Who owns your website? Four clauses decide it.
The domain registrant, the copyright assignment, the export rights and the cancellation clause. Here is how to read each one before you sign.
Do I own my website?
Ownership is decided by four contract terms, not by who paid for the build: the domain registrant of record, whether copyright in the design and copy was assigned to the client, whether the files and content can be exported, and what the agreement says happens on cancellation. A build invoice alone transfers none of them.
Everything else in the contract is detail.
They often sit in four different sections. If one is missing, that tells you who holds it.
The domain registrant
Look your domain up in a public WHOIS search. If the registrant is your vendor, the address customers type belongs to them.
Ask for: the registrar login, or your business named as registrant.
IP assignment
Under US copyright law the creator owns the work unless it is assigned in writing. A "licence to use" means the copyright stayed with the vendor.
Ask for: copyright in the design, copy and photos assigned to your business on final payment.
Export and transfer
Many platforms cannot hand you a working site whatever the contract says.
Ask for: a named export format, a delivery window in days, and any fee.
What happens on cancel
When a contract says nothing about cancellation, whoever holds the logins decides. That is usually the vendor.
Ask for: a written wind-down: notice period, how long the site stays up, and what you receive.
Phrases worth stopping on.
None is automatically bad. Each decides something important, so ask about it before you sign.
| Attribute | What it usually means | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| "We grant you a perpetual licence to use the website" | Copyright stayed with the vendor. | Will you assign copyright to my business on final payment? |
| "Domain registration and management included" | The domain may be registered to the vendor. | Is my business the registrant, and can I have the login? |
| "Website services are provided on a 36-month term" | The build is paid for by a long minimum term. | What is the total over the term, and the early-exit amount? |
| "Marketing accounts are managed under the provider's agency account" | Your ad and analytics history leaves with the vendor. | Are the accounts owned by my business, with you as a user? |
Paraphrases of common clause types. None is quoted from a named company's contract.
Six months, then the site is yours.
The same four clauses, answered for the website design for small business that askotter builds and runs.
| Attribute | askotter |
|---|---|
| Domain registrant | Your business, and you hold the registrar account. |
| Design and content | Yours outright after six months on a managed plan. Before that the website stays with askotter, because there is no build fee. |
| Export | Site files and content, with help moving to another host. |
| On cancel | Month to month, no penalty, no notice window. |
| Marketing accounts | Owned by your business, with askotter added as a user. |
| What that costs | $99/mo self-managed, $600/mo for managed SEO, $1,000/mo managed with paid channels. See digital marketing pricing. |
This page is not legal advice. The agreement in front of you governs.
Questions about website ownership
Do I own my website if I paid for it?
How do I find out who owns my domain?
Can a website provider take my site down if I cancel?
Does askotter own my website?
Who should own my Google Business Profile and ad accounts?
Ask us about the four clauses.
Ask askotter and whoever you are comparing us against, in writing.
Self-managed is $99/mo and scales with the compute you use. Our team runs it from $600/mo.