Developer went quiet

Your web developer stopped answering. Take the site back.

The site usually keeps working for a while, which is why people wait too long. Sort it out now, while everything is still paid up and running.

Get help taking it back(330) 305-2750

This week

  • Check the domain expiry date at lookup.icann.org.
  • Find which card pays for hosting and the domain, yours or theirs.
  • Gather every invoice, contract, and email thread.
  • Stay civil and put everything in writing.

List what they hold

For each item, write down who holds it and whether you can get in today.

  1. The domain

    The one that matters most. If it is in their account, ask them to move it to yours or send the transfer code.

  2. Hosting

    If the account is in your name, you need a password reset. If it is in theirs, you need a migration.

  3. Email

    Look up the MX records to see who runs your mail. The developer is often the admin.

  4. The accounts around the site

    Google Business Profile, Analytics, Search Console, your Facebook page. These are often under the developer's login, and your reviews and history live there.

  5. Billing

    If they bill you for hosting and pass it on, get billed directly. If your card pays for their account, that gives you leverage.

Which situation you are in

Busy, not gone

Most common

Signs: Slow replies. A one-person shop that took on too much.

Fix: One short email asking for three things: the domain transfer code, the hosting login, and an admin account on the site.

Quietly closed

Common

Signs: Their website is gone and their phone is disconnected, but your hosting still runs on autopay.

Fix: Skip the person and go to the registrar and host with proof you paid. Start with the registrar.

Holding it over a dispute

Less common

Signs: They answer but won't hand anything over.

Fix: Settle any real unpaid invoice first. Otherwise, use the registrar's dispute process.

You already own it

More often than you'd think

Signs: The domain and hosting are in your name. Only the WordPress password is missing.

Fix: A one-hour fix from the hosting control panel.

Worth knowing

  • If you control the domain, everything else can be replaced.
  • Fight hardest for the domain. Changing it costs you your search rankings and every link to you.
  • Rebuilding a small site is a fixed job. Chasing a password can run for months.
  • Renew the domain while you argue. It is cheap and keeps every option open.
I lost access to my websiteThe four accounts, and how to prove each is yours.Website rescueWe take over sites we didn't build.WordPress migrationMoving the site to an account in your name.

Questions

Can they hold my domain hostage?

They can make it hard. Registrars have a dispute process that turns on who is the registrant and who can show they paid. Keep the invoices and don't let the domain expire meanwhile.

Is it cheaper to rebuild than to recover?

Often, if you control the domain. A rebuild has a fixed price and a launch date. Chasing someone has neither.

Can you take over a site you didn't build?

Yes, that is most of this work. I start with a list of who holds what, which is useful to you whether or not you hire me.

How do I stop this happening again?

Keep the domain and hosting accounts in your business name with your card on them. Give developers their own user, not the account.

Not sure what you still own?

Send the domain and whatever you know. You get a plain list of what exists, who holds it, and how to get each back.

Request an ownership review(330) 305-2750