Is your website actually in your name?
Website ownership means your domain, hosting, DNS, Google listing, visitor stats and every login are registered to you, not to a past developer, and not to us. We move each one into your name, list them all in a keys register you can see any time, and remove access for anyone who no longer needs it.
In one sentence: every key to your online business is put in your name, recorded in one place, and kept that way, so no one can lock you out, hold you to ransom, or take your website with them when they go.
Why does it matter whose name things are in?
Paying for something isn't the same as owning it. If your domain was registered by a web designer using their name and email, then as far as the domain company is concerned, they hold it. They get the renewal reminders. They can move it, change it, or let it lapse.
That matters more than most owners realise. For common domains like .com, the rules say domain companies must send at least two renewal reminders, about a month and about a week before expiry, to the person on the record. If that's an old developer's inbox, you'll never see them. After expiry, the domain company can switch off the domain, and your website and email stop working with it (ICANN, Expired Registration Recovery Policy). Hosting can lapse the same way: here's what to do when your hosting has expired.
Can I get my website if the developer registered the domain in their name?
Often, yes, but it takes some steps. The domain company deals with whoever is on its records as the registrant, even if you paid for the domain. So first, look up which company your domain is registered with. Then ask your developer, in writing, to move the domain into an account in your name, and to send your website files and logins at the same time.
If they don't reply, contact the domain company directly. Show that the business uses the domain, for example with invoices, receipts or emails. Each domain company has its own process, and some cases take longer. Keep copies of everything you send. If your developer refuses and it turns into a dispute, speak to a lawyer.
What if my developer owns the domain?
Then they control it until it's moved to you: where the website points, where your email goes, and whether it renews. Ask them to transfer it to an account in your name, and watch the renewal date. If a domain isn't renewed and its grace period runs out, someone else can buy it. Once it's yours, turn on two-step login and auto-renew.
What can go wrong?
These three situations are common, and each one is avoidable:
- The domain that expired on a Monday morning. The domain is in a former designer's name, with their old email and a card that expired. The reminders go nowhere. One Monday the website and every business email stop working, and the owner spends days proving to the domain company that the business is theirs.
- The Google listing held by an agency. A marketing agency set up the business's Google listing under the agency's own account. When the owner ends the contract, they can't change their holiday hours or reply to reviews until the agency hands over ownership, which takes weeks of emails.
- The developer who never left. Two years after the last invoice, a past developer still has full admin access to the website and the hosting account. Nothing has gone wrong yet. But one leaked password, or one falling-out, is all it would take.
Locked out right now?
Don't pay anyone who demands money to give back your own domain. Your domain company can verify you as the business owner. Start with what to do if your developer disappeared.
Every key, in one list, in your name.
The register says what each key is, whose name it's in, and how to recover it. It never holds passwords: those live in a password manager in your name.
| The key | What it is, simply | Whose name it's in | What we check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Your address online, like yourbusiness.com | Yours, as the registered holder | Holder details, renewal date, auto-renew, card on file |
| Domain company account | Where the domain is bought and renewed | Yours | Your email for reminders, two-step login on |
| DNS | The address book that points your name to your website and email | Managed in your account | No unexpected changes |
| Hosting account | The rented computer your website lives on | Yours | Billing in your name, who else has access |
| Website admin logins | The logins that can change your site | One per person, named | Nobody on the list who has left |
| Google Business Profile | Your listing on Google Search and Maps | You, as primary owner | Who else is listed as owner or manager |
| Visitor stats | The tools that count visits and show how people find you | You, as administrator | Old agencies removed |
| Email, booking and other services | Anything else your website relies on | Yours | Recovery email and phone are yours |
Month 1: we find every key and hand it to you.
Tracking down who controls what is part of your first month, on every plan. Most of it needs only a few minutes of your time.
Find
We check public domain records, your old invoices and emails, and every account your website relies on, and list who holds each one today.
FirstRecover
Where a key is in someone else's name, we write the request for you, or work with the domain or hosting company to verify you as the business owner.
As neededRe-home
Each account moves into your name and your email, with two-step login on. We're added as named users, so we can work, but you hold the keys.
Step by stepRemove and record
Old logins and stray access are removed once you've confirmed who they belong to. Everything is recorded in your keys register.
Once confirmedA note on timing
When a domain changes holder, domain companies often lock it against moving to a different company for up to 60 days. That's a normal safety rule, not a problem. Your website and email keep working during the lock, and we plan around it.
How we keep it that way
Ownership isn't a one-off job. People leave, cards expire, and agencies quietly add themselves to accounts. So we keep checking.
| What we do | When | What it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and certificate expiry watch | Ongoing, automatic | Your site and email going dark over a missed renewal |
| DNS change watch | Ongoing, automatic | Someone pointing your name somewhere else |
| Renewal dates in your note | In your Monday note | Surprises: you know the next date |
| Access review on site, hosting and Google listing | Regularly | Forgotten logins left open by past helpers |
| Recovery emails and phones still yours | Regularly | Being unable to reset your own password |
| Card on file not about to expire | Regularly | A renewal failing because a card ran out |
| Remove someone who leaves your team | When you tell us | A former staff member keeping access |
| Keys register updated | When anything changes | Not knowing where something is when you need it |
What happens if you leave?
