Who Owns Your Website? Domain, Content, Code and Accounts
By Parker Gawryletz · Local Cochrane Web Design · Last updated: · 9 min read
You own your website only to the extent your agreement says you do. A website is a bundle of separate rights: the domain, hosting, code, design files, licences, copy, images, and admin accounts. In Canada, the creator generally holds copyright unless it is assigned in writing — so ownership must be written down, not assumed.
Who owns a website after it is built is a question most owners only ask when something goes wrong — a dispute, a provider closing, a move to someone new. By then, the answer is already fixed by paperwork signed months earlier. Paying for a website does not automatically make every part of it yours.
This guide breaks the website into its separate assets, shows who should own each one, and gives you the clause and handover checklist to ask for. If you are still choosing a provider, weigh ownership terms alongside our best Cochrane web design companies compared guide.
The short answer
- A website is several assets — each can have a different owner.
- Register the domain in your own name, always.
- In Canada, creators keep copyright unless it is assigned in writing.
- Licensed themes, plugins, and stock assets are never fully yours.
- Demand a handover folder: logins, files, licences, and an ownership clause.
Website ownership is several separate rights and accounts
There is no single deed to a website. The domain, hosting account, custom code, design files, licensed components, written copy, photography, and analytics accounts are separate assets with separate owners. You can fully own some, hold licences to others, and control none of the accounts — all on the same website.
| Asset | Who should own it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | You — registered in your name | You are the registrant and hold the registrar login |
| Hosting account | You, or portable to you | Account or billing in your name; site can move hosts |
| Custom code | You, by written assignment | Contract assigns or perpetually licences the code to you |
| Design files | You, at handover | Source files delivered, not just exported images |
| Copy and text | You, once paid for | Contract assigns copyright in commissioned copy |
| Photos and video | You, or clearly licensed | Written licence terms for anything you did not shoot |
| Themes, plugins, fonts, stock | Licensed, not owned | Licences in your name or transferable at handover |
| Analytics and search accounts | You — designer added as user | Google accounts created under your business email |
The rest of this guide walks through each row — what ownership actually means for that asset, and the specific thing to confirm before and after launch.
Who should control the domain and DNS
You should. The domain is the one asset that cannot be rebuilt — it carries your email, your Google Business Profile, and every link ever pointed at your site. Register it in an account you own, under your business email, and add your designer as a technical contact or delegate instead.
It is normal for a designer to manage DNS — the settings that point the domain at your hosting and email. It is not normal for the registration itself to sit in their account. If your domain is currently registered under a provider's name, request a transfer to your own registrar account in writing. Most registrars support this within days, and a professional provider will not resist it.
Who owns design files and custom code
Under Canadian copyright law, the person who creates a work generally owns it — including code and design files — unless copyright is assigned in writing. Paying an invoice is not an assignment. Your contract should either assign the custom work to you or grant a perpetual, transferable licence to use and modify it.
This surprises most owners, so it is worth stating plainly: this is general information drawn from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office's public guidance, not legal advice — have a lawyer review any contract that matters to your business. In practice, either arrangement works. Full assignment gives you everything. A broad licence lets the designer reuse their general-purpose tools while you keep the right to run, edit, and move your site freely. What fails is silence.
Who owns licensed themes, plugins, fonts and stock assets
Nobody fully owns these — not you, and not your designer. Themes, plugins, fonts, and stock images are licensed from third parties, and the licence terms decide what happens when the site changes hands. Ask which licences your site depends on, whose name they are in, and what each costs to renew.
- Developer licences — some agencies licence tools across all client sites; if you leave, the licence may not come with you.
- Renewal costs — themes and plugins often bill yearly; know what you will pay after handover.
- Stock images — licences are usually tied to the buyer; confirm your usage is covered in writing.
- Fonts — web font licences can be tied to a domain or an account; check whose.
Who owns copy, photography and video
Content you supplied is yours already. Content created for the project — copywriting, photography, video — follows the same Canadian rule: the creator holds copyright unless it is assigned in writing. Your agreement should assign commissioned copy and media to you once paid for, with any photographer's terms stated separately.
