1. Whose name is the domain registered in?
The domain is your address. If it is registered in the agency's name, the agency can move it, hold it or let it lapse. Ask to see the registration, or look it up yourself with ICANN's lookup tool. It should show your business, and you should have the login.
2. Who holds the hosting account?
Ask where the site is hosted and whose account it sits in. You do not need to manage it. You do need to be able to prove it is yours and to log in if you ever have to.
3. Do I get the files and the content if I leave?
A site is files, copy and images. Ask whether you receive all three, in a usable form, and in writing. Some agencies keep the source and rent you a finished site. That is a legitimate business model. It is not ownership, and you should know which one you are buying.
4. Who owns analytics, Search Console and ad accounts?
Your tracking and your ad accounts hold your history. When we took over one online shop, the Google, Meta and TikTok accounts sat under the previous agency's login. Getting control back came before any other work. Your accounts should be in your business name with you as owner and the agency added as a user. Google explains how site ownership is verified in Search Console.
5. What does leaving cost, and what is the notice?
Ask what happens at the end: notice period, hand-over, fees. A good agency answers this without discomfort. A hesitant answer tells you what you needed to know.
What a good answer sounds like
Specific and in writing. Your domain, your hosting account, your files and your accounts, with the agency as a supplier. Terms vary by agency and country, so read the contract and ask for anything unclear to be written down. If you are still choosing, read how to choose a marketing agency without getting burned. Our web design and website care pages say what is covered, and you can book a call to ask us these questions.
