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Taking over a website project should be exciting. Until you realize the previous developer bought the client's domain under their own personal email and completely ghosted.
The Problem:
I see this happen constantly with local businesses. A business owner pays for a new website, but the developer registers the domain, the hosting, and the Google Analytics under their own personal accounts just to "make things easier."
Years later, when the business wants to scale, rebrand, or switch developers, they realize they are completely locked out of their own digital assets. They don't actually own their online business; the previous developer does. It turns into a massive, stressful legal headache.
The Solution:
Professional developers don't hold client assets hostage. You have to set the client up for long-term independence. Here is the strict 3-step digital ownership protocol I follow for every new project:
The Client Buys the Domain:
I never purchase a domain on behalf of a client. Never. If they aren't tech-savvy, I will jump on a quick 10-minute Zoom call and walk them through buying it themselves using their own company email and credit card.
Delegated Access Only:
I don't ask for their master passwords. Almost every modern registrar and hosting platform (like Cloudflare, DreamHost, or Namecheap) has a 'Delegate Access' or 'Team' feature. The client invites my developer email, I get the access I need to configure the DNS, and they can revoke that access the second the project is over.
The Centralized Handover:
When setting up third-party tools like Google Search Console, Looker Studio, or SMTP servers, I never tie them to my personal workspace. I have the client create a dedicated admin@clientdomain.com email address. Everything is registered there, and the credentials are handed over in a secure password manager at launch.
Your job as a developer is to empower your clients, not to trap them.
Have you ever had to rescue a client's domain or website from a disappearing developer? Let’s chat in the comments! 👇
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