Can't reach your web designer? What to do this week

Check what you can see without your designer

Much of what matters about your website is public, so you can look it up today without asking anyone. The most useful fact is who your web address is registered with. Whoever holds that registrar account decides where your site points, so it is the account to get into first. The expiry date tells you how much time you have. The free site check shows both. It reads only what any visitor could see, and nobody contacts you because you ran it.

Note down:

• Who your web address is registered with, and when it expires.
• Whether browsers trust your security certificate, and when it runs out.
• The "designed by" credit on your home page, and whether that company's own website still answers. It is a useful hint about whether they are still trading.
• What your site runs on, such as WordPress or Wix, where the page shows it.
• The last time the Internet Archive saved a copy of your site.

Send one message that asks for everything

One clear written message gets further than a string of nudges. Your designer can answer it in one sitting, even in a busy week. The date in it means you both know when you will decide what happens next. If you later need to take the accounts back without them, you have a dated record of what you asked for.

A message you can copy and send:

Hi [designer's name], I hope you are well. I know you are busy, so I have put everything in one message. I would like the accounts for [business name]'s website held in my own name. Could you please send me:

• which registrar holds [your web address], and in whose account;
• the transfer code, or a move of the web address into an account in my name;
• which company hosts my website, with the login or a user added for me;
• a copy of my website's files;
• and every renewal date, with who pays each one.

Could you reply by [date]? If a call is easier, I am happy to talk it through. Thank you, [your name]

Keep your site from going dark while you wait

If your designer was paying the renewal on your web address and has stopped, the address can expire and your site goes dark. So check the expiry date first. If it is close, put "please renew my web address" at the top of your message. Your security certificate matters too. When it lapses, browsers warn visitors away before they see a page. If the expiry date is near and you hear nothing, open our ownership guide that day for your registrar's own steps.

What to hold off on while you wait

• Changing the name or email on your web address yourself. Most registrars we checked can then block a move to another registrar for 60 days.
• Chasing on every channel at once. One clear message with a date is easier to answer.
• Complaining about your designer in public or in reviews. At every registrar we checked, a designer who holds the account has to start the move or send the code, so their goodwill is worth keeping.

What to do when your reply date passes

If your date passes with no answer, stop waiting. You asked clearly, and you have the dated message to show it. Look up your web address in our ownership guide. It names your registrar and shows that registrar's own steps for getting it back. Then follow our rescue guide, "My web designer disappeared", for taking each account back without your designer. You end the day with a plan in place of a wait.

When should you stay with your designer?

If your designer answers, even late, staying can be the easier path. They know how your site is built, and they can make your changes without starting again. Once your web address sits in an account in your name, you can keep working with them on your own terms. A local freelancer may also suit you better than we would, if you want someone you can meet in person who knows your area. Either way, with the accounts in your name, the choice of who changes your site stays yours.

Can InkySites help while you wait?

We do not contact your designer, take over your accounts or recover web addresses. We build a fresh version of your current site, free, from the pages already public. It reaches you by email within 48 hours, with no card and no login, and your designer does not need to be involved. You only need your web address back if you decide to go live with it. If you like it, it is $29 a month for hosting and unlimited reasonable changes. You have a site you can change, and your web address and code come back to you any time you ask.

Questions people ask.

See where your website stands today

Run the free site check. It shows who holds your web address, when it expires and whether browsers trust its security certificate. You need no email, and nothing on your site changes.

Check my site