What you are actually paying for
A web address is registered to a named owner for a fixed period and renewed before it lapses. It is not permanent property, and it stops working—along with any email that uses it—if a renewal is missed.
Guide · Updated August 2026
What is a web address, and who owns mine?
A web address is registered for a period and renewed, not bought outright. The business should be the named owner, whoever administers it day to day.
Who should be named as the owner
The business, not a contractor, an agency, or an employee's personal account. If someone else is the registrant of record, moving away later depends on their cooperation rather than your decision.
What managed should and should not mean
Someone administering the address on your behalf is normal and useful. Someone holding it in their own name is a risk, whatever the arrangement is called.
- Registration and renewal handled on the business's behalf
- The business named as the owner of record
- Renewal dates and amounts visible to the owner
- A written route to move the address to another provider
- No requirement to ask permission in order to leave
Questions worth asking anyone who manages it for you
These four answers tell you how much control you actually hold. A provider who cannot answer them plainly is the answer.
- Who is the registrant of record for this address?
- When does it renew, and what will the renewal cost?
- How do I obtain the transfer authorization if I leave?
- What happens to the address if I stop paying for the website?
A small first step
Ready to see what we would build for you?
Answer a few questions and we will show you what your website would include, what it would cost, and which parts we look after. Nothing is bought and nothing is charged until you say yes. You can stop partway through and pick it up later, or hand the rest to us.
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