Web Developer Disappeared: How to Get the Site Back
Web developer disappeared and nobody can change the site. Start from the domain you own. I take it over, hosting included, from $99 a month.
In this article· 6 sections
Say you run a salon. The site still takes bookings, and your web developer disappeared. The domain you already pay for is how you get the site back under the name you own.
Short answer: When your web developer disappeared, recover the registrar before you hunt for their host login. That account renews the name and points it, so a standard site can be copied even if they never write back. I do that move on Managed Website Hosting & Care from $99 a month. You keep the domain and the content, and you can ask for a full copy any time.
What do you do when your web developer disappeared?
When your web developer disappeared, start with the domain the business pays for, not their inbox. Recover the registrar so the name still renews and points where you choose. Leave the files alone until that login is yours. I copy a standard site from there, from $99 a month.
The pages can look fine. The hours, a photo, or the form can still be wrong, and there is nobody left to send the edit to. A password in someone else’s email does not decide who owns the name. The registrar does.
Three jobs sit still: a text change, a renewal you cannot see, and a login you were never given. The renewal and the login can be cleared from the registrar. The text change waits until someone has the files.
Write down what you can see without their password. Find the domain on the renewal receipt, the email that receipt goes to, and whether you can still pay that bill. If the receipt goes to an address you cannot open, that is the gap. Ask the registrar to recover the account, and bring a past invoice. Store the new login where the business can open it, and turn renewal on. If the domain expires, the site and the email on that name stop.
What can you check before anyone moves the site?
Open the free lookup and match it to bills you can still read. It names the host, the registrar, email, and the date the domain expires. If the registrar email is the old developer’s, recover that account first. Do not point the domain somewhere new yet.
You do not need a password to start. The free who hosts my website lookup reads the public records. Match those names to mail you can open. The domain renewal and the hosting receipt can be two different companies.
Leave the email records alone until you know the move is ready. A wrong change there takes the inbox down with the pages. If the domain is locked, leave the lock on. Turn it off only on the day the name actually moves.
How do I get the site back when I own the domain?
Registrar access is enough to copy a standard site, test it, and switch the domain at a quiet time. That move is included. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote first. You can keep the current host. Same plans, same price.
Taking the site over starts from that registrar login. I copy the site, test the copy, then switch the domain when the shop is quiet. You can keep your current hosting. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you for hosting, and I keep a daily backup stored separately from the site. Priority’s dedicated server applies only when I host.
You do not get a server login or a control panel to manage. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content. You can ask for a complete copy of the site any time.
Plans are billed each month through Stripe, and you can cancel any time. The plan runs to the end of the month you already paid. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host.
What is included once the site is back?
Email a link or a screenshot to michael@michaelheredia.com. Text, photos, hours, a new post, or a section use the monthly time first, then $125 an hour, and I tell you before going over. Unused time does not roll over. A fix on my watch, or a backup restore, is included.
Every plan includes hosting and SSL, daily backups stored separately from the site, core, plugin, and theme updates, uptime monitoring around the clock, and security hardening. Security hardening means locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials. It is included on Business and Priority.
I monitor uptime around the clock on every plan. On Essentials and Business, an outage goes to the front of the line during business hours. Priority gets 24/7 response if the site goes down. On Essentials, a change request gets a reply within 2 business days.
Small edits are the monthly minutes. A redesign, a new feature, an online store, or an integration is not. I quote that work as a fixed price before any of it starts.
Which plan fits which owner?
Essentials is $99 a month: 30 minutes of changes, reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month: 1 hour, updates tested on a staging copy, and malware cleanup included. Priority is $499 a month: 3 hours, a dedicated server, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 a month | Hosting, SSL, daily backups, updates, monitoring, 30 minutes of changes, a reply within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour. Fixes and restores are included. |
| Business (most popular) | $249 a month | Everything in Essentials, 1 hour of changes, updates tested on a staging copy before they go live, malware cleanup included. |
| Priority | $499 a month | Everything in Business, 3 hours of changes, a dedicated server, 24/7 response if the site goes down. |
All three cost the same if I host or if I look after the site on the host you already pay. “Most popular” is only the label on Business. See the plans.
When this isn’t the right fit
This is the wrong plan if the site needs a redesign, a new feature, an online store, or an integration first. I quote that work as a fixed price before it starts. It is the wrong fit when someone on staff already handles updates, backups, and small edits.
If the pages themselves are the problem, start with web development. These plans look after the site you already have. Moving one standard site in is included. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote before that move.
Pick a plan on the plans page. Checkout takes a couple of minutes, and I email you within 1 business day to start. A question can go through the hosting form.
FAQ
What should I do if my web developer disappeared? +
Recover the registrar login first. That account renews the domain and points it, even if the old developer never answers. Moving one standard site in is included. I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time. You keep the domain and the content.
How much does it cost for you to take the site over? +
Essentials is $99 a month, Business is $249 a month, and Priority is $499 a month. You can cancel any time. Every plan includes hosting, SSL, daily backups, updates, monitoring around the clock, and a fix if something breaks on my watch. Checkout takes a couple of minutes. I email you within 1 business day to start.
Do I have to leave my current host? +
No. You can keep your current hosting. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you for hosting, and I store a daily backup separately from the site. Priority's dedicated server applies only when I host. You do not manage a server login or a control panel.
What do I get if I cancel? +
The plan runs to the end of the month you already paid. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content. You can ask for a complete copy of the site any time, including before you cancel.
