Your marketing isn't one thing. It's roughly ten separate accounts, each with its own owner, and the business is only safe when your business email sits at the top of every one. This guide goes through each asset in turn: what it is, what you lose if someone else controls it, and how to check who does. It's written for owners, not technicians, and you can test most of it in an evening.
A reminder: this is about practical control. Who is legally entitled to an asset can depend on your agreements, and that question is for a lawyer.
The foundation: domain, hosting and email
These three sit underneath everything else. If any of them is controlled elsewhere, every other recovery step is at risk.
Domain name
Your domain is the address customers type and the name behind your business email. It's registered through a registrar, and the record names a registrant. For .ca domains, changes go through your registrar, and moving to a new registrar starts with an authorization code from the current one, as CIRA's transfer page explains.
If someone else controls it: they control where your website points and whether your email works, and a missed renewal can take both offline.
How to check: log in to your registrar account, or ask your provider which registrar and account the domain sits in. Confirm the registrant is your business and the contact email is one you can open.
Hosting
Hosting is the server where your website's files live. It's often bundled into a provider's monthly fee.
If someone else controls it: you may not be able to take a copy of your site when you leave.
How to check: ask for the hosting company's name and whether the account is in your business's name. At minimum, ask for a full backup you hold yourself.
Business email
If your email ends in your domain, it depends on DNS records that point to an email service.
If someone else controls it: a careless DNS change during a dispute or a move can stop your email silently. Note your email settings before anything changes.
Google: listing, ads and the data underneath
Google Business Profile
For most trades this listing drives more calls than the website. Profiles have owners and managers, and one primary owner. Google's owners and managers page explains that only owners can add or remove users, and that new owners wait 7 days before they can remove others or transfer primary ownership.
If someone else controls it: you can't fix your phone number, answer reviews or protect the listing from unwanted edits.
How to check: in the profile's settings, open the people-and-access list and look for your business email as primary owner.
Google Ads
An ad account has users with different access levels, and it may be linked to a provider's manager account.
If someone else controls it: your campaign history, conversion data and billing sit outside your reach, and you may not know what you're paying for.
How to check: confirm your business email has admin access and that the payment method on file is yours.
Analytics and Search Console
Google Analytics records what visitors do on your site. Search Console shows which searches bring people there and flags technical problems.
If someone else controls it: you lose years of history the day access ends, and that history is hard to rebuild.
How to check: look for your business email as an administrator on both.
The quiet ones: phone numbers, content and software
These are the assets owners forget, and they cause some of the nastiest surprises.
Call-tracking numbers
Many providers put tracking numbers on ads, listings and websites so they can measure calls. That's a good practice, but the numbers belong to whoever holds the tracking account.
If someone else controls it: when the account closes, the number on your Google listing or truck wrap can stop ringing, or ring somewhere else.
How to check: call every number on your website, listing and ads from an outside phone, and ask who holds each tracking account.
Content, photos and logos
The words on your service pages, your job photos and your logo files all have value. Whether you hold the rights depends on your agreement, which is a legal question. The practical step is simpler: keep your own copies.
Customer lists and messaging software
Booking tools, CRMs and review-request software often hold your customer contact lists. Federal privacy law applies to personal information collected in commercial activity; the Privacy Commissioner's summary explains which law applies where. And if you plan to email or text those customers, Canada's anti-spam law requires consent, identification and a working opt-out, as the CRTC's CASL FAQ sets out. Make sure you can export your list, and keep records of how each contact agreed to hear from you.
Recovery codes and two-step verification
Owning an account isn't enough if you can't sign in when it matters. Turn on two-step verification for every owner login, and store the backup codes somewhere the business controls, not on one person's phone. Many lockouts happen because the only verification phone belonged to someone who has since left.
Social pages and directories
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and trade directories each have their own admin roles. They're usually lower risk, but an orphaned page with your name and an old phone number still confuses customers.
How to check: confirm you're an admin on each, and note any pages you didn't know existed.
Putting it together: the ownership register
Once you've checked everything, write it down in one place:
| Asset | Owner email | Other users | Renewal or billing date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | |||
| Hosting | |||
| Google Business Profile | |||
| Google Ads | |||
| Analytics / Search Console | |||
| Tracking numbers | |||
| Social pages |
Review it every quarter. If a line is ever filled with someone else's email, fix it while things are calm.
Where to go from here
If every line is your business, congratulations: you're in a stronger position than most. If some aren't, the agency exit checklist gives a safe order for recovery, and our account and domain recovery service can work through it with you. For the Google listing specifically, see Google Business Profile recovery, or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
If I paid for the website, don't I automatically own it?
Not necessarily in practice. Who holds the domain, the hosting account and the files decides who controls the site day to day, and the legal answer depends on your agreement. Check the practical side yourself, and ask a lawyer about the legal side.
Which asset matters most?
The domain, because the website, the business email and the verification of several other accounts depend on it. For many trades the Google Business Profile is a close second.
Can I check ownership without alerting my provider?
Mostly, yes. You can look up your domain's registrar and check the roles shown in accounts you can already open. Asking to be added as owner is a normal request and needn't signal anything.
Sources
- CIRA: How to transfer domains (2026-10-22)
- Google Business Profile Help: Add and remove owners and managers (2026-10-22)
- CRTC: Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation FAQ (2026-10-22)
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Summary of privacy laws (2026-10-22)