CALL or TEXT 609-914-1318
Home / Blog / Domain Names and Web Hosting / How to Get Domain Name Back from Web Designer

How to Get Domain Name Back from Web Designer

Web Designer Owns My Domain Name

Is your web designer holding your domain name hostage or refusing to give you back your domain name?

Even though nobody actually "owns" a domain name (it's rented from a domain name registrar like GoDaddy), the domain being used for your website should always be in your name and not someone else's. Unscrupulous website designers may hold your domain name hostage to try to prevent you from hiring another web designer.

Holding Your Domain Name Hostage

The domain name registrant (the person who legally has control of your domain name, which should be YOU) can do anything they want with it, so if you allow someone else to register your domain name for you, they can sell it without your knowledge or consent, fail to renew it, or hold it "hostage".

Sometimes unscrupulous website designers will hold your domain name hostage if you decide you want to go with a different web designer. Or if you're unhappy with their services and refuse to continue paying, they may justify holding your domain name hostage as a way to get you to pay what they think you owe.

Your web designer, however, may hold onto your domain name for less nefarious reasons...

Did Your Web Designer Put Your Domain Name In Their Name?

You as the company owner should always be the registrant, administrative and technical contact of your domain name, not your web designer or marketing company. A website can be published without the web designer taking control of your domain name, although some web designers will say you have to transfer the domain name to them, which is not true. That's like going to an auto mechanic to get work done on your car, and the mechanic says you need to transfer your vehicle's title to him first!

Legitimate reasons why a web designer might hold onto your domain name:

Reasons that are not necessarily unethical, but are a hassle nonetheless:

Unethical reasons:

How to Get Domain Name Back from Web Designer

If you are able to get in touch with your web designer, simply request that they transfer the domain name to you. If you can't get in touch with your web designer, or they won't get back to you, or they've stolen your domain name, there are other things you can do.

How to Protect Your Domain Name

The best way to ensure that you are the registrant for your domain name is if you purchase the domain name yourself. If you're not sure how to do this, your web designer can make the purchase for you, as long as he or she purchases it under your name, with your credit card and contact information, and then provides you with the receipt, as well as the username and password into your domain name account. This requires a certain level of trust, since you don't want to provide your credit card number to just anyone. So make sure you do lots of research before hiring a web designer.

After your web designer purchases the domain name and provides you with the domain name username and password, log in to the domain name account to be sure the login credentials are correct. Then check the domain contact information in your account to make sure that your email address is the one showing in the registrant, administrative, and technical contact areas.

© T. Brooks Web Design, LLC. All rights reserved. Protected by Copyscape
Do not copy content from this page without attribution to T. Brooks Web Design and link back to this page.
ALL BLOGS

Do you have questions about my services?

CONTACT ME

HOURS

  • 7 Days/Week
    8:00am-6:00pm
    PAYMENTS

    3.5% fee added to credit card payments
    CONNECT

    Facebook

    Serving all U.S. states, New Jersey (South Jersey, North Jersey, Central Jersey, Jersey Shore), Pennsylvania, Delaware, etc., including Atlantic County NJ, Bergen County NJ, Burlington County NJ, Camden County NJ, Cape May County NJ, Cumberland County NJ, Essex County NJ, Gloucester County NJ, Hudson County NJ, Hunterdon County NJ, Mercer County NJ, Middlesex County NJ, Monmouth County NJ, Morris County NJ, Ocean County NJ, Passaic County NJ, Salem County NJ, Somerset County NJ, Sussex County NJ, Union County NJ, Warren County NJ, Atco NJ 08004, Audubon NJ 08106, Bayonne NJ 07022, Bensalem PA 19020, Berlin NJ 08009, Bordentown NJ 08505, Brick NJ, Bristol PA 19007, Burlington NJ 08016, Cherry Hill NJ, Cinnaminson NJ 08077, Claymont DE 19703, Clifton NJ 07011, Collingswood NJ 08108, Columbus NJ 08022, Croydon PA 19021, Delanco NJ 08075, Delran NJ 08075, Deptford NJ 08096, Eastampton NJ 08060, East Windsor NJ 08520, Evesham NJ 08053, Ewing NJ 08618, Fairless Hills PA 19030, Florence NJ 08518, Franklinville NJ 08322, Glassboro NJ 08028, Haddonfield NJ 08033, Hainesport NJ 08036, Hamilton NJ 08610, Hoboken NJ 07030, Hockessin DE 19707, Jersey City NJ, Jobstown NJ 08041, Juliustown NJ 08042, Langhorne PA 19047, Laurel Springs NJ 08021, Levittown PA, Lumberton NJ 08048, Mansfield NJ 08022, Mantua NJ 08051, Maple Shade NJ 08052, Marlton NJ 08053, Medford NJ 08055, Mercerville NJ 08619, Merchantville NJ 08109, Moorestown NJ 08057, Mount Holly NJ 08060, Mount Laurel NJ 08054, Mullica Hill NJ 08062, New Castle DE 19720, Newfield NJ 08344, Oaklyn NJ 08107, Old Bridge NJ 08857, Parsippany-Troy Hills NJ 07054, Passaic NJ 07055, Paterson NJ, Pemberton NJ 08068, Pennsauken NJ 08110, Philadelphia PA, Pine Hill NJ 08021, Piscataway NJ 08854, Pitman NJ 08071, Princeton NJ, Riverside NJ 08075, Riverton NJ 08077, Robbinsville NJ 08691, Rockland DE 19732, Sewell NJ 08085, Shamong NJ 08088, Sicklerville NJ 08081, Somerdale NJ 08083, Southampton NJ 08088, Tabernacle NJ 08088, Toms River NJ, Trenton NJ, Turnersville NJ 08012, Vincentown NJ 08088, Vineland NJ, Voorhees NJ 08043, Washington Township NJ, Westampton NJ 08060, West Berlin NJ 08091, Williamstown NJ 08094, Wilmington DE, Woodbridge NJ 07095, Woodbury NJ 08096
    © T. Brooks Web Design, LLC