In whose name should the domain and business email be registered?

Many businesses only ask in whose name their domain is registered when a problem arises. The relationship with the company that built the website may have ended, the domain’s renewal date may have passed, or the email administrator credentials may no longer be accessible.

Why the domain matters

The domain is the address of the website and the business email. Whoever controls the domain yourcompany.com effectively controls the website and the email accounts as well. If the domain is registered in another person’s or company’s account, moving the site, changing the email provider and even renewing the registration become dependent on that person’s approval.

This usually happens when, during setup, the domain is quickly purchased through the web company’s account or an employee’s account.

Steps to check

• Identify the company the domain was purchased from, using invoices or past correspondence.
• Check whether there is an account in the business’s name with that company, and whether the domain is in that account.
• Review whether the business’s name appears in the domain registration details.
• Record the renewal date and the automatic renewal setting.

Business email accounts

Business email accounts such as info@yourcompany.com are hosted with an email provider. Creating new accounts, resetting passwords and closing the accounts of departing employees are done through the administrator account. It is advisable for the administrator credentials to be held within the business, by an authorised person.

If the business does not have control

The first step is to contact the person or company holding the domain. In most cases the domain can be moved to the business’s account using a transfer code. The transfer can be carried out while the website and email remain live.

DNS settings must be preserved during the transfer. These settings determine which servers the website and email are directed to. Because an incorrect change can interrupt email delivery, the existing settings should be recorded before the transfer.

The Piron’s approach

In the projects we develop, the domain is registered in the client’s name and all access credentials are handed over to the client. If the domain is held in a different account, the existing settings are recorded and the transfer is carried out while keeping the website and email services running.

For information about the status of your domain or email accounts, please get in touch through our contact page.