Articles · Stefan Ylimäki · 21 September 2026

Domain and email: whose name they should be in

A domain name is not an object you own. It is a registered right of use, with someone listed as the holder. The practical difference is small, but it settles one thing: who gets to decide your address. Surprisingly often the holder is someone other than the business itself, and this is only noticed when the work with the person who built the site ends.

Five things that easily get mixed up

When we talk about a website, we are really talking about five different things. You can buy them all from the same supplier, but they are not the same thing, and they do not end or move at the same time.

DOMAIN NAME: The address, for example yourbusiness.fi. It is registered for a fixed period and renewed. The holder is recorded in the register.
HOSTING: The place where the website runs. It is bought as a service, and it is meant to be replaceable with another.
EMAIL: Mailboxes that use the end part of the domain name. Often in a different service from the website.
WEBSITE: The text, images and structure. The content is yours, and it must be available to you in a portable format.
TECHNICAL MAINTENANCE: Updates, backups and monitoring. Work that someone does, not something that is owned.

The confusion arises because one invoice covers all five. When the work together ends, they still have to be separated one by one. There is a separate article on maintenance that goes through what belongs to each.

Why the registrant matters

The domain name is the address you have printed on your van, your business cards and your adverts. It is also the end part of your email addresses and the address that search engines know. If someone else is listed as the holder, someone else controls all three.

This does not usually come from ill will. The person who built the site registers the domain on their own account because it is quicker than waiting for the customer's details, and it is never transferred. It only becomes a problem when they stop, change career or the work together ends in a dispute.

Check the registrant yourself

The register details of fi domains are mostly public when the holder is a business or organisation. Go to the fi domain name search of Traficom (the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency) and enter your own address without the www part. The service tells you whose name the domain is in and how long it is valid.

The holder must be your own business, not the builder's company and not an individual from the builder's firm. If the holder is correct but the contact email is someone else's, this can be fixed quickly. If the holder is wrong, you need a change of registrant.

ALSO CHECK THE EXPIRY DATE AND THAT THE EMAIL ADDRESS RECORDED IN THE REGISTER IS ONE YOU CAN READ. AN EXPIRED DOMAIN TAKES DOWN THE WEBSITE AND THE EMAIL AT THE SAME TIME, AND AFTER THE GRACE PERIOD THE DOMAIN BECOMES AVAILABLE FOR ANYONE TO REGISTER.

Four things that need to be in order

The holder is your business. Check this from the register, and do not rely on memory or the text of an invoice.
You have the login details for the service where the domain is managed, or at the very least you know which service it is and whom to call there.
The domain can be moved to another registrar if needed. A transfer is a normal procedure, not a favour, and it works when the holder details are in order.
Email continuity has been taken into account. Mailboxes hang on the domain's settings, so changes to the domain can cut off email if they are not timed carefully.

Hosting is left out of this group on purpose. Buying it as a service is completely normal, and you do not need to own it, as long as it can be changed to another without the address or the content getting stuck.

If the domain is in the wrong name

Do not start by changing the address. First ask for a change of registrant. It is a routine procedure done through a domain registrar, and it goes quickly when both parties agree. Most often the only issue is that nobody has ever asked.

At the same time, ask in writing for three things: the change of registrant in the register, the login details for the control panel, and a list of which mailboxes are in use and in which service. The third is almost always forgotten, and it is the one that cuts off the email.

If the address really does change

Sometimes a change is unavoidable: the business name changes, or the domain simply cannot be transferred. Changing the address does not mean that visibility has to be built from zero. It means the move has to be done in a controlled way. Done badly, visibility certainly collapses.

The address structure is decided before the move, not after
Every old address gets a permanent redirect to its new equivalent
The old domain name is kept valid, otherwise the redirects stop working
Both addresses are added to Search Console so the move can be monitored
Email is moved separately and the old mailbox is kept open for a transition period

Some fluctuation in search results usually follows a move for a while, even if everything has been done correctly. There is a separate article on the technical side of address changes.

When ordering a new website, ask four questions

These questions are worth asking before the contract, not after. For a good supplier they are easy.

Whose name: Will my business be listed as the domain holder, and will I get control of the login details?
Where the email is: In which service is the email, and can I manage the mailboxes and passwords myself?
What if I stop: If I cancel maintenance, what do I take with me and in what format?
Who gets in: Will I get my own login details to the website so I can change the text myself?

The answers do not need to be especially generous. It is enough that they are given directly and written down. My own answer: the domain name is always in the customer's name. The terms are on the service page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I own the domain name if I am the holder?

You do not own it in the same way as you own a van. The registration is a time-limited right of use that stays with you for as long as it is renewed and the details are in order. What matters in practice is that your business is the holder and that you can manage the domain.

The person who built my site handles the domain billing. Is that a problem?

Not in itself. Billing and holding are different things: the builder can well pay the renewals, as long as your business is listed as the holder and you can get the login details if needed. Check from the register which situation is yours.

What happens to my email if I change the person who builds my website?

Nothing, if the email stays in the same service and only the website moves. Email is cut off when the domain settings are changed without taking the mailboxes into account. So agree in advance who touches the settings and when, and keep the old mailboxes open for a transition period.

Should I keep the old domain name if I start using a new one?

Yes, for several years at least. The old domain is what the redirects depend on, and old links keep turning up for a long time. The renewal costs little, and ending it is the cheapest way to lose all your old visitors at once.