Why does ownership matter more than the design?
A website you cannot take with you is a lease. Plenty of tradies find that out when a web person stops answering the phone, or when they stop paying a monthly fee and the site goes with it.
I build every site so the answer to all six questions is the same: it is yours. Here are the questions, with what you should hear back and what I say.
1. Whose name is the domain in?
The domain is your web address, like yourname.com.au. It should be registered to you or your business, bought on your own card from the registrar (the company you buy the name from). Business.gov.au notes that a .com.au needs an ABN or ACN, so the registration belongs to the business. A builder who registers it under their own name "to make it easier" now owns your web address.
My answer: the domain is in your name. I walk you through registering it, or connect the one you already own. It is about $20 to $30 a year, paid by you to the registrar.
2. Whose account is the website hosted in?
Hosting is where the site physically lives and loads from. If it is in the builder's account, you are a guest. Ask for the account owner's name.
My answer: a free Cloudflare account in your name. About five minutes to set up, and you need an email address you control. I am added to the account so I can build and edit, and you can remove me any time.
3. If the builder vanishes, does the site keep running?
This is the one I would ask first. Builders retire, get sick, get bought out or just stop replying.
My answer: if I vanished tomorrow your site would keep running. It is on your account with your domain, and there is no monthly fee holding it up.
4. If I stop paying, does the site still exist?
This is the rented-site test. Rental plans run $99 to $299 a month, which is $5,940 to $17,940 over five years, and you leave with nothing. DIY builders such as Wix or Squarespace are cheaper, but they are also a subscription. You own your content and your domain, and the site runs on their platform. Moving it usually means rebuilding it. I went through the numbers in Wix or Squarespace vs a done-for-you website.
Agencies vary. Some hand over everything, some keep the hosting and charge a care plan. I would not call either wrong. Ask in writing.
My answer: there is no monthly fee for the site. The only running cost is your domain.
5. Can I take it somewhere else?
Ownership means little if you cannot move. Ask what you get on the way out: the files, the domain login and the hosting access.
My answer: it is your account and your domain, so there is nothing to hand back. You remove me from the account and carry on.
6. What does it cost to change something later?
A phone number changes. A price changes. You need a clear number, not a surprise.
My answer: edits are free for 30 days after launch (60 on the Found plan). After that it is $60 an edit, or $290 a year for unlimited small edits if you change things often. Nothing needs changing, nothing is charged. A new page is bigger, so I quote it before I start.
How do the options compare?
| Rented site | DIY builder | Agency | Mine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domain in your name | Ask | Yes, you buy it | Ask | Yes |
| Hosting in your name | No | No, their platform | Ask | Yes, free Cloudflare account |
| Keeps running if the builder vanishes | Only while you pay | While you pay the subscription | Ask | Yes |
| Site still there if you stop paying | No | No | Ask | Yes, no site fee to stop |
| Ongoing cost | $99 to $299 a month | Subscription | Build $3,000 to $10,000, then ask | Domain about $20 to $30 a year |
"Ask" means it depends on the provider and the contract. That is the point of asking.
What do I do with the answers?
Write the six questions in an email and send it to every builder you are considering. Keep the replies. A good builder answers in two minutes. A slow or vague answer is an answer too.
Then ask what I ask in what a website should cost a tradie: what is the total over five years, and if I stop paying you, does my website still exist?
Frequently asked questions
Who should own my website domain?
You, or your business. It should be registered in your name and paid for on your own card, so no builder can hold it back.
What happens to my website if my web designer disappears?
It depends where the site is hosted and who owns the domain. If both are in your name, nothing happens: the site keeps running and you can find another builder. On my sites, both are in your name.
Do I own a website built on Wix or Squarespace?
You own your content and your domain. The site itself runs on their platform, and moving it usually means rebuilding it somewhere else.
Can I check ownership before I pay anything?
Yes. I build your homepage free first, no card and nothing to sign, and the FAQ has the ownership answer in writing. You choose after you have seen it.