WHO OWNS YOUR DOMAIN NAME?
Not who built the site. Who is the registered owner of the domain, and whose email is on the account? Your domain should be registered in your business's name, with a login and an email address you control, auto-renew turned on and a payment card that will not expire soon. The same goes for your Google Business Profile: your business should hold owner access, not only manager access.
AT A GLANCE
By Conqueror Capital · Published
The short answer: the domain should be registered to your business, on a login and email you control, set to auto-renew with a current card, and your Google Business Profile should have you as an owner.
WHY IT MATTERS
Your domain is your address on the internet. Your website and often your business email depend on it. ICANN, the body that coordinates domain names, says the registrant assumes sole responsibility for the registration and use of the domain name.1 If that registrant is a former web designer, an old employee or an agency that stopped answering, you may find out you don't control your own address at the moment something breaks or you want to move.
Problems like this tend to surface at bad times: a renewal notice goes to an inbox nobody reads, the domain lapses, and the website and email stop working.
HOW TO CHECK YOUR DOMAIN
- Who is the registrant? Log in to the account at your domain registrar and look at the registrant contact. It should be your business, not a person or company that built the site.
- Whose email is on the account? The login and the contact email should be addresses your business controls. Renewal notices and transfer approvals go there.
- Is auto-renew on? ICANN says that if you choose automatic renewal, you must keep your payment information current.1 Check the card on file and its expiry date.
- Is the contact information accurate? ICANN also says registrants must provide accurate information, update it promptly when it changes, and respond to registrar inquiries within fifteen days.1
If you can't log in at all, start by finding out which registrar holds the domain and ask for help recovering access.
CHECK YOUR GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE TOO
Google gives Business Profile users different roles. Owners have full control and can add or remove users. Managers can do most day-to-day work, such as editing information, responding to reviews and posting, but can't add or remove users or remove the profile. A profile can have several owners but only one primary owner.2
Your business should hold owner access, ideally primary owner, on an account it controls. An agency or freelancer can be added as a manager or additional owner and removed when the work ends. Google notes that each user needs their own Google Account, so nobody has to share a password.2
IF SOMEONE ELSE CONTROLS IT
- Ask first, in writing. Most former designers will update the registrant or move the domain into your own registrar account when asked.
- Keep records. Invoices, contracts and emails that show the domain was bought for your business help if the request goes further.
- Use your registrar's process. Registrars publish how to change contacts and move domains between accounts. ICANN says you are entitled to clear instructions for registering, managing, transferring, renewing and restoring a domain.
- Do the same for the profile. Ask the current owner to add your business as an owner and transfer primary ownership.
Our guide on how to choose a local SEO agency explains why the domain and hosting should be in your business's name, with any agency holding a user login rather than the registration.
MULTI-LOCATION AND ENTERPRISE
Larger businesses tend to collect domains over time: brand names, old campaigns, regional sites and common misspellings. The risk is the same, multiplied.
- Keep an inventory of every domain, its registrar, renewal date and the person responsible.
- Use shared role accounts, not one employee's personal email, for registrar logins and renewal notices.
- Consolidate domains into as few registrar accounts as practical, owned by the company.
- Review Business Profile access across every location, and remove people who have left.
Our mid-size and enterprise page covers how we work with larger teams.
FAQ
How do I find out who owns my domain?
Log in to your domain registrar account and check the registrant contact. If you can't log in, find out which registrar holds the domain and ask them how to recover access.
Is it a problem if my web designer registered my domain?
It can be. If the registration is in their name or on their account, you depend on them to renew it and to let you move it. Ask them to put it in your business's name.
What is the difference between an owner and a manager on Google Business Profile?
Owners have full control and can add or remove users. Managers can edit information, reply to reviews and post, but can't add or remove users or remove the profile.
Should I turn on auto-renew for my domain?
Usually, yes, so the domain doesn't lapse by accident. ICANN says that if you choose automatic renewal you must keep your payment information current.
SOURCES
- ICANN, Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile owners & managers.
Platforms change often. Check the sources for the current version before acting.
KEEP READING
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Not sure who controls your domain or your Google profile? Book a 15-minute call and we will help you check, and tell you what to fix first.