Your business has a website, a domain name, social media accounts, and probably several other online tools that help you operate and market your company.
But here's a question many business owners may not have considered:
Who actually owns and controls all of those accounts?
You may have paid someone to build your website. You may have hired a marketing agency to manage your Google Business Profile. An employee may have created your Facebook page, while another company handles your website hosting.
Everything may be working perfectly today.
But what happens if that employee leaves, your marketing company closes, or you decide to work with a different provider?
Would you still be able to access everything?
Unfortunately, some business owners discover they don't have the access they need until something goes wrong.
Understanding who controls your digital assets is an important part of protecting your business and maintaining your independence.
Your Domain Name: One of Your Most Important Digital Assets
Your domain name is your website's address, such as yourbusiness.com.
It is also often connected to your business email and other online services.
When someone registers a domain name, it is managed through a domain registrar. The person or organization listed as the registrant generally holds the registration rights, subject to the registrar's agreement and applicable policies.
The problem arises when a business owner has no idea whose name or account was used to register the domain.
For example, a web designer may have registered it years ago using their own account. The business pays the renewal fees but does not have direct access to manage the registration.
If that designer becomes unavailable, transferring or updating the domain could become difficult.
What should you check?
- Which company is your domain registrar?
- Who is listed as the domain registrant?
- Who controls the registrar account?
- Is the contact email address current?
- Is automatic renewal enabled?
- Who receives expiration and renewal notices?
Ideally, your business should control its domain registration and maintain accurate ownership and contact information.
Website Hosting and Domain Registration Are Not the Same Thing
Many business owners assume that because one company handles their website, that company also owns their domain.
However, website hosting and domain registration are separate services.
Your domain is the address people use to find your website. Hosting is the service that stores and delivers your website's files and content.
The two services can be purchased from the same provider, but they do not have to be.
This distinction becomes important when changing website providers.
You might want to move your website to a different hosting company without changing your domain registration.
Or you may need to update your domain's DNS settings while keeping your existing website hosting.
Knowing where each service is managed makes these changes easier and reduces your dependence on a single vendor.
Do You Have Administrator Access to Your Website?
If your business uses WordPress, there are different user roles with different levels of permissions.
An Administrator generally has broad control over the website, including managing users, plugins, themes, and settings on a typical single-site WordPress installation.
A business owner who only has an Editor account may be able to update content but may not have the permissions needed to manage other important aspects of the site.
That can become a problem when switching developers, resolving technical issues, or making major website changes.
Business owners should know who has administrative access and make sure there is an authorized way for the business to retain control.
This does not mean everyone on your team needs Administrator permissions.
In fact, limiting access according to each person's responsibilities is a good practice.
The important thing is that your company should not depend entirely on one outside individual to manage its own website.
Who Controls Your Google Business Profile?
Your Google Business Profile helps customers find your business through Google Search and Maps.
It may contain your business hours, address, phone number, reviews, photos, and other important information.
Google Business Profiles use different access levels, including primary owner, owner, and manager.
If an agency or former employee is the only person with ownership-level access, managing the profile may become complicated when your working relationship changes.
Your business should have an appropriate authorized representative with ownership access, preferably through a company-controlled Google Account.
Marketing agencies and other service providers can receive the permissions they need without becoming the sole party controlling the profile.
This helps protect continuity when employees or vendors change.
Don't Forget About Google Analytics and Other Marketing Accounts
Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Google Search Console, Google Ads, and Google Tag Manager can provide valuable information about your website and marketing performance.
But who created these accounts?
And who has permission to manage them?
It is common for marketing providers to help businesses set up analytics, advertising, and tracking systems.
That arrangement can work well, provided ownership and access responsibilities are clear.
Problems may arise when an agency creates accounts entirely under its own organization and the client has no independent access.
When reviewing your marketing tools, identify which accounts belong to your business, who has administrative permissions, and what would happen if you changed providers.
Also, understand that access to one Google product does not automatically provide access to all the others.
Each platform may have its own permission settings.
Your Social Media Accounts Are Business Assets Too
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social platforms may be important communication and marketing channels for your business.
But there is a difference between someone managing your social media and your company maintaining control over its presence.
An employee might create a business page using a personal profile. A marketing company might establish advertising accounts. Several people may receive administrative permissions over time.
If these arrangements are not documented, you could eventually lose track of who can make changes.
Review the ownership and administrative structure of your business social media presence.
Make sure appropriate company representatives have the necessary access, and that former employees or vendors are removed when their involvement ends.
Also remember that each social media platform has its own rules about accounts, permissions, and ownership. A business page is not necessarily something a company owns in the same way it owns a physical asset.
What Happens When You Change Marketing Companies?
Changing service providers should not mean starting your online presence over again.
Ideally, your business should be able to transition to another website developer, hosting provider, or marketing agency without losing access to essential accounts.
However, this depends on how the accounts were originally established and what your agreements with providers say.
Before ending a relationship with a service provider, determine:
- Which accounts and services they currently manage
- Which accounts your business controls directly
- What files, data, and credentials must be transferred
- Whether there are outstanding invoices or contractual obligations
- Who will handle the transition
- Whether any services or subscriptions will be affected
It is much easier to address these questions while the working relationship is still active than after access has been lost.
Create a Digital Asset Inventory
One of the most useful things a business can do is create a simple inventory of its online accounts and services.
You do not need an elaborate system.
| Digital asset | Information to document |
|---|---|
| Domain name | Registrar, registrant, renewal date, account administrator |
| Website hosting | Hosting provider, account administrator, renewal details |
| WordPress website | Administrator accounts, maintenance provider |
| Google Business Profile | Primary owner, additional owners and managers |
| Google Analytics | Account and property administrators |
| Google Search Console | Verified owners and users |
| Google Ads | Account administrators and billing responsibilities |
| Google Tag Manager | Account and container administrators |
| Social media | Page or business account administrators |
| Business email | Email provider and administrative contact |
Keep the inventory in a secure location accessible to authorized people.
Do not place passwords or recovery codes in an unsecured spreadsheet or shared document. A reputable password manager can help manage sensitive credentials.
Review the inventory whenever employees, vendors, or account permissions change.
You Can Get Help Without Giving Up Control
Hiring an agency, website developer, or marketing consultant does not mean you should surrender control of your digital assets.
A professional provider can manage your website, maintain your hosting, optimize your Google Business Profile, or oversee marketing campaigns while your business retains appropriate ownership and access.
The key is understanding the difference between granting someone permission to do a job and making that person the only one who can control an important business account.
Clear agreements, properly assigned permissions, and good documentation help everyone involved.
They also make future transitions easier.
Take Time to Review What Your Business Controls
You don't need to wait until something goes wrong to find out who controls your website and online accounts.
Start with your domain name and hosting. Then review your website administrator accounts, Google Business Profile, analytics, advertising platforms, and social media.
Find out who manages each service, what access your business has, and whether important account information is documented.
If you discover an account is controlled by someone else, don't immediately delete users or make changes that could interrupt your website or marketing activities.
First, understand the arrangement and work with the appropriate provider to establish the access your business needs.
Your website and digital presence represent an investment in your business. Make sure you understand who controls that investment.
We Are Here to Help
Not sure who controls your website, domain, or other important online accounts?
Real Time Web Marketing can help you review your current setup, identify areas where access or account responsibilities may be unclear, and discuss appropriate next steps.