The three things, and why they separate

Most owners think of "my website" as one object.

How to check what you own today, in about ten minutes

You do not need your developer's cooperation for the first two of these.

What to ask for in writing, before the advance

The right time to settle this is before any money moves, when it is an ordinary line in a quote rather than a confrontation.

The one place it is reasonable for someone else to hold something

There is an honest exception, and pretending otherwise would be unfair to good developers.

If you have already paid and own nothing

This is the common case, and it is recoverable more often than people assume.

When you should not hire anybody at all

If you do not have a domain yet and you are not sure the business needs a website this year, the useful first step is not hiring a developer.

The full answer

Paying for a website does not automatically make it yours. Here is what ownership means for the domain, the code and the hosting, exactly what to ask for in writing, and

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