Leaving the company that built your website: how to get your domain, server and source code back

If you've decided to part ways with the company that built your website, the first worry is usually: "Do I really have my site, my domain and my data?" In this post we explain how to get your domain, server and source code back when leaving the company that built your website or software, and how to make the switch without losing your site. We cover the other side, a new team taking over the project, in our post taking over an existing software project.

First, find out who owns what

Before deciding, find out in which account and in whose name each of these is registered:

• Domain name: With which registrar, in whose name?
• Server (hosting): With which company, and who manages the account?
• Source code: Do you have a copy, and who holds it?
• Database and files: Is there a current backup?
• Third-party accounts: Google Analytics, Search Console, the email service, map and payment services, Google Business Profile, social media accounts.

If they aren't all in your name, the first job is to sort that out.

Getting your domain back

The domain is your site's address and the most valuable piece to avoid losing. What to check:

• The registrar and the registrant details (yours, or the agency's?),
• Moving it to another registrar usually requires a transfer code, which the current registrant or the company managing the account provides,
• Some extensions, such as `.com.tr`, may have their own transfer procedures; ask your registrar.

Leaving a domain in the wrong hands can become one of the most expensive mistakes later on.

Taking over the server and the source code

• Source code: Ask for a copy of the project's current code and technical notes on how it is set up.
• Database and files: Take a current backup and make sure images and documents are included.
• Access details: Collect the credentials for the server, admin panel, email and third-party services, and change the passwords.
• If a ready-made theme or plugin was used: Check in whose name the licences are.

Make the switch without losing your site

To protect your rankings and customer traffic when moving to the new environment:

• Set the site up and test it in the new environment first, and only then change where the domain points,
• Make sure the SSL certificate is ready in the new environment,
• Set up redirects from old addresses to new ones; otherwise the pages in search engines can fall into 404s,
• Watch your email records: if the domain's email is routed through the old server, your email can be interrupted during the switch,
• After the switch, check in Search Console that the site opens and the sitemap is being read.

Check your contract and documents

The contract may state who owns the source code, the domain and the data, and the terms and timelines for handing them over if you leave. We don't give legal advice; if a dispute is possible, we recommend getting support from a legal adviser.

A checklist for leaving

1. The domain's registrar and owner are known and the transfer code is obtained, 2. Server and account access is handed over and passwords changed, 3. A current copy of the source code and setup notes are received, 4. A database and file backup is taken and verified to open, 5. Third-party accounts (analytics, Search Console, payments, maps) are moved to your name, 6. Email infrastructure is part of the migration plan, 7. The site is tested in the new environment and SSL is ready, 8. Redirects from old addresses to new ones are in place.

So it doesn't happen again

When starting a new project, put these in writing at the start: in whose name the domain, server and service accounts will be opened, whether the source code will be handed over on request, and how support after launch will work.

Conclusion

When your domain, server, source code and accounts are under your control, changing companies is a transition, not a crisis. In our projects we make sure, if you wish, that these accounts are opened in your name and handed over to you. In our custom software and integration service we take over projects left behind by other teams; we review the code and infrastructure first and report clearly on where things stand. Tell us about your system and let's decide together where to start.