If you have a website, make sure you have access to what is yours

Having a website live is a good start. But it’s also important to know where it’s hosted, where its domain is registered, and who has access to each.

In some cases, people have had a website for years but don’t know which company provides their hosting or where their domain name is managed. This often happens when someone else took care of everything while the site was being created.

To understand it better, let’s imagine your website is a physical business. There are two things you need to know: its address and the premises where it operates.

The domain: your business address

The domain is the address people type to find your website, for example, yourwebsite.com.

It’s like the address or name you give someone so they can find your business. If they know where to look, they can reach you.

That name is registered through a company and needs to be renewed periodically. That’s why it’s important to know where it’s registered and have access to the account used to manage it.

Hosting: your business premises

Hosting is the service that houses your website so it’s available on the internet. Your files are stored there, and depending on the site, its database may be there too.

Continuing the example, it’s like the premises you rent to run your business. Just as you need a physical space to serve your customers, your website needs a place to be hosted so people can visit it.

Your domain and hosting can be purchased from the same company or from different ones. It’s similar to registering your business name in one place and renting the premises from someone else. That’s why it’s useful to know where each service is managed.

What information should you have?

At a minimum, make sure you know:

• The company where your domain is registered and how to access the account.
• The company that provides your hosting and how to access its dashboard.
• The renewal dates and payment method for both services.
• Who else has access and how to contact the person responsible for the site.
• Where backups are stored and how to restore them.

Ideally, the accounts should be in your name or your company’s name, and you should keep the credentials somewhere safe. You can also share access with the people who help maintain the site, according to what they need for their work.

Having this information on hand doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. It means that if you need to make a change, renew a service, or work with someone else, you’ll have more control over your site and can make decisions with greater peace of mind.

---

Need help with your website?

If you don’t know where your domain is registered, where your site is hosted, or how to access its services, I can help you review your situation and work out the next steps.

Let’s talk about your website

Photo by Grigorii Shcheglov on Unsplash.