Do You Really Own Your Website and Domain Name?
You paid for it. Your name’s on it. But does your website truly belong to you?
For many business owners, the answer is more complicated than you might think. Between third-party hosting, agency-controlled platforms, and domains registered under someone else’s name, it’s surprisingly common for business owners to have limited control - or worse, no ownership at all - over their own websites.
Here are three common traps that can leave you without full control of your website or domain - and what to do instead.
1. Your Website Is Tied to an Agency’s Platform
Real example: I once ran a portable cocktail bar business and had a website built by a local design agency. The upgrade looked great: professional photos, team of designers, a sleek new look. But over time, I discovered a frustrating limitation: I couldn’t make my own updates. Every change - whether it was a new menu or event gallery - had to go through the agency, often with a hefty fee.
This isn’t unusual. Many agencies host your website on their proprietary platform or custom CMS, giving them full control and leaving you dependent on them for edits, updates, or even accessing your own content.
What to do instead: Choose a platform like Squarespace that gives you direct access to update your content anytime - no coding or middleman required. And if you prefer to leave that to someone else, you have the flexibility to hire a designer on an ad-hoc basis.
2. Your Domain Name Isn’t Registered to You
Real example: A client recently switched from a custom-built site to Squarespace. When we went to point their domain name to the new site, we discovered it was registered under the old agency’s company name. Not only was it hosted on their server, they were listed as the legal owner.
This meant delays, admin headaches, and a worrying “what if?” - what if the agency refused to release it? What if they went out of business?
Your domain name is your digital address. If you don’t legally own it, you can’t control where it points, renew it, or sell it along with your business.
What to do instead: Always register your domain through a reputable third party (e.g. GoDaddy, Google Domains) under your own name and business email.
3. Free Website Design... But Do You Really Own It?
Some companies offer a tempting package: “Free website design with hosting.” On the surface, it sounds like a great deal—your business gets a professional-looking site without the upfront design cost.
But here’s the catch: in many of these arrangements, the website is only yours as long as you keep paying the hosting fee. The hosting company often builds your site on a platform they control. If you ever decide to move providers or stop the monthly payments, you could be left with nothing—no site files, no design, and no way to transfer it elsewhere.
What we recommend instead: At Hot Lizard Designs, we use Squarespace, which includes reliable, secure hosting on their own dedicated servers. When we build your website, you retain full control of both the content and the platform. You're not locked into a third-party maintenance contract - and you can update or expand your website as your business grows.
These days there are plenty of platforms where small business owners can design their own websites. Some look great, others need a helping hand to get them to where they need to be. And with the ease of access and latest technology, there’s no reason why any small business shouldn’t have a great website.
We are Squarespace specialists precisely because it allows our clients to easily make updates or add new content while maintaining the brand look. You don’t need a degree in software engineering to make those updates, and we ensure all our clients have full access and ownership of their website. After all, it’s part of their business.
Website design isn’t for everyone, but having the option to make changes as your business evolves and having full control over your own website is.