WEBSITE OWNERSHIP & CONTROL
Your website should remain under your control. Even if you change developers.
A website can be live while its domain, hosting, backups, or important logins are controlled by someone else. Here’s what your business should be able to access, what needs checking, and how I work without tying you to my hosting or a required care plan.
START WITH THE ACCOUNTS
Paying for a website isn’t the same as controlling it.
A site can look finished while the business can’t renew its domain, reach its hosting account, or give a new developer the access needed to work. Those are different problems. It’s worth separating them before you assume everything is in order.
Practical control means knowing where your website lives, who has access, and what you can take with you.
Domain
Can you renew or move it?
Your domain should be registered in an account your business controls, with access to renewals, contact details, and DNS settings.
Hosting
Who holds the account?
You should be able to access and pay your hosting provider directly. A developer can work through access you approve without owning the account.
WordPress website
Can another developer take over?
Administrator access matters, but so do site files, the database, backups, and the licences or outside services the website depends on.
THE PRACTICAL CHECKLIST
Four things to check before you depend on any developer
Domain and DNS
Can your business log in to the registrar, renew the domain, and see where it points? Check that recovery details stay current.
Hosting and backups
Know the hosting account, who pays for it, where the WordPress files and database are kept, and how backups can be accessed.
WordPress administrator access
Keep your own administrator login. Give collaborators appropriate access and know how to review or remove that access.
Licences and connected services
Check premium plugins, email delivery, analytics, Search Console, and other paid or connected services. Some require their own accounts or licences.
OWNERSHIP IS NOT ONE SWITCH
Your accounts and third-party licences are different things.
Owning the domain and controlling the hosting account is not the same as owning every piece of software, image, or subscription used on a website. Make these responsibilities clear in writing.
Accounts your business should control
The domain registration, hosting billing, core WordPress access, and relevant business-owned tools should be accessible to you. I can use collaborator access where practical instead of placing the website in an account you cannot take over.
Software with separate terms
Premium themes, plugins, fonts, stock images, and connected services can have their own licence or renewal terms. Ask whose licence is being used and what happens if that arrangement ends.
CHANGING DEVELOPERS
A clean handoff starts before someone leaves.
If you’re replacing a provider, make a short inventory of the accounts, files, and services first. It helps prevent surprises while the new person is getting access.
1
Find the accounts
Check the domain registrar, hosting provider, billing access, WordPress administrator account, and the email addresses used for recovery.
2
Check the website data
Confirm access to the site’s files, database, media, and available backups. If a move is planned, find out what would be needed to transfer or restore the site.
3
Review outside dependencies
Identify plugin and theme licences, form notifications, email delivery, analytics, Search Console, and other integrations that may need attention.
4
Confirm the handoff
Have the incoming provider verify the required access and agree on any separate migration or repair work before previous access is withdrawn.
HOW PIXELCRAFTED WORKS
Your domain. Your hosting. Your WordPress access.
For WordPress website work, I use accounts you control. I can recommend hosting, but you choose the provider and pay them directly. The agreed work and any handoff are defined in writing.
✓ Domain registered in your account
✓ Hosting paid directly by you
✓ WordPress / Elementor access you retain
✓ Collaborator access where practical
✓ No required PixelCrafted hosting
✓ No compulsory maintenance contract
✓ Handoff responsibilities agreed in writing
✓ Hosting paid directly by you
✓ WordPress / Elementor access you retain
✓ Collaborator access where practical
✓ No required PixelCrafted hosting
✓ No compulsory maintenance contract
✓ Handoff responsibilities agreed in writing
Your accounts stay with your business.
I work through access you control. Third-party subscriptions and licensed products are identified separately so there are fewer surprises when a project ends.
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
Website ownership questions worth asking
Who should control the domain name?
Your business should register or control the domain account, renewal payments, and recovery details. If someone else registered it, check what would be needed to transfer control.
Do I have to use PixelCrafted hosting?
No. You choose your hosting provider and pay them directly. I can recommend a suitable option, but I do not require you to use a PixelCrafted hosting account.
Is a WordPress administrator login enough?
Not always. You may also need access to hosting, the domain’s DNS settings, files, database, backups, and paid third-party services to manage or move the site properly.
Can another developer take over my WordPress site?
That is the aim of keeping your accounts and access clear. Any migration, replacement licences, or repairs required for a handoff may need separate work.
What happens to premium plugin licences?
Licence terms differ. Confirm who bought each licence, whether it can be transferred, and what renewal or replacement costs might apply.
Do I have to buy a maintenance plan?
No. Website Care is optional. Your website still needs somebody to handle updates and maintenance over time, whether that’s you, another provider, or an agreed care service.
WANT CLARITY ABOUT YOUR WEBSITE?
Not sure who controls the important accounts?
Tell me which website or account you’re concerned about and what you’re trying to confirm. I can explain whether a focused review is appropriate and what it would involve before any paid work begins.
✓ Client-owned domain • Client-owned hosting • Written scope before paid work