When people talk about a website, three things always get mixed up: the domain, the hosting and the email. Knowing what each one is, and who should own it, saves trouble later.
What each one is
- Domain: the address of the site, like yourbusiness.pt. It is registered with a registrar and has to be renewed periodically.
- Hosting: the place where the site's files and data are stored, and from where they are served to visitors.
- Email: mailboxes on your domain, like name@yourbusiness.pt. They can live with the hosting or in a separate service.
Who should own each one
The domain should be registered in your name, or your company's, with a contact email that is yours. That way, if you change supplier, you take the address with you. It is the most common mistake and the most expensive to fix: the domain ending up in the account of whoever built the site.
With hosting, the account can be yours or managed by whoever builds the site. What matters is that you know where it is, who pays and how you take it with you if you need to. Email deserves the same care, because it holds your conversations with customers.
Questions to ask whoever builds your site
- Will the domain be in my name?
- Where is the hosting and who pays for it?
- Can I take the site and the data with me if I change supplier?
- Who renews the domain, and what happens if someone forgets?
- Are there backups?
How I work
If you want a project where I build it and then we go our separate ways, the code is yours once the full price is paid. The data lives in the project's database, and hosting depends on what we agree. Maintenance can include letting you know when the domain and certificate are due for renewal. You can read what else it can include in What happens after your website goes live.