Who should own your domain and hosting? A checklist

Most small business owners never think about who owns their domain until the day they need it. The web designer stops answering, a renewal notice goes to an old email address, or the business is sold and the buyer asks for the website. That is when people find out the domain was registered in someone else's name, or that nobody remembers the login.

The short answer is simple: your business should own its domain, and you should be able to reach every account your website depends on without asking anyone. This guide explains what to own, how to check whose name things are in today, and how to fix it if they are not yours.

What you actually need to own

A website is not one thing. It sits on a handful of separate accounts, and each one can be held by a different person.

• The domain name. The address, such as yourbusiness.com.au. This is the one that matters most, because your email and your Google listing usually point to it.
• The domain registrar account. The company you pay for the domain (the registrar). The login to this account is what lets someone change where the domain points or move it elsewhere.
• DNS. The settings that send visitors to your website and your email to your inbox. Sometimes they live with the registrar, sometimes with a separate service.
• Hosting. Where the website files actually live, or the platform account if you use a website builder or an online shop platform.
• Business email. The mailbox at your domain, such as hello@yourbusiness.com.au.
• The extras. Google Search Console, analytics, your booking system, your online shop platform and your Google Business Profile.

You do not have to manage all of these yourself. A designer or a care plan can look after them for you. What matters is that the accounts are in your business's name, and that you, or someone you trust inside the business, can log in.

Why it matters

The domain is tied to your business in Australia

For a .com.au domain, the holder is not "whoever pays the bill". The .au Domain Administration (auDA) explains that the registrant details decide who holds the licence, and that a .com.au name must be held by an eligible Australian business, using details such as an ABN or ACN. auDA also notes that eligibility applies for as long as you hold the name, not just on the day you register it.

auDA's own advice is to use your own details rather than a developer's, partly to avoid eligibility problems and missed renewal notices. If the WHOIS record does not show your business, auDA says you are not recorded as the licence holder, even if you have the passwords.

Renewals go to whoever is on the record

A .com.au licence runs for one to five years at a time, according to auDA, and some providers only offer one or two year terms. Renewal reminders go to the contact on the account. If that is a former employee or a designer you no longer work with, the reminder can go nowhere, and the domain can lapse. When it lapses, your website and your email stop working together.

Selling or restructuring the business

auDA points out that a domain name is not automatically included when a business is sold. It has to be named in the sale agreement and moved through a registrant transfer to another eligible entity. That is far easier when the domain is already in the business's name and the logins are in a known place.

How to check whose name it is in today

This takes about ten minutes.

1. Look up the domain. For a .au domain, search it on the .au WHOIS lookup on auDA's website. For a .com, use a WHOIS lookup from your registrar or from ICANN. Note the registrant name and the registrar.
2. Find the registrar login. Search your inbox for the registrar's name and for "renewal". If you cannot find any account, the domain is probably held in someone else's account.
3. Check where email and DNS are managed. Your registrar will show which name servers the domain uses. If they point to a service you do not recognise, ask your designer which account that is.
4. List the hosting or platform account. Who pays for it, and whose email is the login?
5. Check the extras. In Google Search Console and your Google Business Profile, see whether you are listed as an owner, not only a user.

Write down what you find in one place, such as a shared note or a password manager, with the account, the login email and who pays.

What to do if it is not in your name

Most of the time this is not a dispute. It is just how the site was set up years ago, and a polite request fixes it.

If a designer or agency holds it

Ask them to move the domain into your business's name. For a .com.au, that is a registrant transfer to your business, which must itself be eligible. For other accounts, ask to be added as the owner, then confirm you can log in before they remove themselves.

Ask for it in writing and keep the reply. Most designers are glad to hand things over properly.

If you want to move registrar

Moving a domain to a different registrar usually needs an authorisation code (sometimes called an auth code or EPP code) from the current registrar, and the domain must be unlocked. Treat that code like a password and do not send it to anyone you have not chosen to work with. For .com domains, ICANN's transfer rules let a registrar refuse a move for a period after a recent registration or transfer, so plan around that and ask your registrar what applies to your domain.

If nobody can find the login

Contact the registrar shown in the WHOIS record. They will have a process to prove you are the registrant. This is much simpler if the registrant name already matches your business.

A good setup, in short

• The domain is in your business's name, and the registrant details are current.
• You can log in to the registrar, DNS, hosting and email accounts yourself.
• Renewal notices go to an inbox you check, and auto-renew is on.
• Your designer or care plan has access as a user, not as the owner.
• Every login is in one place you control.

A good web designer will set things up this way by default. At Realtiq, the domain, hosting and platform accounts are set up in your name and listed in the proposal, and you get the logins at launch. If you would rather not deal with renewals and small changes yourself, a website care plan can look after them while you keep ownership.

What a website costs with us

Prices in Australian dollars:

If you are planning a new site, how long a small business website takes to build explains the steps, and what pages a small business website needs helps you plan the content. More on how we build in Websites and online shops.

Common questions

Who owns the domain if my web designer registered it?

The person or business recorded as the registrant holds it. For a .au domain, check the .au WHOIS lookup: auDA says that if your business is not listed there, you are not recorded as the licence holder, even if you have the passwords.

Can a web designer keep my domain?

It is your business name and your address online, so ask for it to be transferred into your business's name, in writing. If you hit a disagreement you cannot resolve, get advice from your adviser or a lawyer before you act. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Do I need an ABN for a .com.au domain?

auDA requires a connection to Australia for a .com.au, such as an ABN, ACN or an Australian trade mark, and the name must relate to your business. You need to meet those rules for as long as you hold the name.

Is my domain included if I sell my business?

Not automatically. auDA notes that the domain must be included in the sale agreement and moved to the buyer through a registrant transfer.

Should my hosting be in my name too?

Yes, where the platform allows it. Hosting, email and platform accounts should be in your business's name with your email as the owner, and your designer added as a user.