Quick question. If your web designer vanished tomorrow, could you get into the account that holds your web address?

Many owners can't. And whoever controls your domain controls your website and your email. They can point it anywhere, read your mail or let it lapse.

The pattern to spot

These are the ways businesses lose their keys, and none of them need a hacker:

The domain was registered by a past web designer or agency, in their name.
The renewal emails go to an old address nobody reads, so it expires.
The card on file expired, so the renewal failed.
The account has no two-step login, so a stolen password hands it over.
The site lives on a platform you can't take it from. In 2026 Weebly began taking sites offline in 67 countries, and owners had to download what they could.

And backups? A backup kept on the same hosting as your site can be lost along with it.

Today's easy wins

Find out where your domain is registered. A free lookup at lookup.icann.org shows the company.
Log in and check it's in your name, with your current email, auto-renew on, domain lock on and two-step login switched on.
Keep a copy of your website somewhere other than your hosting: your text, photos and any files.
Write a simple list of where every login lives (domain, hosting, website, email, Google Business Profile), and keep it in your password manager.

This one's mostly about knowing where things are. Once it's done, it's done.

Today's checklist

Mostly about knowing where things are. Once it's done, it's done.

Find your domain registrarFree lookup: lookup.icann.org. Type your web address and note the registrar name.
Check the domain is in your nameLog in to the registrar. The owner (registrant) should be you or your business, not a past designer.
Update the contact emailUse an address you read every day, not an old one or someone else's.
Auto-renew on, card up to dateAnd check the expiry date. Renew for a few years if you can.
Domain lock and two-step login onDomain lock (also called transfer lock) stops it being moved without you.
Keep a copy of your site elsewhereText, photos and files, saved to your computer or cloud drive. WordPress: a backup plugin that stores off-site.
Write your key listWhere every login lives: domain, hosting, website, email, Google Business Profile, social. Keep it in your password manager.

Whoever holds your domain holds your website and email. Make sure it's you.

Read the video transcript

One key matters more than all the others. Your domain.

Whoever holds your domain controls your website and your email.

Most businesses don't lose it to a hacker. It sits in a past designer's name. The renewal email goes to an old address. Or the card expires.

Today's easy win. Look up your domain for free, and find out where it lives.

Log in and check four things. Your name. Your email. Auto-renew on. Domain lock on.

Then keep a copy of your site somewhere other than your hosting.

Next time, our final lesson. How to tell if you've been hacked, and the door that isn't there.