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Everything in your name: the 6 logins that make your website truly yours
Six logins make a website truly yours: domain, hosting, website admin, Google Business Profile, Analytics with Search Console, and your ad and social accounts. Here's how to check each one in two minutes, and how to ask for a handover without making it awkward.
8–12 minutes
1,812 words
Summary
Your website is truly yours when six logins sit in your company’s name: domain registrar, hosting, website admin, Google Business Profile, Analytics with Search Console, and your ad and social accounts. This website ownership checklist shows how to check each one in about two minutes and how to ask for a handover politely.
Everything in your name: the 6 logins that make your website truly yours
Your website is truly yours when six logins are in your name and your provider works as a user you can remove at any time.
For a lot of small businesses, the person who builds the site also ends up holding the accounts. Nobody plans it that way. It starts as a convenience.
Here is the checklist: what each login is, what “yours” looks like, a two-minute check, and a friendly way to ask for what isn’t in your name yet.
For a lot of small businesses, the person who builds the site also ends up holding the accounts. Nobody plans it that way. It starts as a convenience.
Here is the checklist: what each login is, what “yours” looks like, a two-minute check, and a friendly way to ask for what isn’t in your name yet.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
“Your website, your name.”
That one line is the whole checklist.
What does owning your website actually mean?
Owning a website means the accounts that keep it online and findable are registered to your business, and you can sign in to each one yourself.
Picture a ring of keys. Your domain is the address, hosting is the building, the website admin is the front door, and Google and your ad accounts are how people find you. When every key is on your ring, you decide who else gets one.
Picture a ring of keys. Your domain is the address, hosting is the building, the website admin is the front door, and Google and your ad accounts are how people find you. When every key is on your ring, you decide who else gets one.
Providers still do the day-to-day work, as a user on your accounts rather than the owner. It is also what a good website offer includes: your domain, hosting and accounts in your company’s name.
What does owning your logins make possible?
Beyond peace of mind, you get four everyday advantages.
WHAT YOU GET WHEN THE LOGINS ARE YOURS
How much is there to keep track of?
Less than you might think. The whole checklist comes down to three counts.
6
01 · LOGINS
Domain, hosting, admin, Google Business Profile, Analytics and Search Console, ad and social accounts.
3
02 · QUESTIONS
Whose name is it in? Can you sign in yourself? Who else has access?
0
03 · LOCK-IN
Everything in your name means you can take it elsewhere whenever you decide.
What are the 6 logins, and how do you check each one?
Every check uses the same three questions: whose name is it in, can you sign in yourself, and who else has access? Each login takes about two minutes.
Login 1 of 6
Your domain registrar account
Where your domain name is registered. Your business email depends on it.
Yours looks like
Your company is the registrant, and renewal notices reach you.
2-minute check
Sign in to the registrar yourself and open the domain’s contact details.
Not yours? Ask for
A transfer into an account in your company’s name.
Good to know: registrars can hold a transfer for 60 days after registration or a previous transfer, so allow time.
Login 2 of 6
Your hosting account
The service that stores your website and keeps it online.
Yours looks like
The account uses your email, invoices go to your company, and your provider is a user.
2-minute check
Sign in with your own email and confirm your site is listed.
Not yours? Ask for
The site moved to hosting in your company’s name, with your provider as a user.
Login 3 of 6
Your website admin
Your site’s back office. On WordPress, the top role is Administrator.
Yours looks like
An Administrator account in your name, plus a named account for each person who works on the site. No shared logins.
2-minute check
Sign in (usually at yourdomain.com/wp-admin), open Users, and find your name marked Administrator.
Not yours? Ask for
An Administrator account for you.
Good to know: an Editor account lets someone update content without changing plugins or settings.
Login 4 of 6
Your Google Business Profile
The profile that shows your business on Google Search and Maps.
Yours looks like
You are the Primary owner. Your provider is a Manager, who can’t add or remove users.
2-minute check
Open Business Profile settings, then People and access, and look for your name beside Primary owner.
Not yours? Ask for
An Owner invitation and a transfer of primary ownership to you. Your provider can stay on as a Manager.
Login 5 of 6
Google Analytics and Search Console
Analytics shows who visits your site. Search Console shows how it appears in Google Search.
