I’ve helped three businesses in the past year who discovered they didn’t actually own their domain names. One was being charged £300/year for a domain worth £12. Another couldn’t move their website without their previous developer’s permission. A third lost access to 5 years of business email when they parted ways with their web company.
These situations are avoidable. Let me explain how domain names and hosting actually work, how to protect yourself, and what to watch out for.
Domain Names: What You’re Actually Buying
A domain name (like yourbusiness.co.uk) is your address on the internet. You don’t technically “own” it—you lease it from a registry, typically for one year at a time, renewable indefinitely.
Cost: £8-15/year for .co.uk or .uk domains, £10-20/year for .com domains.
Where to register: Namecheap, Google Domains (now Squarespace Domains), 123-reg, Ionos. Any reputable registrar works fine.
What matters: The domain must be registered in YOUR name (or your company name), with YOUR email address as the contact. You must have login access to the registrar account.
The common mistake:
Developer says: “I’ll handle domain registration for you, it’s included in the website package.”
You think: “Great, one less thing to worry about.”
What actually happens: Domain is registered in developer’s name, using their business account. You have no access. If you ever want to leave, you need their permission to transfer it. Some developers hold domains hostage for ransom payments.
How to Register a Domain Properly
Step 1: Create your own registrar account
Go to Namecheap, Google Domains, or another registrar. Create an account using your business email (not gmail, ideally—use your@yourbusiness.co.uk once you have it set up).
Step 2: Search for your desired domain
yourbusiness.co.uk is the standard UK business domain. .uk is newer and slightly cheaper. .com is international. Most UK businesses register both .co.uk and .com to prevent confusion.
Step 3: Check availability and register
If available, register for 2-5 years upfront (costs the same per year, just locks in the price and you won’t forget to renew).
Step 4: Configure auto-renewal
Domains expire if not renewed. Set auto-renewal to prevent losing your domain because you forgot to pay £12.
Step 5: Set up domain privacy (optional)
This hides your personal details from WHOIS databases. Costs £5-10/year extra. Worth it if you don’t want your home address public.
Step 6: Configure DNS
This tells the domain where to point (your website, email, etc.). Your hosting provider or developer will give you nameserver addresses to enter here.
Critical: You maintain the registrar account. Your developer can’t do their job without being able to point the domain, but they don’t need to own it. They need the DNS settings, which you can provide or give them temporary access to configure.
Our own-outright website service ensures everything is in your name from the start.
Hosting: Where Your Website Lives
Hosting is the server that stores your website files and serves them to visitors. It’s separate from your domain name (though some companies bundle both to create lock-in).
Types of hosting:
Shared hosting (£3-15/month): Your site shares a server with others. Fine for small sites with low traffic. Examples: SiteGround, Bluehost, 20i.
Managed WordPress hosting (£20-50/month): Optimized for WordPress, includes automatic updates and security. Examples: WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel.
Cloud hosting (£0-50/month depending on traffic): Modern, scales automatically, only pay for what you use. Examples: Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages.
VPS/Dedicated (£30-200+/month): Your own server, more control. Usually overkill unless you’re running applications or have huge traffic.
The Hosting Ownership Question
You should either:
- Own the hosting account yourself (your name, your payment method, full admin access), OR
- Have your developer set it up but give you full access (admin login, billing access, ability to export everything)
What you should NOT accept:
- “Your website is hosted on our servers” with no way to access or export it
- “Hosting is included in the monthly fee” with no separate account details
- “It’s on a proprietary system that only works with our hosting”
Email Hosting: The Overlooked Asset
Your email (@yourbusiness.co.uk) is often tied to either your domain registrar or your web hosting. This creates problems when you want to switch hosts.
Better approach: Separate email hosting
Google Workspace (£4.60-10.60/user/month): Gmail interface, Google Docs, Drive, Calendar. Most popular for small businesses.
Microsoft 365 (£4-10/user/month): Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams. Good if you’re already in Microsoft ecosystem.
Standalone email hosting (£1-3/user/month): Just email, no extras. Companies like MXroute, Zoho Mail. Cheap and reliable.
By keeping email separate from web hosting, you can:
- Switch web developers without touching email
- Move hosting providers without downtime
- Maintain business email even if website is temporarily down
- Get better spam filtering and features
DNS: The Phone Directory of the Internet
DNS (Domain Name System) translates your domain name into the IP address where your website lives. You control this through your domain registrar.
Common DNS records:
A record: Points your domain to a server IP address CNAME record: Points a subdomain to another domain MX record: Tells email where to go TXT record: Verification and security settings
You don’t need to understand the technical details. You DO need to understand:
- Who has access to change these settings (should be you)
- Whether you can point your domain wherever you want (you should be able to)
- How to give your developer temporary access without giving away control
The scam to watch for:
Developer says they need to “manage DNS for optimal performance.” What they mean: They want control of where your domain points so you can’t easily switch to another developer.
Reality: Your developer needs the nameservers or specific DNS records once during setup. They don’t need ongoing control unless they’re also managing your email.
Code Ownership: Your Website Files
Your website is built from code files, images, a database (if dynamic), and configuration. You should own all of this.
What to ask for:
GitHub or GitLab repository in your account with all code. Even if you don’t know how to use it, you own it and can give another developer access.
Database export if your site uses WordPress, Laravel, or any database system. Should be provided monthly or on request.
Full FTP/SFTP access to hosting to download all files at any time.
Admin access to WordPress, Craft CMS, or whatever CMS you use.
Documentation of any custom functionality or third-party integrations.
Red flags:
- “The code is proprietary and belongs to us”
- “It’s a custom system that only we can maintain”
- “You’re leasing the website, not buying it”
- “You can have the code for an additional £X,XXX fee”
These are all signals they’re building lock-in, not a business asset you own.
