Who Owns Your Website, Code, Content and Domain?
What a UK small business should control after paying for a website, and what to put in writing before work starts.
The short answer
Once agreed work is paid for, a small business should have clear rights to its website files, code, written content, images it supplied, customer data and domain. It should also be able to move the project to another provider without being held hostage.
Ownership and access are not quite the same thing. You can own the finished work but still be unable to move it if the domain, hosting or accounts sit inside someone else's private account. Good handover terms cover both.
At Banny Digital, the website files and work we create belong to the client once paid for. The domain, website and connected business accounts can sit under the client's control, with access available when needed.
Day-to-day edits can still be requested through the Banny Digital app so they are easy to explain and track. That convenience does not remove the client's ownership. If a client leaves, the project, code and files can be transferred to them or their chosen provider.
Before signing any proposal, check who controls the domain account, whether proprietary licences are transferable, how data is exported, and whether unpaid third-party costs could interrupt the site.
What to do next
- Write down the outcome you need before choosing features.
- Ask for scope, ownership and ongoing costs in writing.
- Compare the smallest useful version, not an unlimited wish list.