Is Your Web Developer Holding You Hostage?
- Uber Creative
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
How to Reclaim Control of Your Digital Assets Before It’s Too Late
Imagine waking up one morning to discover your website has vanished. Your business email doesn’t work. Your Google Ads are paused. Your Facebook page? Gone.
You call your web developer, but they’ve disappeared—or worse, they tell you they “own” the accounts and you’ll need to pay extra to get them back.
It sounds dramatic, but it happens more often than you might think. We have seen variations of that scenario play out many times over the past 25 years in the business. And it’s not always malicious—sometimes it’s simply due to disorganization or ignorance. But the result is the same: you’ve lost control of your own digital assets.
The Problem: You Don’t Know What You Own (or Don’t)
Most business owners are experts in their own field—not in the murky world of DNS records, hosting panels, and Google Admin permissions. So when they hire a developer or agency, they’re often happy to let them “handle all the tech stuff.”
The problem? If your developer registers your domain, hosts your site, or sets up your analytics under their own accounts, then they—not you—hold the keys.
If things go south, you could lose:
Your domain name (your entire online identity)
Your website and all its data
Years of Google Analytics history
Access to ad accounts and social media pages
We’ve seen clients lose entire websites, domains, and decades of data because of this. It’s heartbreaking—and completely avoidable.
What You Should Always Control
Here’s the checklist of digital assets you (the business owner) should have ownership or full admin access to. If you don’t know what some of these are—don’t worry, that’s the point of this article!
Domain Name Registrar – The service where your domain (e.g., yourcompany.com) is registered.
Nameservers / DNS Management – Often separate from your registrar; these control where your website “lives.”
Website Admin Access – WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, etc. You should be the “Owner” or “Admin,” not just an “Editor.”
Hosting Server / cPanel (or equivalent) – The place where your site’s files actually reside.
Email & Productivity Suite – Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Microsoft 365, etc.
Google Accounts – Analytics, Search Console, Ads, Business Profile, Merchant Center, and Tag Manager.
Social Media Accounts – Meta Business Manager, LinkedIn Company Page, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter).
Third-Party Integrations – CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce), email marketing tools (Mailchimp, Klaviyo), eCommerce systems, and payment processors.
Software Licenses – Premium themes, plugins, apps, and other paid tools used on your website.
Backups & Source Files – Design files, website backups, and database exports—stored somewhere you control.
In short, If it touches your website or customer data, you should have the keys.
Real-World Horror Stories
Over the years, we’ve seen every kind of digital disaster:
A small business lost its domain name when their developer forgot to renew it—and a competitor snapped it up the next day.
A retailer had to start from scratch with Google Analytics, losing years of customer trend data, because their account was under a developer’s personal Gmail.
One company spent thousands rebuilding a website from backups they didn’t even know existed, because their host shut them out after a billing dispute.
These are not rare cases—they happen every day to good, smart business owners who simply didn’t know what to ask for.
How to Protect Your Cheese
Yes, your website is cheese. It’s valuable, perishable, and attractive to anyone who wants a piece of your success. Here’s how to protect it:
Audit Your Digital Assets – Make a list of every domain, platform, and tool you use.
Confirm Ownership – Log in and ensure your email is the “Owner” or “Primary Admin.”
Document Access – Store credentials in a secure password manager (like 1Password or Bitwarden).
Centralize Control – Use business email addresses, not personal ones, for all account setups.
Establish an Exit Plan – If you change web developers or agencies, make sure you retain control of all assets and accounts.
Remember: your web developer should be your partner, not your warden.
Your Free “Digital Assets Checklist”
Don’t wait until a digital disaster strikes to figure out who holds your keys. At Rock Solid Agency, we’ve created a simple Digital Assets Ownership Checklist to help you identify and secure every piece of your online presence. Contact us and we’ll send it to you—free of charge, because protecting your cheese shouldn’t require a rescue mission.
Final Thoughts
Your website and digital ecosystem are as vital as your bank accounts or trademark. Treat them that way. Keep control, stay organized, and never give anyone the power to hold your business hostage.
