TL;DR
- You own your website. Once a Webmaster For Hire project is paid in full, the copyright transfers to you.
- Your content is always yours. Text, photos, and logos you give us stay your property.
- Accounts belong in your business’s name. That includes your domain and premium plugin licenses.
- Keep your own originals. Save your original logo files and photos where your business can find them.
Who Owns a Website Webmaster For Hire Builds?
Copyright is the legal right to copy, share, and change a piece of work. On a website, it covers things like the design, the text, and the photos.
- The website: You do. Full copyright is assigned to you on final payment.
- Your content: The text, photos, and logos you provide stay yours from day one.
- Other people’s work: Stock photos and other third-party materials stay with their owners. Some need their own license.
- Our tools: We keep our own reusable code. You get a permanent license to use it with your site.
- No lock-in: We build on WordPress, so you own your data and you’re never stuck with us for changes.
Did Someone Else Build Your Site?
Check your contract. There should be a line that says either the developer keeps the copyright or they assign it to you.
Then check who controls the accounts. If a former developer holds your domain, hosting, or plugin licenses in their name, you can lose access when they move on. It happens with premium plugin licenses: a former developer keeps paying for a license without knowing the client still depends on it.
Who Pays for and Tracks Premium Plugin Licenses?
A premium plugin is an add-on you pay for, usually every year, to get updates and support.
- You buy it in your own name, with your own login. That way the access stays with your business.
- You pay the renewal directly to the plugin company.
- We watch for problems. If a license stops renewing, its updates stop too. When we spot that, we tell you.
More detail is in Do Premium WordPress Plugins Need to Be Renewed Every Year?
What Webmaster For Hire Recommends
- Keep the logins in your business’s hands. You decide who gets access to your dashboard and your accounts.
- Save your original files. Keep original logo files and photos somewhere your business controls. Don’t count on any vendor to hold your only copy.
- Own your domain. See Should I Buy My Domain Through My Webmaster or the Registrar?
:: Common Questions ::
Do You Keep Copies of My Original Logo and Photos?
We use the files you send us on your site, but keep your own originals. If all you have is a small or blurry version of your logo, ask your designer for the original files.
What Happens to My Website If Beth Varian Becomes Unavailable?
Beth Varian leads the work, and Webmaster For Hire has a team for larger jobs and overnight tasks. Because your domain and licenses are in your name, your business stays in control either way.
Not Sure Who Controls Your Website Accounts?
We can find out for you. See Can You Review My Website and Tell Me What Needs Fixing?, or request a consultation.
