As a business owner, your job is to delegate. You hire accountants for taxes and web developers for digital work. That is smart leadership. But there is a big difference between delegating the work and delegating the ownership.
In the daily rush of running a company—launching products, managing staff, and serving customers—it is incredibly easy for the “digital keys” to get misplaced. Maybe a former employee set up the Instagram account on their personal email. Maybe your web developer registered the domain name in their own account to save time. It’s usually not malicious. It’s just administrative chaos. But your website is not just a brochure; it is a financial asset. It adds value to your business valuation, and it needs to be accessible for your future (and even your estate planning).
The Golden Rule:
You can give your team keys to the office, but you never take your name off the deed.
Below are the 5 Digital Keys every business owner must control to protect their online presence and their business value.
1. The Domain Name (Your Address)
Your domain aka your website URL, is the most valuable digital asset you own. If you lose this, you lose your brand identity.
What to Know: You should be listed as the registrant and have it registered under an account you control.
2. The Hosting Environment (The Land)
If the domain is your address, hosting is the land your house sits on.
What to Know: You should have direct login access to your hosting account, not just a monthly invoice from a developer or hosting company. If you can, keep your domain name and the hosting within the same account. One less account to track.
3. The Website Admin Login (The House)
Developers often give clients “Editor” access. That’s fine for daily use, but as the owner, you need the Master Key.
What to Know: Your user role should be “Administrator,” not “Editor” or “Author.”
4. The Ecosystem (Social + Email)
Who owns your Facebook Business Page? Is it tied to an ex‑employee’s personal profile? All business pages on Facebook, are tied to a real person’s account. Even if you don’t have an account, you should make a personal account, set it to private, and attach your business page to your account.
What to Know: You should have full administrative control over all business social accounts and email systems. Some platforms allow you to be the owner, and add users to your account where you can control their permission levels.
5. The Licenses (The Tools)
Your site may run on premium plugins and software. If your developer used their own licenses, or set it up on your behalf, you may lose functionality if you part ways. Examples include ecommerce plugins, advanced or pro versions of plugins, SEO tools and sales accounts
What to Know: Whenever possible, licenses should be in your name.
The Bigger Picture: Your Digital Will
A profitable website is a transferable asset. If something happened to you, would your family or partners be able to access the business?
If the passwords are all in your head—or your developer’s—the value of that asset drops to zero.
Want help organizing your digital assets?
If the idea of hunting down these logins feels overwhelming, I can help.
Live Diagnosis: Digital Ownership Audit
A 60‑minute private live online session where we verify your digital accounts and ownership, audit your access, and secure your assets, so you can run your business with confidence.
Includes:
- Confirm hosting access and backup status
- Check your website admin permissions
- Review plugin licenses and risk points
- Audit your social media + email ecosystem
- Identify gaps, risks, and action steps
- Create a prioritized Digital Ownership Plan
- Risk assessment
- 7‑day post‑session support
Book your session today
You’ll leave with:
- A clear map of your digital assets
- Action plan on what you need to do
- A list of vulnerabilities and fixes
- Peace of mind knowing you’re in control