Processes and team

Developer dependency: how to take back control of your website

Developer dependency happens when the domain, hosting and accounts aren’t in the owner’s name, there’s no documentation and the site hasn’t been updated for years. While everything works, nobody notices. The first step is to find out which access you already have and move the rest into your name before something breaks.

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Sound familiar? Tick what applies

Tick the points you recognise.

What it costs your business

While everything works, depending on one person goes unnoticed. Trouble starts when the site goes down, the domain isn’t renewed on time or the site gets hacked, and the only person with access is unreachable. The business loses enquiries and reputation, and recovery without backups or credentials can cost more than a new website.

Why it happens

Your website is held hostage: why it happens

  1. 01

    Accounts aren’t in your name

    The domain, hosting, analytics and ad accounts are registered to the developer or agency. Legally and technically, you aren’t the owner. How to check: look up the domain owner via WHOIS or the registrar, and find out whose email receives the hosting invoices.

  2. 02

    No documentation

    How the site is built, which plugins are critical, where the settings live: it’s all in one person’s head. How to check: ask the contractor for a list of access details and a short description of the site within a day. If they can’t, there is no documentation.

  3. 03

    Custom or closed code

    A home-made system only its author understands, or “customised” plugins that break when updated. Anyone new has to untangle it first. How to check: is the admin a CMS other developers know, and can you get the site code as an archive?

  4. 04

    No regular updates or backups

    The site hasn’t been maintained for years: an outdated core, plugins with known vulnerabilities, not a single tested backup. How to check: see how many updates are pending in the admin and ask to be shown the latest backup.

  5. 05

    No support agreement

    Work was done ad hoc, without a contract or response times, so the developer can disappear without breaking any promise. How to check: does your contract cover response times and handover of code and access?

  6. 06

    No test copy of the site

    Every change goes straight onto the live site, so each update is a gamble. How to check: ask where changes are tested before they go live.

Solutions

How we fix it

  1. 1

    Recover your access

    We help move the domain, hosting and service accounts into your name, via the registrar, the hosting provider or the previous contractor. Domain, hosting, code and access should belong to the business owner.

  2. 2

    Technical audit

    We check the code, plugins, security, speed and backups. You get a plain-language report: what’s critical, what can wait and what the fixes cost.

  3. 3

    Backups and security

    We set up automatic off-server backups and update the core and plugins on a staging copy first. For a food brand’s website, for example, we set up a local Docker environment so changes never touch the live site before review.

  4. 4

    Support on clear terms

    We maintain the site with agreed response times and document everything we do, so you don’t depend even on us.

Services

Services that solve it

Website support

Your site stays updated, secure and backed up, and small changes are done within a day — no hunting for a developer each time.

from €100/moLearn more

Technical audit and discovery

An in-depth review of speed, SEO, security, code and integrations with a prioritised report and a fix estimate — so you know where to invest.

from €300Learn more

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Read
FAQ

FAQ

What should I check first if the developer has vanished?

The domain expiry date and owner, hosting access and whether a backup exists. An expiring domain is the most urgent: if it lapses, both the website and email stop working.

What if the developer won’t hand over access?

In most cases access can be recovered through the domain registrar or hosting provider by proving the business is yours. We’ll outline the steps and handle the technical side. If something is completely out of reach, the site can be moved or rebuilt from its public version.

Do we need to rebuild the site from scratch?

Not always. We start with an audit: often the site can be cleaned up, updated and maintained going forward. We only recommend a rebuild when keeping the existing code costs more than starting fresh.

How do we avoid this happening again?

Domain and hosting on your email, access in a company password manager, and code and documentation handover written into the contract. That is how we work with our own clients.

How much does support cost?

A technical audit starts from €300, website support from €100 a month. The scope depends on the state of the site and how many changes you need.

Sound familiar?

Other problems we solve

All problems and solutions

Your team is buried in manual work

Every day the same data gets copied from the website to a spreadsheet, into the CRM and then onto an invoice.

How to fix it

Appointments booked by hand

Your receptionist spends all day on calls and messages, and the schedule still has clashes.

How to fix it

You’ve outgrown your tools

The business keeps growing, but the apps, plugins and spreadsheets that once helped now slow down every step.

How to fix it

Traffic, but no enquiries

People visit, look around and leave — no call, no message, no form.

How to fix it

Enquiries get lost

Enquiries are scattered across Instagram, Telegram, email and phone — and some simply vanish.

How to fix it

Customers wait too long

Someone messages in the evening or at the weekend and hears back the next day — after buying elsewhere.

How to fix it

Tell us about your project

We reply within one business day. Or message us on your favourite messenger.

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  • Free consultation and estimate
  • NDA on request, before we start