What you should own after a website project

When a website is finished, it is easy to focus on how it looks and forget who holds the keys. Months later, if you want to change agency or update something yourself, the answer to "who owns this?" suddenly matters a great deal.

The accounts that should be in your name

• Domain registration: you should be the registrant and the account owner, even if the agency manages it for you.
• Hosting: ideally an account you created, with the agency added as a user.
• Google Analytics and Search Console: you as the owner, the agency as a user.
• Google Ads, Meta Business Manager and Google Business Profile: you as the owner or primary admin.

The files that should be handed over

Ask for the source files of the design, the code or the theme, the logo files in editable and web formats, and a list of any paid plugins or tools the site depends on, with their licence details. If the site runs on a platform such as WordPress or Shopify, make sure you have an admin login of your own.

How to check in five minutes

• Look up your domain on a public registry search and see whose name is on it.
• Log in to hosting, Analytics and Search Console yourself and confirm you are the owner.
• Ask for a backup of the site and note where it is stored.

Why it matters even if you love your agency

Ownership is not about distrust. People change jobs, agencies close, and businesses grow and change direction. Holding your own accounts means the site keeps working whatever happens, and it makes the working relationship simpler because nobody has anything to hold back.