Do you actually own your website? The handover checklist

It usually goes like this: the website works, the relationship cools, and one day you need a change your old provider will not make. Then you learn the domain is in their name, the hosting is on their account, and the password to your own analytics is in someone else's inbox.

The eight things to check

• The domain is registered in your company's name, with your email as the owner contact.
• You have your own login to the domain registrar and to the DNS settings.
• Hosting is billed to you, or you hold an owner role on the account.
• You have a copy of the source code, or access to the repository where it lives.
• Your business email does not depend on the provider's servers.
• Google Search Console, Analytics and Business Profile list you as owner, not only as a user.
• Payment accounts (Stripe, CMI, PayPal) are opened in your company's name and pay into your account.
• You know which third-party services the site uses, and who pays for each.

Why this is not about trust

Good providers disappear too — they change jobs, close, get ill. Owning your accounts protects you from accidents as much as from bad faith. A provider who sets everything up in your name from day one is not being generous; they are doing the job properly.

If something is missing

Ask for a transfer now, politely and in writing. Domain transfers and ownership changes are routine and take minutes to request. The longer you wait, the harder the conversation gets.

At Nexure every key is handed over at launch — code, domain and accounts — because a client who can leave is a client who chooses to stay.