move, and is that in writing?" If the answer is a long pause followed by "we'll figure it out", that is the answer.

Terms and Conditions of Having Your Website Held Hostage

A parody. Nobody signs these. Plenty of people end up agreeing to them anyway.

The Owner (you) shall pay for the domain, the hosting and the website, in full, forever.

The Keyholder (not you) shall retain every login and the only backup, stored "somewhere on the old laptop".

Requests for access will be acknowledged within 3–5 business months.

Any small text change shall be priced in inverse proportion to the Keyholder's current interest in your project.

Should the Keyholder change numbers, move to Goa or discover pottery, this agreement remains in full force.

The Owner may say "but I paid for it" no more than twice per phone call.

Good news: you can decline. Read on.

The Website Itself: Paying for It Isn't the Same as Owning It

This one surprises people. The US Copyright Office is blunt about it: when you hire an independent contractor to build a website, the contractor is considered the author and copyright owner, not the business that paid. To own the rights, you need a signed written agreement that transfers them to you. Rules differ by country; the safe habit doesn't: get it in writing.

In practice, look for a line in your contract or proposal along the lines of "on final payment, all rights in the design, content and custom code pass to the client." It's fair for a designer to keep portfolio rights. Nobody can hand you ownership of things they don't own, like WordPress, a premium theme or stock photos, so ask for paid licences to be bought in your name, or at least listed with renewal dates.

Wix is a different question. You can own the domain, but the site lives on their platform and can't be exported as a working copy. Lovely furnished flat; you're renting. Trade-offs are in WordPress vs Wix and, if you've outgrown a builder, a Wix or Squarespace to WordPress migration moves you to something you can take anywhere.

Already Stuck? A Calm Hostage Negotiation in Five Steps

If your domain or hosting sits in someone else's account right now, breathe. And don't let it expire in the hope of swooping in afterwards. ICANN warns that during a registrar's grace period an expired name may be offered to other buyers or auctioned, depending on the registrar's terms. That's not a rescue plan; it's a raffle. Work through this in order instead:

Find out where the domain is. Search it on ICANN Lookup. You'll usually see the registrar and the expiry date, even when the owner's details are hidden by privacy protection.
Gather your paperwork. Contract, invoices, receipts, and any emails about the domain or hosting. Proof of payment helps a lot.
Ask in writing, and keep it friendly. Ask for the domain to be moved into a registrar account you've opened, or for the transfer code plus an update of the registrant details to you. For hosting, ask for a full backup (files and database) and your own WordPress admin login. Honey before lawyers.
Do things in the right order. Under ICANN's current Transfer Policy, changing the registrant's name, organisation or email can trigger a 60-day lock on moving the domain to another registrar, unless that registrar offers an opt-out. If you plan to switch registrars anyway, transfer first and update the details afterwards. ICANN's Board adopted transfer policy changes in June 2026 that will remove this lock, but they're approved, not in effect. They still have to be implemented, so plan around today's rules.
If they refuse, escalate. Contact the registrar with your evidence and ask about their dispute process. If real money or your trademark is at stake, a letter from a domain-dispute lawyer often settles things quickly.

With luck, step three does the job. My hunch is that the person sitting on your domain usually isn't plotting anything. They're more likely swamped, and a bit embarrassed about the mess. Make yes easy. And if you want the site back so you can finally fix it, that's often the start of a website redesign.

Your Handover Checklist (Before You Pay the Final Invoice)

The domain is in a registrar account you log into, with you as registrant and your email on the record.
Auto-renew is switched on, with your card on file.
The hosting account is yours, and the designer is a user you can remove.
You have your own WordPress Administrator account, not a shared "admin" login with the password admin123.
You've received a full backup and know where the automatic backups are kept.
Your contract or proposal says the design, content and custom code are yours on final payment.
Premium theme and plugin licences are listed, along with who renews them.
Google Analytics, Search Console and your Google Business Profile belong to your account, with the designer added as a user.
Your business email runs on an account you control.

Use this list with any designer you hire, me included. Especially me. It works for a freelancer or an agency (my take on freelancer vs agency).

How I Handle Ownership on My Own Projects

Every project I take on starts with your domain, hosting and admin accounts in your name. No domain yet? You register it and add me as a user. Hosting is paid directly to the host. At launch you get full admin access, and my terms say plainly that the website, content and design files are yours on final payment. If we ever part ways, you take everything with you. No negotiation. That's the whole point of the name.

Prices are fixed and written down before work starts: $499 for a one-page site, $999 for a 5-page business site and $1,999 for 10 to 15 pages with a blog. See the pricing page for what's included, or get a quick estimate from the website cost calculator. If you'd rather skip updates, backups and renewals, care plans start at $29/month and you can cancel any time. See finished sites on my work page, like the Roser Lawyers website for a Sydney commercial law firm, or browse websites by industry.

