Website Ownership & Exit Protocol

This page defines the structural principles behind every website built and hosted under The Website Guy. The objective is simple: you retain control. Your business is not dependent on the continued existence, health, or availability of TWG.

Core Principles

You are the registrar of your domain.
Your primary email is not controlled by TWG.
You are never contractually restricted from leaving.
No release fees. No artificial lock-in.
Hosting continuity is architected for portability.

This is not a marketing statement. It is an operational standard.

Control Layer 1 — Domain

The domain name is the root asset. Control of the domain equals control of the website.

Best practice:

• The client is the registered owner at the registrar.
• The registrar account login belongs to the client.
• The client can change nameservers at any time.

DNS authority determines where the website and email point. If you control the registrar account, you control the direction of your digital infrastructure.

If a domain was initially registered on your behalf, it can be transferred into your own registrar account. This ensures direct custody.

Control Layer 2 — Email

The primary administrative email for your domain and hosting accounts must not depend on the same domain being hosted.

Example of structural risk:
If your admin email is info@yourdomain.co.za and the hosting server becomes unavailable, you lose access to password resets and recovery flows.

Best practice:

• Use an independent provider such as Google (Gmail) or Microsoft (Outlook).
• Ensure registrar and hosting recovery emails are external to the hosted domain.

This prevents circular lockout scenarios and preserves account recovery capability under stress conditions.

Control Layer 3 — Hosting

Websites are hosted on TWG infrastructure for performance, maintenance efficiency, and centralized management.

However, hosting is designed for portability.

Emergency continuity path:

1. Client creates their own hosting account with the same hosting provider.

2. Internal migration is requested within that provider.

3. Website is restored from the latest available backup.

4. DNS is pointed to the new hosting account.

Internal transfers within the same provider are typically smoother than cross-provider migrations because server environments are aligned.

The website is therefore not architecturally dependent on TWG’s continued operation.

Exit Without Friction

If you choose to move your website:

• No release fees apply.
• No contractual restrictions prevent transfer.
• No technical barriers are introduced.

You retain the right to move your domain, hosting, and email at any time.

Disaster & Incapacitation Planning

In the event TWG becomes temporarily unavailable due to hospitalization, incapacity, or other unforeseen events, your structure remains recoverable provided:

• You control your domain registrar.
• Your admin email is independent.
• The hosting provider retains backups within its documented retention window.

A separate public GitHub repository provides procedural instructions for recovery and migration. Clients are encouraged to bookmark that repository for independent access.

Durability Standard

The objective is structural resilience.

Your domain remains yours.
Your email remains recoverable.
Your hosting can be relocated.

TWG builds websites to operate efficiently under management — and to remain transferable without obstruction.