Yours looks like
You are an Administrator in Analytics and an owner in Search Console. Your provider is an Editor and a Full user.
2-minute check
Analytics: Admin, then Account access management. Search Console: Settings, then Users and permissions.
Not yours? Ask for
Administrator access in Analytics and owner access in Search Console.
Login 6 of 6
Your ad and social accounts
Google Ads, Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and your LinkedIn page.
Yours looks like
Your business owns and pays for each account. Your provider has Standard access in Google Ads, partner access in Meta and a Content admin role on LinkedIn, while you stay Super admin.
2-minute check
In Meta Business Suite, open Settings, then Partners under Users. If it’s missing, you may not have full control yet.
Not yours? Ask for
Admin access on each account, billing on your card, and your provider added as a partner or user.
Who should hold what, at a glance?
| Account | Registered to | You hold | Your provider gets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain registrar | Your company | Registrant and account owner | Only what is needed |
| Hosting | Your company | Account owner | A user login you can remove |
| Website admin | You | Administrator | Their own named account |
| Google Business Profile | Your business | Primary owner | Manager |
| Analytics and Search Console | You | Administrator and owner | Editor and Full user |
| Ad and social accounts | Your business | Admin or full control | Standard access or partner |
Want a head start on three of the six?
Check 12 of the free 12-Point Website Audit Checklist walks you through who owns your domain, hosting and analytics.
What does a good handover include?
How do you ask for a handover without making it awkward?
Treat it as normal housekeeping, because it is. Send it by email so you both have a written record.
A MESSAGE YOU CAN SEND
Hi [Name],
I’m tidying up the accounts for [business name] and would like everything connected to the website to sit in my company’s name, with you added as a user so you can keep working as usual.
Could you send me a short list of the accounts (domain, hosting, website admin, Google Business Profile, Analytics and Search Console, ads and social)? Where I’m not yet the owner, please add me as one, and I’ll make sure you keep the access you need.
Thank you!
[Your name]
I’m tidying up the accounts for [business name] and would like everything connected to the website to sit in my company’s name, with you added as a user so you can keep working as usual.
Could you send me a short list of the accounts (domain, hosting, website admin, Google Business Profile, Analytics and Search Console, ads and social)? Where I’m not yet the owner, please add me as one, and I’ll make sure you keep the access you need.
Thank you!
[Your name]
Quick answers
Is it safe to give my developer admin access?
Yes, when they use their own named account and you hold the owner login. Remove the access when the work ends.
What if my developer registered my domain in their own name?
It is a common convenience and a simple fix. Ask for a transfer into an account in your company’s name. A registrar can hold a transfer for 60 days after registration or a previous transfer.
Do I need to know how to use all these accounts?
No. You only need to sign in and see who has access. Your provider does the day-to-day work.
Who should pay for hosting?
You should, with the bill on your company’s card. That keeps renewals in your hands and the account in your name.
Can an agency still run my ads if the account is mine?
Yes. You keep the account and add the agency as a user or partner, such as Standard access in Google Ads. You can remove it any time.
What happens to my site if I stop working with my provider?
It stays online, because the domain, hosting and admin are yours. You remove the old access and add the next person.
Sources
Google Business Profile Help: Owners and managers
Analytics Help: Access management
Search Console Help: Owners, users, and permissions
Google Ads Help: Access levels
Meta Business Help Center: Give a partner access to business assets
ICANN: Registrant rights and responsibilities
WordPress.org Documentation: Roles and capabilities
Analytics Help: Access management
Search Console Help: Owners, users, and permissions
Google Ads Help: Access levels
Meta Business Help Center: Give a partner access to business assets
ICANN: Registrant rights and responsibilities
WordPress.org Documentation: Roles and capabilities
“
FINAL THOUGHT“Hold the keys, share the access. That is what makes a website truly yours.
Want a website that’s yours from day one?
Every Primus Media project has a fixed price agreed before work starts, everything in your company’s name, and no lock-in. Tell us about your business and we’ll show you what that looks like.
Written by Martin Georgiev, founder of Primus Media. Martin builds websites, tracking setups and marketing systems for small businesses, solo consultants and e-commerce owners.
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