Would You Give Your House Keys to a Stranger? Then Why Give Them Your Domain Password?
Every day, small business owners hand over the keys to their entire digital existence to people they've never met. Here's why that's terrifying.
Real Story: Sarah's Nightmare
Sarah hired a freelancer on Fiverr to build her accounting firm's website. She gave him access to her domain registrar, hosting, email, and Google Business Profile - "so he could set everything up."
Six months later, the freelancer's account got hacked. Sarah's domain was transferred to an overseas registrar. Her email was compromised. Client data was exposed. Her Google Business Profile was deleted.
Cost to recover: $15,000+ in legal fees, security consultants, and lost business. Some clients never came back.
This Happens Every Day
We wish Sarah's story was unusual. It's not. Every week, we hear variations:
- "My web developer disappeared and I can't access my own website"
- "Someone changed my domain settings and now my email is broken"
- "A freelancer I fired is still posting on my Google Business Profile"
- "I don't know the password to anything - my old agency had it all"
- "My domain expired because the notices went to someone else's email"
What You're Actually Handing Over
When you give someone your "website access," you might be giving them:
Domain Registrar Access
What they can do: Transfer your domain to another owner. Point it to any website. Sell it. Hold it hostage.
Impact if misused: You lose your business identity. Customers can't find you. Recovery takes weeks to months.
Hosting Control Panel
What they can do: Delete all files. Access databases with customer data. Install malware. Redirect your site.
Impact if misused: Complete data loss. Customer information exposed. Reputation destroyed.
Email Administration
What they can do: Read all emails. Send emails as you. Delete accounts. Forward all mail elsewhere.
Impact if misused: Confidential communications exposed. Business fraud in your name. Client relationships destroyed.
Google Business Profile
What they can do: Change your business name, address, phone. Post as your business. Respond to reviews. Mark you permanently closed.
Impact if misused: Lost local search visibility. Customers sent to competitors. Fake negative content.
Social Media Accounts
What they can do: Post anything. Change passwords. Delete years of content. Lock you out completely.
Impact if misused: Brand damage. Lost followers. Inappropriate content in your name.
The "Cheap Freelancer" Gamble
We get it. Hiring a $50 freelancer from a marketplace seems like a smart business decision. But consider:
Questions You Should Ask (But Rarely Do)
- ? What country are they actually in? (Account location can be faked)
- ? Do they have a registered business? ABN? Company number?
- ? Can you actually sue them if something goes wrong?
- ? How do they secure the credentials you give them?
- ? What happens to your access details when they complete the job?
- ? If their account gets compromised, what's exposed?
Most freelancers are honest. But "most" doesn't help when you're the exception. And even honest freelancers can have poor security practices that put you at risk.
Real Security Failures We've Seen
The Password Document: "I'll need all your passwords in a Word doc."
Translation: Your credentials will sit in their unencrypted cloud storage forever.
The Shared Account: Freelancer uses your credentials on multiple clients' projects.
Translation: One breach exposes every client they've ever worked with.
The Personal Account: "Just add me as owner on everything, it's easier."
Translation: When the project ends, they still have full access. Forever.
The Expired Relationship: You stop paying, they stop responding - but still have access.
Translation: A disgruntled ex-contractor with the keys to your business.
The Agency Shell Game
"But I hired an agency, not a freelancer!" That might be worse:
- "Agencies" that are one person - A nice website doesn't mean a real business
- Offshore subcontracting - You think you hired Sydney, you got Sri Lanka (nothing wrong with Sri Lanka, but know who you're dealing with)
- Staff turnover - The person who built your site left. Their replacement has no idea where anything is.
- Business closure - Agency shuts down. All client access goes with them.
How to Protect Yourself
The Smart Business Owner Checklist
Own your domain registrar account
Your domain is YOUR account at GoDaddy, Cloudflare, or similar. Add others as users, never hand over the primary login.
Use role-based access
Add developers as "editors" or "contributors," not "owners." Limit what they can touch.
Remove access when done
Project finished? Remove their access that day. Don't assume they'll "forget" about it.
Enable 2FA everywhere
Even if credentials leak, 2FA stops unauthorized access. Use an authenticator app, not SMS.
Keep a master document
Record every service, every account, every access level. Store it securely (password manager, not Google Doc).
Work with accountable businesses
Registered company. Local presence. Real people you can talk to. Contracts that protect you.
Why We Built VisROI Differently
We're an Australian registered company. We're not anonymous freelancers, offshore agencies, or a "marketing guy's side hustle."
Registered Australian company with ABN. Real address. Real people. Governed by Australian consumer law.
Domain in your name. Hosting in your account. We work with you, not for some shadowy organization that owns your digital assets.
Role-based access. 2FA required. Encrypted credential management. When the project's done, access is revoked (unless ongoing support agreed).
Problems? Talk to real people. In your timezone. Who actually understand your business. Novel concept, we know.
The Trust Test
Before you hand over any credentials, ask yourself:
- □ Would I give this person the keys to my office?
- □ Could I find them if something went wrong?
- □ Do they have more to lose than I do if they mess up?
- □ Is there a contract that protects me?
- □ Can I actually enforce that contract?
If you answer "no" to any of these, reconsider who you're trusting with your business's digital life.
The Bottom Line
Your domain, your email, your Google Business Profile, your social accounts - these aren't just "tech stuff." They're the foundation of your business in the digital age.
Treat them with the same care you'd give to your physical assets. Because in many ways, they're worth more.
Work With a Company You Can Trust
Australian registered. Real people. Real accountability. Your digital assets stay in YOUR control. Let's talk about building something great together.
VisROI - Established Australian Company
Based on the Gold Coast, serving businesses across Australia, USA, UK, and worldwide. Proper business. Proper accountability. Proper security.
VisROI Team
Helping small businesses build secure, trustworthy digital presences since 2020.