I am working on a situation right now that reminded me why I keep talking about this stuff.

Someone had a website built years ago. She just had it updated by someone new. The newer developer ran into trouble, did not quite know how to fix it, and started going quiet on her. Now her domain is stuck because the person who originally built the site has the login information. We are depending on them to send the right codes and get things moving. It is not their fault. It is just not their priority either.

Neither of the two people are fully in her corner right now. And she is stuck in the middle of it.

It is fixable. It is also completely avoidable.

There are two things every woman who has a website needs to understand. Not “nice to know.” Need to know.

Your Domain Is Not the Same as Your Website

Your domain is your web address (postroadmarketing.com). The thing people type in to find you. Your website is what they see when they get there.

Two separate things. Two separate places where you could lose access if you are not careful.

You have to register your domain somewhere. GoDaddy, Rebel, Wix, Hover, it does not matter which one. What matters is that you know which one it is and that you have the login. Not your developer. Not your web person. YOU.

If you do not know where you registered your domain, that is the one thing I want you to figure out this week.

And do not wait on this. You have to renew your domain every year or two. If you do not have the login information and your domain comes up for renewal, you have no way to just go in and pay it yourself. You are at the mercy of whoever does have access.

That is exactly where this situation is right now. The domain is coming up for renewal. The woman I am helping has no way to renew it herself. The original developer has agreed to help, but is charging her double for it, plus a monthly fee until the transfer goes through. For something she already owns. For a renewal that costs $23 for the ENTIRE YEAR. 

This is what “I will sort it out later” can actually cost you.

Before You Transfer Your Domain to Anyone

One more thing on this. Some companies will offer to move your domain into their system to manage it for you. But moving your domain into someone else’s system means you are depending on them to keep you in control of it. If you ever part ways or something goes sideways, getting it back can be a fight.

If someone asks to transfer your domain, ask whether you can set up the account in your name and your email. The account should belong to you, not to them. You can add them as admins so they can make the changes you need done if you’re tech-savvy, but you’re the only one who should have full control of it. It is worth asking the question before you say yes. 

You Need to Be Listed as the Owner, Not a Co-Owner

When someone builds or updates your website, they are usually working inside a platform account. WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, whatever it is. Once they finish the work, your email should be on that account as the owner.

Not an editor. Not a collaborator. The owner.

You can keep your developer on as an admin so they can still make changes. Most platforms let you do that without giving them full control. But the primary account, the one nobody can lock out or transfer without your say, that one is yours.

This is not about distrust. People are generally honest. It is just very easy for a domain or a website account to slip out of your hands if you do not know what to ask for upfront. And by the time you realize it, you are waiting on someone else’s timeline to get back what was always yours.

Go find out where you registered your domain this week. And if you have ever handed someone your login to make changes, go change your password.

What This Actually Costs You If You Wait

Because most people don’t think about this until it’s too late. That domain is your business address. You have built recognition around it. People know it. It shows up in search results. It is on everything. If you ever lose it and have to start over with a new one, even something close to the original, you are not just updating one thing. You are updating every directory listing, every social media profile, every email signature, every business card, every place your name exists online. That is not an afternoon, it’s weeks of cleanup.

And you cannot always get your original domain back. Someone else can pick it up. That address you have been building your business around could belong to a stranger.

It is worth protecting. Long before it ever becomes a problem.

Keeping you in the driver’s seat,