Of all the things people overlook when getting a website built, this is the one that causes the most trouble later. Your domain name, the actual address people type or click to reach you, is one of the most valuable things your business owns online. Yet it’s often the thing handed over to someone else without a second thought.
What a domain name actually is
Your domain is your address on the internet, yourname.co.uk or whatever yours happens to be. It’s separate from your website itself, and separate from whoever hosts it. Think of it like the freehold on a shop, the website is what’s inside the shop, but the domain is the actual address customers use to find you.
Why ownership matters more than people realise
Here’s the problem. When a web designer builds your site, they often register the domain on your behalf, which is convenient at the time. But convenient now can become a real headache later, because whoever’s name is on that registration technically controls it. If that’s your web designer rather than you, and the relationship ever sours, or they stop trading, or you simply want to move to someone else, you can find yourself locked out of your own business address.
This isn’t a rare horror story either. It happens often enough that it’s worth checking, right now, whether your domain is registered in your name or someone else’s.
How to check who actually owns yours
Most domain registrars let you look up ownership details through a WHOIS search, searching your domain name alongside “WHOIS lookup” will usually show you who the registrant is. If it’s not your name or your business name, it’s worth a conversation with whoever built your site about transferring it properly.
What good practice looks like
A trustworthy web designer registers your domain in your name from day one, not theirs. You should be able to ask for your authorisation code, sometimes called an EPP code, at any point and receive it without a fight. If a designer hesitates, or makes it complicated, that’s worth paying attention to.
Our approach
Every client at Maidstone Web Services owns their domain outright, from day one, regardless of which package they’re on. We manage renewals and DNS as a convenience while you’re with us, but the domain is always yours, and you can request the transfer code at any time, free of charge, no exceptions.
Not sure who owns your domain?
Get in touch and we’ll help you check, no obligation, whether you’re a client of ours or not.