Paying for a website does not automatically make you its owner. Here is how to check who your domain is really registered to, what to do if the answer is your web designer, and the five questions that prevent the whole problem.
Short answer: whoever the domain is registered to controls your web address, and whoever holds the files and hosting account controls the site. Paying for a website does not automatically make you the owner of either. Check your domain registrant today — it takes two minutes and it is the thing that matters most.
This is the most expensive thing Irish business owners get wrong, and almost nobody in the web design industry writes about it, for fairly obvious reasons.
The story is always the same. A business pays a few thousand for a website. Years later they want to change designer, or the designer stops answering, or goes out of business. And they discover the domain is registered to the designer, the hosting is on the designer's account, and the files are on a laptop they will never see. The business has paid for something it does not own.
| What it is | What it does | Who should own it |
|---|---|---|
| The domain name | Your address — yourbusiness.ie. Without it nobody can find you, and a new site cannot replace the old one. | You. Always. In your name, on your account. |
| The hosting | The computer your site lives on. Replaceable in an afternoon. | You, ideally. Least critical of the three. |
| The site and its code | The actual design and build you paid for. | You, if your agreement says so. Check that it does. |
The domain is the one that really matters. If you control the domain, you are never trapped: a new site can be built and pointed at your existing address, and your customers never notice. If you do not control the domain, you are negotiating from a weak position no matter how much you paid.
.ie, use the .ie registry WHOIS lookup. For a .com, any WHOIS service. You are looking for the registrant — the legal holder.It is usually recoverable, and it is usually not malicious — plenty of designers register domains for clients out of convenience and never think about it again. Ask politely first.
Five questions. Ask them by email so the answers are in writing.
A straight answer to all five is a good sign about everything else in the relationship.
None of that is generous. It is just what you paid for.
Whoever the domain is registered to controls the address, and whoever holds the files and the account controls the site itself. If your web designer registered the domain in their own name and hosts it on their account, you effectively own neither — even though you paid for both. Ownership should be in writing before work starts.
Look up your domain on the .ie registry WHOIS. The registrant is the legal holder. If it is your web designer's name or company rather than yours, that is the thing to fix first — before any redesign, and before any dispute.
Your strongest position is control of the domain. If the domain is registered to you, you can point it at new hosting and be back online quickly with a rebuilt site, regardless of who holds the old files. If the domain is registered to them, request a registrant transfer in writing; .ie registrants can change the registered holder through the registrar.
Yes. Buy it yourself, in your own name, on your own account, with your own card. It costs roughly €15–€30 a year for a .ie and it is the single most important thing to keep in your control. Give your designer access if needed; do not give them ownership.
It depends entirely on your agreement, which is why it should be written down. With Ncell you own the finished site and its code outright, and you can take it anywhere. Some agencies license it instead, and the site stops working if you stop paying — worth checking before you sign.
On a licensed or platform-based arrangement, it usually goes offline or reverts to the provider. On an owned site, nothing — it is yours. This is the most important question to ask any web designer, and the answer should be in writing.
Last updated: 14 September 2026 · General information, not legal advice · Written by Oisín, founder of Ncell, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford
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