Who owns my website — me or the designer?

Short answer: It depends entirely on the arrangement, so never assume. With DIY platforms and some agencies you are effectively renting — the site exists only while you keep paying. With BuiltWeb you own your website outright once it is paid for, and we hand over the source files so it is genuinely yours.

Ownership is set by the contract, not by common sense

Most people assume that if they paid for a website, it is theirs. That is not always true, and the difference only shows up when you try to leave. Ownership is whatever the agreement says it is, so the important work happens before you sign — asking the plain question, "when this is paid for, is the site mine, and will I get the files?"

There are three broad situations. On a DIY builder like Wix or Squarespace, you own your content and your domain name, but the website itself lives on their system and vanishes if you stop paying. With some agencies, they keep ownership and licence the site to you, which can mean ongoing fees and limited freedom to move. And with providers who hand everything over, the site is fully yours. None of these is dishonest — but they are very different, and only one lets you walk away with your website intact.

What "owning it" actually means

Real ownership comes down to two things: the site itself and the source files. The source files are the code, images, and design assets that make up the website. If you have them, any competent developer can take over and make changes. If you do not, you are tied to whoever built it, because nobody else can touch it.

This is the quiet lock-in that catches businesses out. The site looks like yours, but the moment you want to change designer, you discover you cannot take it with you. Owning the source files removes that trap entirely. It is worth reading our note on hidden costs to a website, because lock-in is one of the costs that never appears on the original quote.

How BuiltWeb handles ownership

We keep it simple. Our pricing is one-off with no subscriptions, and once your site is paid in full, you own it outright and we hand over the source files. You are never renting your own website from us and you are never stuck with us. If you decide to move it elsewhere in two years, you can — the files are yours to take.

Hosting is a separate, optional thing. We host it for you free, forever, if you would like us to keep the site online and looked after, but you are free to host it anywhere you like. Owning the site and choosing who hosts it are two different decisions, and we keep them apart on purpose. You can see how pricing and ownership fit together on our packages page and read the specifics in our FAQ.

Questions to settle before you commit

Ask any provider three things in writing. First, when the site is paid for, do I own it? Second, will I receive the source files? Third, if I host elsewhere, can I take the site with me? Clear answers to those three questions tell you almost everything about whether you are buying a website or renting one.

If a provider is vague or defensive about ownership, treat that as a warning. A straightforward answer costs them nothing, so hesitation usually means the arrangement favours them. Our guide on how to choose a web designer covers the wider set of questions worth asking, and you can see finished, client-owned work on our work page.

Want a site that is genuinely yours from the day it launches? Get a clear price.