Find out who holds the keys
A domain is rented, not owned forever, and whoever holds the account holds the keys. That is why a domain problem can take a business offline even when the website itself is perfectly healthy.
Two minutes to find out where you stand
From our own rebuild work, 43% of owners did not control their domain, could not reach it, or were sitting on the wrong one entirely.
Look your domain up at lookup.icann.org. It will name the registrar, which is the company the domain is registered through. That is the company you deal with, whatever anyone else has told you.
| What you find | What it means | The way back |
|---|---|---|
| The registrar account is yours, you just lost the password | Best case | Password recovery with the registrar |
| It is registered to a developer or agency | Common | Request a transfer; if they do not answer, go to the registrar with proof |
| It is registered to someone no longer in business | Awkward, not hopeless | The registrar has a documented process for exactly this |
| The address you use is not the one registered | Happens more than you would think | Decide which one you want to keep, then build around it |
What proof usually means
Business registration documents, old invoices for the domain, email at that domain, or evidence of long use. Have them in one folder before you start.
A transfer can take several days, so start before you need it finished.