Not sure who owns what on your current site? Book a free 20-minute call and we'll work it out together, no hostage negotiator required. Or send me a message through the contact form.

Quick Answers

Who Should Own My Website Domain, Me or My Web Designer?
You should. Register the domain to your business with your own email as the registrant contact, in a registrar account you can log into. Your designer can have user access or make changes on request, but the keys stay with you.

Is It a Problem If My Web Designer Registered My Domain?
It can be. If their name or email is on the registrant record, renewal reminders and transfer approvals go to them, not you. Ask them, nicely and in writing, to move the domain into an account you own and to update the registrant details to you.

How Do I Find Out Who Owns My Domain?
Search the domain on ICANN Lookup (lookup.icann.org). You'll usually see the registrar and expiry date. If the owner's details are hidden by privacy protection, contact that registrar, or log into the account where you think it was bought.

How Do I Transfer My Domain from My Web Developer?
Open an account at a registrar you choose, get the Auth-Code (transfer code) from whoever controls the current account, and start the transfer. If you also need the registrant details changed, transfer first, because under ICANN's current rules a registrant change can trigger a 60-day transfer lock. ICANN approved removing that lock in June 2026, but the change isn't in effect yet.

Should My Web Designer Host My Website?
It's safer for the hosting account to be in your name and paid by you, with your designer added as a user. If a designer does host for you, get a written promise of a full backup and help moving if you leave.

Do I Own My Website If I Paid a Designer to Build It?
Not automatically everywhere. In the US, a website built by an independent contractor belongs to the contractor unless a signed written agreement transfers the rights. Make sure your contract says the design, content and custom code are yours on final payment.

Originally published at sitesyouown.com.

10 Must-Have Pages for a Small Business Website (2026)

Jai Nischal Verma — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:58:29 +0000

Short answer: most small businesses need ten pages: Home, Services (plus one page per main service), About, Reviews, Work, Pricing, FAQ, Contact, a Blog and Legal pages. Five of those carry the sales load on launch day; the rest earn their keep within months. Below is what goes on each one, with examples, so you can brief a developer (or yourself) without guessing.

Why bother getting this right? Because your website is still where people check you out. In an April 2026 survey of 500 US consumers, 77% said they visit a business's website first before any other channel, and 72% trust a business more for having one. Every missing page is a question a customer can't answer, and an unanswered question is usually a lost enquiry.

The 10 must-have pages at a glance

Page	Its one job	Needed at launch?
1. Home	Say what you do, for whom, and what to do next	Yes
2. Services (+ one per service)	Turn a search into an enquiry	Yes
3. About	Prove there are real, competent people behind it	Yes
4. Reviews	Let other customers do the selling	Yes (or a strong section)
5. Contact	Make getting in touch effortless	Yes
6. Work / portfolio	Show, don't tell	Strongly recommended
7. Pricing	Filter out bad-fit leads, reassure good ones	Recommended
8. FAQ	Answer objections before they become a phone call	Recommended
9. Blog / guides	Get found for questions, not just your name	Within 3 months
10. Privacy & terms	Keep you legal and trustworthy	Yes, if you have a form

Save this checklist: the 10 pages at a glance.

1. Home page: your shop window

Visitors decide in seconds whether they're in the right place. Your homepage isn't the place for your life story; it's a signpost.

What to include

A plain headline that says what you do and where: "Emergency plumber in Leeds, 7 days a week" beats "Excellence in Every Drop".
One primary button above the fold (Call, Book or Get a quote) and the same button repeated lower down.
A services overview linking to each service page.
Proof: a review or two, star rating, logos of clients or accreditations.
A short "how it works" in three steps, plus your service area.

Example: a dental clinic homepage leads with "Gentle family dentist in Croydon, new patients welcome", a "Book online" button, opening hours and a strip of Google reviews. That's it above the fold. See how this plays out on dentist websites.

2. Services page, and one page per service

This is the page most businesses under-build and the one that brings the money. People don't search for "Smith & Sons"; they search for "boiler repair near me". One page that lists twelve services in bullet points can't rank for twelve searches.

What each service page should include

Who it's for and the problem it solves, in your customer's words.
What's included (and what isn't).
A starting price or a range, if you can give one.
Photos of that specific work, not stock images of smiling handshakes.
3–6 FAQs specific to the service, and a clear call to action.

Example: a plumber gets separate pages for emergency call-outs, boiler installation and bathroom fitting, each with its own photos, price guide and FAQs. The plumber website guide shows a full page plan. If you want this structure done for you, it's the core of my small business website design service.

