Website Ownership Checklist

What Website Ownership Means

Owning a website is not just about who paid for it. It is about access, portability, documentation, and the ability to maintain or move the site later.

Use this checklist to see what you have, what is missing, and what questions to ask next.

Domain and Hosting

• You know where the domain is registered.
• You know who owns the domain account.
• You know where the site is hosted.
• You know what renews automatically and when.
• You have access or a documented path to access.

Source, Content, and Assets

• You can access the website source code, CMS export, or builder account.
• You know where images, logos, fonts, and copy live.
• You understand any licensing limits for fonts, photos, themes, or plugins.
• You know whether another developer could take over without starting from scratch.

Forms, Analytics, and Tracking

• You know where contact form submissions go.
• You know who can access form data.
• You know what analytics or tracking tools are installed.
• You understand whether the site collects more data than it needs.

Documentation

• You have notes for basic content updates.
• You have deployment or publishing instructions.
• You know how backups, updates, and maintenance are handled.
• You know who to contact if something breaks.

If You Are Missing Pieces

Missing one item does not mean everything is broken. It means there is a question to answer. Start with the domain, hosting, and admin access. Those are the pieces that usually matter most in an urgent situation.