Website ownership involves several separate assets: the domain account, hosting, content, design files, code and third-party licences. Agree who controls each item before work starts and confirm the handover process before launch. A website can be visible online while important accounts still sit with the wrong party.

A practical approach

Use named accounts and appropriate permissions where the platform supports them. Document who can make changes and who can recover access if a team member leaves. Contract terms and licence rights vary, so ask qualified advisers to review obligations when needed.

Your checklist

  • List each asset and its intended owner.
  • Confirm recovery contacts and billing responsibility.
  • Record which third-party items have transfer restrictions.

For example

An agency may build a site in a development account and later transfer it. The launch plan should include that transfer, its dependencies and a check that the client can manage the resulting production account.

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