The Lock-In Business Model
Let me explain why some developers create these situations. It’s not always malicious—sometimes it’s just how they learned to structure their business.
Monthly recurring revenue is attractive
Developer builds your site for £3,000. They get one payment. If they can charge £100/month for “hosting and maintenance,” that’s £1,200/year ongoing. After 2.5 years, they’ve made more from the recurring fees than the build.
Lock-in ensures recurring revenue
If you own everything and can leave anytime, they need to earn that monthly fee through good service. If you CAN’T leave without losing your domain, email, and website, they don’t have to try as hard.
Not all recurring fees are lock-in
Legitimate ongoing services include:
- Security updates
- Performance monitoring
- Content updates
- Backup management
- Technical support
These are valuable and worth paying for. The question is: Could you cancel and move to another provider if you wanted to? If yes, it’s a service. If no, it’s lock-in.
How to Audit Your Current Situation
If you already have a website, check whether you actually control your assets:
Domain name:
- Can you log into the registrar account?
- Is the domain registered in your name or company name?
- Can you change DNS settings yourself?
- Can you transfer the domain to another registrar without asking permission?
Hosting:
- Do you have admin-level access to hosting control panel?
- Can you download all website files?
- Can you export the database?
- Do you know the hosting provider’s name?
Email:
- Where is your email hosted?
- Can you access it independent of your website?
- Can you add/remove email accounts yourself?
Code:
- Do you have a copy of all website code?
- Is it stored in a repository you control?
- Do you have all passwords (CMS admin, FTP, etc.)?
If you answered “no” or “I don’t know” to any of these, you have a problem worth fixing.
How to Fix a Lock-In Situation
Step 1: Communicate professionally
Request access to all accounts, passwords, and code. Frame it as “wanting to understand our business assets better” or “our accountant/insurance company requested this information.”
Most developers will comply. They might not have been intentionally locking you in—they just never set it up properly.
Step 2: If they resist, check your contract
What does your original agreement say about ownership? If it says you own the code and they’re refusing access, you have legal grounds to insist.
Step 3: Transfer domain first
If you need to switch developers, transfer your domain to your own registrar account first. This prevents them holding it hostage.
Domain transfers require authorization from the current registrar. If your developer won’t provide it, you can file a complaint with Nominet (for .uk domains) or ICANN (for .com).
Step 4: Set up new hosting
Create new hosting under your control. Your new developer can build on the new hosting while the old site still runs on old hosting.
Step 5: Migrate content
Even if you can’t get the code from the old developer, you CAN copy the visible content (text, images). It’s tedious but possible. Rebuild with a new developer who will give you proper ownership.
Step 6: Switch DNS
Once the new site is ready on new hosting, change your DNS settings to point to the new hosting. Visitors now see the new site. The old hosting can be cancelled.
This process takes 2-4 weeks and costs £1,000-3,000 depending on site complexity. Expensive and annoying, but better than staying locked in forever.
What to Look for in Contracts
Your web development contract should state:
“Upon full payment, the client owns all source code, design files, content, and documentation. Developer will provide all necessary files, credentials, and transfer assistance.”
Domain and hosting ownership:
“Client will maintain ownership of domain registration and hosting. Developer will be provided access necessary to configure and maintain the website but will not register services in developer’s name.”
Cancellation terms:
“Either party may terminate ongoing maintenance with 30 days written notice. Upon termination, developer will provide all files, credentials, and documentation within 7 days.”
If a developer won’t sign a contract with these terms, don’t hire them. It’s a red flag the size of London.
My Approach to Ownership
I’m transparent about how I handle this because I want you to know the right way:
Domains: I help clients register domains, but the domain is always in their name, in an account they control. I configure DNS as needed but they own it.
Hosting: For static sites, I set up Vercel or Netlify under the client’s account. They pay Vercel directly (often £0 for small sites). For WordPress, I recommend hosting like SiteGround or 20i—again, in client’s name.
Code: Lives in client’s GitHub repository from day one. They can revoke my access anytime.
Email: I recommend Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, set up independently of the website. They own and control it.
Maintenance: Optional service, cancellable with 30 days notice. If they cancel, they keep everything and can hire anyone else.
This is how it should work. You’re hiring me for expertise, not surrendering control of your business assets.
Costs Summary
Domain registration:
- .co.uk: £10-15/year
- .com: £12-20/year
- Domain privacy: +£5-10/year
Hosting:
- Static sites (Vercel/Netlify): £0-20/month
- Shared WordPress hosting: £5-15/month
- Managed WordPress hosting: £20-50/month
Email hosting:
- Google Workspace: £4.60/user/month
- Microsoft 365: £4/user/month
- Basic email: £1-3/user/month
Total annual costs for a small business: £200-600/year for domain, hosting, and professional email. That’s £17-50/month.
Anyone charging significantly more than this for basic hosting and email is either providing premium services worth the cost, or they’re overcharging. Ask exactly what you’re paying for.
Final Thoughts
Your domain name and hosting are business assets like your company name and phone number. You wouldn’t let your marketing agency own your phone number, so don’t let your web developer own your domain.
Own these assets in your name. Maintain direct access. Keep them separate from your developer relationship. Pay for services fairly, but don’t accept lock-in as the price of having a website.
If you’re starting fresh, set this up correctly from the beginning. If you’re in a lock-in situation, the effort to extract yourself is worth it. Your future self will thank you.
And if you’re hiring a developer who insists they need to own your domain or won’t give you full access? That’s your signal to hire someone else.
Your website should be an asset you own, not a service you’re forever renting.