Photographers, in particular, often licence images rather than assign them — that is normal industry practice, not a trick. The point is to know which arrangement you have. Ask for the final copy files and full-resolution images in your handover folder either way, so your content never lives only inside someone else's system.
Which analytics, search and business accounts must be in the client's name
Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile, any ad accounts, and any email marketing platform should all be created under your business email, with the designer added as a user. Accounts hold your history — rebuilding them later means losing years of data you cannot recover.
- ☐ Google Analytics — property owned by your account; designer added as editor
- ☐ Google Search Console — you are a verified owner, not just a delegated user
- ☐ Google Business Profile — primary ownership under your business email
- ☐ CMS admin — at least one administrator login that is yours alone
- ☐ Hosting and registrar — credentials stored where you can reach them
Access is also what keeps you portable. If you later change providers — or move the site onto portable website care and hosting — being the account owner turns a stressful migration into an afternoon of adding and removing users.
What an ownership clause should say
One paragraph covers it: on final payment, the client owns the domain, website, content, and design files; custom code is assigned or perpetually licensed to the client; third-party licences are listed with their costs; and all account credentials transfer at handover. If your proposal lacks this, ask for it in writing.
You do not need legal language to start the conversation — you need the provider's answer in writing before you sign. Documented ownership is one of Local Cochrane Web Design's three written guarantees for exactly this reason: it removes the most expensive ambiguity in the industry. For the full set of clauses a fair agreement should contain, work through the web design contract checklist.
The final handover folder checklist
At launch, ask for one folder containing every credential and file you would need if your provider vanished tomorrow: registrar and hosting logins, CMS admin access, analytics and Search Console ownership, design source files, final copy, image licences, and a current backup. If you hold that folder, you own your website in practice.
- ☐ Registrar login — domain registered in your name
- ☐ Hosting credentials, or written confirmation the site is portable
- ☐ CMS administrator login reserved for you
- ☐ Analytics, Search Console, and Business Profile ownership confirmed
- ☐ Design source files and final copy documents
- ☐ A list of third-party licences, their accounts, and renewal costs
- ☐ A complete, dated backup of the site
For an Alberta small business, this folder is the difference between a provider change that takes a week and one that takes a rebuild. If you want ownership handled this way from day one, that is how we scope every project — see custom web design with ownership in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Do I own my website if I paid for it?
Not automatically. Payment buys you what the agreement says it buys. In Canada, the creator generally keeps copyright in code, design, and content unless it is assigned in writing. You may fully own some assets, hold licences to others, and control none of the accounts — the contract decides.
Who should register the domain?
You should, in a registrar account under your business email. The domain carries your website, your email, and your search history, and it cannot be rebuilt if lost. Your designer can manage DNS settings as a delegate or technical contact, but the registration itself belongs in your name.
Does the web designer own the code?
By default in Canada, often yes — the creator holds copyright unless it is assigned in writing, and paying an invoice is not an assignment. A fair contract either assigns the custom code to you or grants a perpetual, transferable licence so you can run, edit, and move the site freely.
Who owns website copy and photos?
Content you supplied stays yours. Commissioned copy and photography follow the creator-owns-it default unless your agreement assigns them to you on payment. Photographers often licence images rather than assign them, which is normal — just get the terms in writing and keep the full-resolution files in your handover folder.
Can I move my website to another host?
It depends on how the site was built. A site on standard, exportable technology can move hosts with its files and database. A site on a proprietary platform may not be able to leave at all. Ask before you sign: if we part ways, what transfers, in what format, at what cost?
What admin accounts should I control?
At minimum: the domain registrar, hosting, your CMS administrator login, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Google Business Profile. Create each under your business email and add your designer as a user. Accounts hold history that cannot be rebuilt, so ownership should sit with you from day one.
Sources
Read our written ownership guarantee — documented ownership is one of three written guarantees on every Local Cochrane Web Design project — see exactly what transfers to you, and when.