3. About page: people buy from people

The About page is often the second most visited page on a small business site, because people want to know who they're letting into their home, books or business.

What to include

A real photo of you or your team. Yes, really. Your face is a trust signal no template can fake.
Why you started, in a few honest sentences.
Experience, qualifications, licences, insurance and memberships.
What makes working with you different (be specific: "we text you a 30-minute arrival window").

4. Reviews / testimonials page

Customers trust other customers far more than they trust your marketing copy. A dedicated reviews page gives people somewhere to go when they're nearly convinced.

What to include

Real reviews with first name, town and service ("Priya, Bristol, kitchen rewire").
A link to your Google Business Profile so people can see you didn't write them yourself.
Short video testimonials if you can get them; even a 20-second phone clip works.

Never invent reviews or mark up reviews with schema you don't actually have. Google's review policies are strict, and fake reviews can also break consumer-protection law in many countries.

5. Contact page: remove every bit of friction

In BrightLocal's consumer research, 85% of consumers said the presence of contact information and opening hours is an important factor when researching local businesses. It's the least glamorous page and the one that actually turns visitors into customers.

What to include

Phone number (tap-to-call on mobile), email, and WhatsApp if your customers use it.
A short form: name, contact, what they need. Every extra field costs you enquiries.
Address, map and opening hours, matching your Google Business Profile exactly.
What happens next: "I reply within 24 hours with a fixed quote."

6. Work / portfolio / case studies

Photos of finished jobs answer "can they actually do it?" better than any adjective. For builders, designers, photographers and anyone with visible output, this page is non-negotiable.

What to include

Before-and-after photos, a one-paragraph story for each project (problem, what you did, result) and a link to the related service page. Three detailed case studies beat thirty unlabelled photos. Here's how I present my own work.

7. Pricing page

Many owners fear that showing prices scares people off. In practice, a starting price or range scares off the wrong people and reassures the right ones that they're not about to be ambushed.

What to include

Packages or "from" prices, with what each includes.
What affects the final price, so a quote never feels random.
Payment terms and any guarantees.

If exact prices are impossible, explain your range and offer a free quote. My own pricing page uses fixed packages, and the website cost calculator is an example of an interactive alternative.

8. FAQ page

Every question you answer on the site is a phone call you don't have to take at 9pm. A good FAQ also tends to show up in Google and in AI answers, because it matches how people actually ask.

What to include

Ten to twenty real questions from emails and calls: cost, timing, service area, parking, cancellations, guarantees. Keep answers short and link to the relevant service page. Restaurants, for example, should answer allergens, bookings, private events and parking; see the restaurant and cafe website guide.

9. Blog or guides

Not a diary, and not "We're excited to announce our new van". A small library of genuinely useful guides gets you found for the questions customers ask before they're ready to buy.

What to include

Start with three to five posts answering your most common pre-sale questions ("How much does X cost?", "X vs Y", "How to choose a…"). Two good posts a quarter beats a burst of ten and then silence. If you need a reference for what one looks like, here's my guide to small business website costs.

10. Privacy policy and terms

Boring? Absolutely. Optional? Not if you have a contact form, analytics or take bookings. In the UK and EU, GDPR requires you to tell people how you use their data, and similar laws now apply in many other places, including India's DPDP Act and several US states.

What to include

What data you collect, why, which tools process it (form provider, analytics, booking system), how long you keep it and how people can ask for deletion. Terms matter most if you sell online or take deposits. Use a reputable generator or a lawyer; don't copy a competitor's.

Pages you can safely skip (for now)

A "Mission & Values" page nobody asked for. Fold one strong paragraph into About.
Careers, unless you're actually hiring.
A news page with two posts from 2022. Stale content looks like a closed business.
Thin location pages that swap only the town name. Make each one genuinely local or don't make it.

Your launch checklist

Every page has one clear job and one main call to action.
Each main service has its own page with photos, a price guide and FAQs.
Phone, email and hours are on every page (footer) and match Google.
Real reviews and real photos, no stock "team".
Unique title and meta description on every page.
The site works on a phone and loads fast. Aim for a mobile Lighthouse performance score of 90+.
Privacy policy linked from every form.
You own the domain, hosting and logins, in your name.

Not sure which of these your current site is missing? Get a free video audit and I'll walk through it page by page. Starting fresh? A typical 5-page build covers pages 1–5, and the Growth package adds the rest; see pricing or get a fixed quote in 24 hours. Already have a site that needs these pages? That's a website redesign.

Originally published on Sites You Own, where the full version includes an FAQ.