Who Has the Keys to Your Business Website?

Start with the domain renewal

Find the registrar—the company that holds your domain registration—and open its account directly. Record the domain, renewal date, renewal contact, and who handles the bill. ICANN’s renewal guidance recommends tracking expiration, keeping contact details current, and updating payment information when using auto-renewal.

Ask the person responsible to show you the account’s renewal screen. An old invoice is a useful clue, but the current account is what you want to check. Keep the renewal reminder in the business calendar as well as the provider’s system.

Make one line for each service

Use this format: service → account address → business contact → provider contact → last access check. Keep passwords in your password manager, not in this list or an email to a new supplier.

For each line, mark “checked,” “provider-managed,” or “needs an answer.” Provider-managed is a useful answer when you also know the contact and the handoff terms. A blank space is the item to resolve.

For example: “Domain → registrar account → owner’s business email → website provider → checked October 3.” Record the account location and responsible people, without putting a password in the row.

• Domain registration: who can sign in and review the renewal?
• Website and hosting: who can edit the public site, and who can obtain the agreed website files?
• Business email: who handles the account and billing?
• Forms, booking, or payments: which separate accounts does the website connect to?
• Analytics and Search Console: who can open the business’s reports?

Check search access in your own account

For Search Console, ask the current owner to confirm your role. Google distinguishes owners, full users, and restricted users; owners can manage access. A verified owner proves control using a verification token. Google’s permissions guide explains those roles and how to review them.

Open the property yourself before marking this line checked. If you need a role changed, agree with your provider on who should have it. This checklist is an access review, not an instruction to remove existing users or change domain settings during a working day.

Put the handoff terms beside the account list

Write down what you receive if the relationship ends: files, account access, notice period, and the date hosting stops. Ask about business email and connected tools specifically instead of assuming they are included in a website transfer.

Our website plans state that your business owns its domain and that we provide website files when service ends with 30 days’ notice. Bring your account list when you tell us about your website. We can start with the unanswered lines.