Who Hosts My Website When the Logins Were Never Yours
Who hosts my website is the host, the registrar, and DNS, often three logins. I look after the site from $99 a month, and you keep the domain.
In this article· 6 sections
Who hosts my website is three names, not one password. The host is where the pages live, the registrar is who you pay for the domain, and DNS is the list that points the name at the host. If those logins were never yours, the site can stay online while you have no way to renew it, move it, or change a line.
Short answer: Separate the host, the registrar, and DNS before you hunt for a password. The free who hosts my website lookup reads the public records and names each one, plus the email provider and the date the domain expires. Managed Website Hosting & Care then looks after the site from $99 a month, on the host you already pay or on hosting I run. You keep the domain and the content.
Who hosts my website, the host or the registrar?
Who hosts my website is the company the domain points at. The registrar is who you pay for the name. DNS sends the name to that host, and email can be a fourth company. I look after the site from $99 a month once those names are written down.
Say you run a flower shop. One card pays a host every month. A once-a-year charge pays for the domain, and that receipt may sit in an inbox the last designer still opens. The page loads. The map of who can change it does not.
A host login is not the whole map. Files and the domain name are often two accounts, and email can be a third. Write down the host, the registrar, DNS, and email before you change anything.
How do I find the host, the registrar, and DNS?
Type the domain into the free lookup. It names the host, the registrar, who runs DNS, who handles email, and the date the domain expires. If another network sits in front of the host, the hosting invoice names the account behind it.
You do not need a password to start. The lookup reads the public registry and the DNS records and lists five things: the company the site points at, the registrar, who runs DNS, who handles email, and the expiry date. DNS is sometimes the registrar and sometimes not.
Match that list to mail you can still open. The domain renewal and the hosting receipt should each name a line on the list. If those messages go to an address you cannot open, that is the gap. If the domain is not locked, leave the lock on and turn it off only on the day you move it. If the expiry date is close and nobody can log in, recover the registrar first.
What if nobody has the logins?
Recover the registrar login first. That account renews the name, locks it, and points it. A host login only covers the files. If the old developer stopped answering, taking the site over starts from the registrar you control, and moving one standard site in is included.
Ask the registrar for a reset. If the email on the account belongs to the old developer, say so and bring the lookup plus 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.
Taking the site over starts from that registrar access. Moving one standard site in is included: I copy it, test the copy, then switch the domain at a quiet time. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote first. You can also keep your current host. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you, and I keep a daily backup stored separately. Priority’s dedicated server applies only when I host. Leave the email records alone during a move.
What do I handle once the site has a known home?
Every plan includes hosting and SSL, daily backups stored apart from the site, updates, monitoring around the clock, security hardening, and a fix on my watch. You do not manage a server login. You keep the domain and can ask for a full copy any time.
Security hardening means locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. You do not get a control panel.
Small changes go by email to michael@michaelheredia.com. A link or a screenshot helps. 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. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials and included on Business and Priority. A fix on my watch, or a backup restore, is included on every plan. On Essentials and Business, an outage goes to the front of the line during business hours.
Checkout takes a couple of minutes. I email you within 1 business day to start. Plans are billed monthly through Stripe, and you can cancel any time. Before the paid month ends you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host.
Which plan fits which owner?
Essentials is $99 a month with 30 minutes of changes and a reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month with 1 hour, staging, and malware cleanup included. Priority is $499 a month with 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, 30 minutes of changes, 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. Those are a fixed quote before any work starts. It is also the wrong fit when someone on your staff already handles updates, backups, and small edits.
If the pages themselves are the problem, start with web development. I quote that work before it starts. These plans look after the site you already have.
If your staff already handles updates, backups, and small edits, keep the registrar and host logins in an inbox the business controls.
Open the plans and pick one. I email you within 1 business day after checkout to start. If you want a question answered before you pay, send it here and name the domain.
FAQ
How do I find out who hosts my website? +
Type the domain into the free lookup. It names the host the site points at, the registrar that holds the name, who runs DNS, who handles email, and the date the domain expires. The registrar and the host are often different companies. If another network sits in front of the host, the hosting invoice names the account behind it.
What does it cost for you to look after the site? +
Essentials is $99 a month, Business is $249 a month, and Priority is $499 a month. You can cancel any time. Each plan includes hosting, SSL, daily backups, updates, monitoring around the clock, and a fix if something breaks on my watch. Extra changes are $125 an hour after the included time, and I tell you before going over.
Can I keep my current host? +
Yes. The same plans, at the same price, cover a site that stays where it is. Your host keeps billing you for hosting, and I still store a daily backup separately from the site. You need a way into that host account so I can work on it. Priority's dedicated server applies only when I host.
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, and you can ask for a complete copy of the site any time before that too.
