VANKPA
The decision
The business should retain administrative control of its domain and essential website accounts. A provider can manage operations through delegated access, but ownership should survive a staff change or the end of an engagement. Account control belongs in the project brief.
In practice
A clinic that cannot access its registrar may be unable to change DNS or recover a renewal failure. Establish the owner before a redesign starts. Separate domain registration, DNS, hosting, email, and website administration because they may be managed by different organizations.
- Create an account register showing the service, business owner, billing contact, renewal date, and recovery method.
- Store credentials securely rather than in a shared spreadsheet.
- Confirm delegated access and a handover checklist before a provider begins making changes.
When to take the next step
Review ownership before changing providers or renewing a major engagement. Confirm that a business-controlled account can recover access without depending on one outside contact.
Questions clients ask
Should the agency register the domain for us?
It can assist, but the business should be the account owner and retain recovery access.
What should a handover include?
An account map, access confirmation, billing responsibilities, and instructions for routine administration.