You leave with everything, because you already own it. We hand everything back, free: your domain, hosting, website, a recent full backup and a list of every login. Then we remove our own access the same way we removed everyone else's. Read more about how we work.
Monday, 8:00
Hi Grace, all safe. Your domain is now fully in your name.
- Domain moved from your old designer's name to yours on Thursday
- Removed 2 old admin logins you didn't recognise
- Needs you: the card on your domain account expires in May. A new one takes 2 minutes.
- Next renewal: domain, 14 June, auto-renew on
Names and numbers changed for illustration.
Your keys, accounted for.
The Protect part of your Monday note shows your next renewal date. When we change anything to do with ownership or access, it's in the note too, so there's a record of who has what.
- Next renewal date, and whether auto-renew is on
- Any access we added or removed, and why
- Anything that needs you, like an expiring card
You own everything, on every plan.
Ownership is part of Protect, from Keep upwards. No setup fee, month to month.
Keep
$100 / month
Every key moved into your name, a keys register, and a close watch on renewals.
- Old access removed
- Your enquiries, by name
- Weekly note and monthly page
Grow Recommended
$250 / month
Everything in Keep, plus we look after your Google listing and other listings.
- Everything in Keep
- Listings care: Google, Apple, Bing
- Google profile watch
Full Care
$500 / month
Everything in Grow, plus a handover file kept ready.
- Everything in Grow
- Trend lines and handover file
- New pages and answers
What's not included?
- Legal disputes over ownership. If someone refuses to hand over a domain and the domain company can't help, that's a matter for a lawyer. We don't give legal advice, but we'll gather the records a lawyer would ask for.
- The fees themselves. Your domain and any paid accounts are billed to you, in your name, so they stay yours. We watch the dates and the card.
- Your other business accounts. Bank, payment and accounting logins aren't part of the register unless they connect to your website.
- A provider's final decision. When an account is in someone else's name, the provider decides whether to release it. We make the strongest case for you, but the answer and timing are theirs.
- Business sale paperwork. Selling your business? See our handover file for a sale, an add-on.
Do it yourself, a freelancer, or Penguina?
| What you get | Do it yourself | A freelancer | Penguina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everything in your name | If you set it up | Sometimes in theirs | Yes, in your name |
| One register of every key | If you keep one | Rarely | Kept up to date |
| Old access found and removed | Hard to spot | Depends | Yes, from month 1 |
| Renewals watched | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Easy to leave, with everything | Yes | Depends on the person | Free handover |
| Cost | Your time | Varies by person | In every plan, from $100 a month |
Who holds the keys, trade by trade.
Ownership gaps show up in different places depending on how your business got online.
Optometrists and opticians
Practices change hands and partners retire. Before and after any change, the domain, Google listing and booking accounts should be in the practice's name, not one partner's personal email.
Florists
Some florist websites come from an order network or website platform. It's worth checking whose name the domain is in before you rely on it, so you can move if you ever want to.
Hot air balloon rides
Booking platforms, gift voucher systems and listings pile up over the years, often set up by different people. We list every one and make sure the business, not a former crew member, holds them.
Questions about owning your website.
Something else? Ask in the chat, email hello@penguina.website or WhatsApp us.
Will Penguina own any part of my website?
No. Your domain, hosting, Google listing and every login stay in your name. We use our own named logins as users or managers, which you can remove at any time.
My old developer won't hand over the domain. What can I do?
Start with your domain company. They can verify you as the business owner using records like invoices and business documents. Don't pay anyone who demands money for your own domain. If it becomes a real dispute, speak to a lawyer.
Will moving things into my name take my website offline?
No. Changing who holds an account doesn't change where your website lives. If we also move your hosting, we copy the site first, check the copy works and switch over at a quiet time.
Do I have to give you my Google password?
No. For your Google listing and visitor stats, you invite us by email as a manager or user. You stay the primary owner, and you can remove us with a couple of clicks.
Where are my passwords kept?
In a password manager in your name. The keys register says where each key lives and how to recover it, but never contains a password itself.
What do I get if I leave?
Everything, free: your domain, hosting, website, a recent full backup and a list of every login. You already own the accounts, so there's nothing to "release".
Can my office manager have access too?
Of course. Each person gets their own login, never a shared one, and they're listed in your register. When someone leaves, tell us and we'll remove their access.
Can I get my website if the developer registered the domain in their name?
Often, yes, but it takes some steps. The domain company deals with whoever is on its records as the registrant, even if you paid for the domain. Ask your developer, in writing, to move the domain into an account in your name. If they don't reply, contact the domain company directly and show that the business uses the domain, for example with invoices or emails. Each domain company has its own process.
What if my developer owns the domain?
Then they control it until it's moved to you: where the website points, where your email goes, and whether it renews. Ask them to transfer it to an account in your name, and watch the renewal date, because if a domain isn't renewed and its grace period runs out, someone else can buy it.
Something wrong with your website right now?
Sources for the figures on this page
- ICANN, Expired Registration Recovery Policy, what registrants should know. This applies to generic domains such as .com and .net. Country domains, like .co.uk or .nl, follow their own registry's rules, which we check for you
Not sure where to start? Send us your website.
We look at it the way a customer would, find up to 3 real problems, and fix one of them free. No call needed.