A monthly website plan is an easy way to get a professional website without a big bill at the start. It also raises a fair question that a lot of owners only ask once something goes wrong: what is actually mine?
The answer depends on the provider, and it is rarely spelled out on the pricing page. Here is how to think about it, which pieces matter most, and the questions to ask before you sign anything.
- Your domain is the piece that matters most, so make sure it is registered to you.
- Your words, photos and logo should stay yours whatever happens.
- On most subscriptions the website itself belongs to the provider while you use it.
- Read what happens when you cancel before you start.
Why ownership is worth asking about
Most owners never think about who owns their website until they want to change designers, close a plan or sell the business. By then it can be hard to untangle, especially if the person who set everything up is no longer around.
A website is made of a few separate pieces: the web address, the content, the design and code, and the hosting that keeps it online. Each one can belong to a different person, and each one matters in a different way.
Knowing which piece is which turns a vague worry into a short list of things to check. It also makes it much easier to compare one offer with another.
Your domain comes first
Your domain is your address online, the yourbusiness.com that is printed on your truck, your cards and your Google Business Profile. Customers find you through it, and your email often runs on it too.
It should be registered in your name, with an email address you control, whoever builds or hosts the website. If a provider registers it under their own account, ask them to move it to you, or at least to put it in writing that it will be transferred to you whenever you ask.
Your words, photos and logo
Everything you hand over to build the website, from your logo to photos of your work and the description of your services, is yours. That should stay true during the plan and after it ends.
It helps to keep your own copy of the important things anyway. A folder with your logo files and your best job photos takes a few minutes to put together and saves a lot of hunting later.
If a provider writes the text for you, ask whether you can take that text with you if you leave. Most will say yes, and it is better to know up front.
The website itself
This is where subscriptions differ from a one-time build. On a subscription, the design and the code usually stay with the provider, and you have full use of the website for as long as the plan runs. That arrangement is what makes it possible to start with little or nothing down, because the build cost is spread across the plan.
It is a fair trade as long as it is clear. A one-time build works the other way: you pay for the design and code up front and own them outright, and then you take care of hosting and updates yourself or pay someone separately for them.
What happens if you cancel
This is the question that tells you the most about a provider. Look for three things in the terms: how long the minimum term is, how much notice you need to give, and what you leave with.
On our plans, after the six-month minimum, the plan runs to the end of the current billing cycle. Your domain comes back to you along with any content you gave us, and the website comes down, since hosting and upkeep are part of the plan. There are no exit fees.
Whatever provider you choose, the important part is that this is written down before you start. A clear answer here is a good sign about everything else.
Questions to ask before you sign
You do not need to read every line of a contract to protect yourself. A handful of direct questions will tell you most of what you need to know, and a good provider will answer them without hesitation.
Ask them by email, so the answers are in writing, and keep the reply with your other business records.
Our subscription terms explain what you own, the six-month minimum and what happens if you cancel.
