Who owns your website’s domain, files, and logins?

Why does it matter whose name is on the account?

While everything works, nobody asks who the domain is registered to. The problem shows up when you switch providers, when the person who built the site has moved on, or when something needs renewing and no one remembers the password.

If the domain is in someone else’s name, getting it back can take weeks of back-and-forth, and meanwhile your email and website depend on that process. Ad and analytics accounts work the same way: if the account belongs to the agency, the campaign and data history stays with them.

The rule of thumb is simple: you are the owner, and the agency is a user with permissions.

Which assets should be in your name?

What does ICANN say about domain registrants?

ICANN, the organization that coordinates generic domain names, publishes the rights and responsibilities of people who register a domain. Among other things, the registrant has to keep their contact details accurate and up to date and respond to notices from their registrar (ICANN).

There is also a transfer policy that governs how a domain moves from one registrar to another (ICANN). To make that move, the registrar usually asks for an authorization code sent to the registrant’s email. If that inbox belongs to the agency or to a former employee, the process gets complicated.

Country-code domains, such as .ar or .com.ar, have their own rules and registries, so check who is listed as the owner there too.

How do you grant access without sharing passwords?

Most platforms let you invite people with a specific role instead of sharing your own login:

• Search Console distinguishes between owners and users with full or restricted permissions (Google).
• Google Analytics assigns roles at the account or property level, such as administrator, editor, or viewer (Google).
• Meta lets you add people or partners to your business portfolio and assign them specific assets, like a Page or an ad account (Meta).
• Your website’s admin panel, whatever the platform, should have individual users, each with the role they need.

That way, when a project ends or your team changes, you remove one user and you are done. Nobody has to reset every password in the business.

Which brand files should you receive?

When an identity or a graphic piece is designed, a PNG for social media is not enough. Ask for the delivery to include, as agreed in the proposal:

• The logo in vector format (SVG, PDF, or EPS) and in its variants: primary, horizontal, icon, and on light and dark backgrounds.
• Editable files for the main pieces, in the program they were designed in.
• The color palette with codes for screen and for print.
• The typefaces used and their licenses, or a link to get them.
• The brand guidelines as a PDF.

If a typeface or image comes with a usage license, clarify whose name it is in and under what terms.

What should you put in writing before you start?

Before you sign, make sure the proposal or contract answers these questions:

1. Whose name the domain, hosting, and any new accounts will be registered in.
2. What gets delivered at the end: source files, a copy of the site, documentation, and logins.
3. How access is handed over if you stop working with the agency, and how quickly.
4. Which third-party licenses (fonts, photos, plugins, or extensions) are used and who renews them.
5. Who keeps the backups and how you can request them.

At AiDo Creative, this is how we work: as set out in the proposal, assets stay in the client’s name and we operate with the access they give us. At the close of each phase, we hand over the agreed documentation.

Frequently asked questions