When I work with clients on a website, I’m not just thinking about launch day. I’m thinking about how the relationship should work over time — what creates trust, what preserves flexibility, and what makes it easier for both of us to do good work.
That’s why I generally recommend that website hosting be owned by the client, not by me or another vendor. This isn’t about control or convenience. It’s about setting up a relationship where value is clear, agency is preserved, and future decisions aren’t constrained by technical ownership.
Why builders often own the hosting
There are practical reasons many website builders and agencies host sites under their own accounts:
- Managing multiple sites can reduce hosting costs
- Builders retain full control over the technical environment
In some cases, this arrangement works reasonably well — particularly for tightly bundled service models where long-term ownership and portability aren’t primary concerns.
But those benefits primarily serve the builder. Over time, they can complicate things for the client.
Where ownership affects the relationship
When a client doesn’t own their hosting, the relationship can quietly shift. Even with the best intentions, clients may begin to feel dependent rather than supported.
This often shows up when:
- priorities change
- internal capacity grows
- leadership shifts
- a different skill set is needed
At that point, clients can feel stuck — not because the work was poor, but because moving forward feels harder than it should.
That kind of dependency tends to undermine the kind of working relationship I aim for.
How I think about client relationships
My goal is for clients to feel they’re getting real value from our work — for as long as working together makes sense. That might be for a short engagement, or it might be for many years.
There may also come a time when a different direction is needed. The organization may outgrow my role, or require expertise that isn’t the best match for me. When that happens, I want clients to feel confident choosing what’s right for them — not constrained by where their website lives or who technically controls it.
Client-owned hosting supports that kind of relationship. It keeps the focus on:
- the quality of the work
- the usefulness of the collaboration
- and the client’s long-term needs
not on lock-in or dependency.
Client ownership doesn’t mean less support
Recommending client-owned hosting does not mean stepping away from the technical side of things. In practice, I still have full administrative access to support the work.
That includes:
- managing backups and updates
- supporting SEO and performance needs
- configuring security and hosting settings
- troubleshooting technical issues
- walking clients through setup and access step by step
The difference is simply who owns the account, not how supported the client is. Clients remain in control, while I remain fully involved in keeping things running smoothly.
Why this matters for long-term UX and site health
UX work is ongoing by nature. Standards evolve, content changes, and organizations grow. Clear ownership makes it easier to maintain progress over time — whether I’m the one doing the work or someone else is.
When clients own their hosting:
- responsibility is clear
- documentation makes sense
- transitions are smoother
- and the website remains fully theirs
That continuity matters more than any single engagement.
A relationship built on choice
There’s no single right way to structure every website project. But in my experience, client-owned hosting creates healthier relationships — ones where clients feel supported, informed, and free to make decisions that serve them best over time.
That’s the kind of relationship I aim to build, and why this is the approach I recommend.