Website ownership is the question of who legally and practically controls three things after launch: the source code, the domain name, and the hosting account. Full ownership means all three sit in the client's name, on accounts the client pays for and logs into. Partial ownership — the default on Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, Shopify, and most WordPress 'managed' plans — means the platform owns the environment and the client rents access. The distinction matters when a client wants to move, hire a new developer, or simply wind down a project without losing assets. With full ownership, moving is a DNS change. With platform ownership, moving is a rebuild. UK law has no specific 'website ownership' statute, so the contract does the work — most bespoke studios ship an explicit handover of code, domain, and hosting credentials as part of launch, not as an optional extra.
What a real handover looks like
On my builds, the GitHub repository is created under the client's GitHub username from day one. The Vercel project is on the client's Vercel account. The domain is bought on the client's registrar — usually Namecheap or Porkbun, because Vercel and GoDaddy both overcharge. I have temporary access during the sprint, which I revoke on delivery. If I vanished tomorrow, any competent Next.js developer could pick the codebase up and continue without re-registering a single account.
Why ownership is where lock-in lives or dies
The cheapest part of a website is the monthly subscription; the most expensive is the migration when you outgrow it. Own the three — code, domain, hosting — and the site travels with you. Own none, and 'your' website is really the platform's, on loan at a monthly rate. Most small businesses only realise they don't own their site the day they try to leave — by which point the sunk-cost maths starts to justify staying.
Related terms
Bespoke, live in seven days.
£1,000 flat. Paid upfront. Full refund if I miss day seven. Code, hosting, and domain all in your name.