Answer
Who owns my website and my domain name?
You should own both, but many local businesses do not. If a directory or marketing company registered your domain, they own it, and leaving means losing your web address. You can check in two minutes with a public WHOIS lookup. YXU Studio registers domains in your name and hands over the site files.
Check your domain in two minutes
A domain has a registrant, and it is public information. Look your domain up on a WHOIS service, or on the CIRA WHOIS if it ends in .ca, and read the registrant organisation.
If it is your business name, you are fine. If it is a marketing company, a directory, or the name of a developer you no longer work with, they control your web address, and that is worth fixing today rather than on the day you want to leave.
Why it happens without anyone lying to you
Most of the time nobody set out to trap you. A package deal included “the domain”, someone registered it on their own account because it was faster, and the paperwork never caught up.
It becomes a problem only when you try to move, which is also when you have the least leverage. Ask now, while you are a paying customer and the answer is easy.
What ownership should look like
Three things make a site genuinely yours, and all three should be true before you pay a final invoice:
- The domain is registered to your business, in an account with your email on it
- You can get a copy of the site files, and they work somewhere else
- You are not paying a monthly fee whose only purpose is keeping the site online
How it works here
Your domain is registered in your name, on your own registrar account, and you pay the registrar directly, usually $15 to $25 a year. I never hold it.
The site files are yours and you can have a copy at any time. Hosting is free and staying is not a condition of keeping the site: if you leave, the site goes with you and still works.
Signs your website is not really yours
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| WHOIS lists a marketing company | They own your web address |
| The site dies if you stop paying monthly | You are renting, not owning |
| Nobody will give you the files | You are rebuilding if you leave |
| Your email is on their domain | Moving costs you your email too |
| You cannot log in to the registrar | Ask for access in writing, today |
Questions people ask
How do I find out who owns my domain?
Search for a WHOIS lookup, enter your domain, and read the registrant organisation field. For .ca domains, use the CIRA WHOIS. It is free, public and takes about two minutes.
Can I move a domain someone else registered?
Usually yes. Ask them in writing to transfer it to a registrar account in your name; a reputable company will do it. If they refuse, both the registrar and CIRA have dispute processes for .ca domains, though it is faster to ask nicely first.
Do I keep the site if I cancel a Care plan?
Yes. A Care plan covers edits, not the right to have a website. Cancel it and the site keeps running on free hosting exactly as it is.