Most business owners don’t lose sleep over who technically owns their website. Or where their domain name is registered. Or whether their email is being backed up.
Until something goes wrong.
The website goes offline and the hosting company has no backup. The domain name expires and gets snatched up by someone else. Years of customer emails vanish overnight. The SEO company you’ve been paying $600 a month hasn’t logged into your website in over a year.
By then, it’s too late.
What Are Digital Assets, Really?
For small business owners, digital assets are anything online that you own, control, and use to run your business. Think of them as the infrastructure that keeps your business running—your digital foundation.
Your digital assets include:
Your online presence:
- Domain name (your web address)
- Website and all its content
- Email accounts
- Social media profiles
Your branding and marketing materials:
- Logo files
- Photos and videos
- Marketing templates
- Customer data and contact lists
Your operational tools:
- Software and subscriptions
- Online directories (Google Business Profile, Yelp, etc.)
- Analytics and tracking tools
- Paid advertising accounts
These aren’t just technical details. They’re the foundation of how you do business, communicate with customers, and protect what you’ve built.
The Real Problem: Disorganization, Overlap, and Waste
Here’s what I see constantly: business owners aren’t necessarily losing ownership of their digital assets—they’re just not organized about them. Logins are scattered. Tools overlap. Subscriptions get renewed without anyone checking if they’re still needed. Costs pile up.
Real examples from my clients:
A business owner discovered their “website designer” actually owned their domain name. When they wanted to leave, the designer held it hostage.
Another client paid $600 monthly for SEO services. When we audited their account, the SEO company hadn’t logged into the website in over a year. They were paying for nothing.
A third client was renewing their domain for $75 annually because “privacy protection” was bundled in. The actual domain renewal? About $15. They’d been overpaying by $60 a year for something they didn’t need.
A fourth client had three different email marketing platforms running simultaneously—all paid subscriptions—because no one had ever consolidated them.
These aren’t edge cases. This is happening every day to business owners who are experts in their field but don’t have a marketing or tech person on staff to protect them and keep things organized.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Beyond the immediate financial waste, there’s a bigger risk: business continuity and control.
What happens if:
- You need to fire a vendor who has all your logins?
- Your website goes down and you don’t know who to call?
- You want to sell your business but can’t prove you own your digital assets?
- Something happens to you and no one on your team can access critical accounts?
- You’re paying for overlapping tools without realizing it?
If you don’t actively manage your digital assets, you’re building your business on a foundation you don’t fully control. That’s a vulnerability you can’t afford.
What You Should Actually Own and Control
At minimum, you should be the registered owner and have direct access to:
- Your domain name — Registered in your name or business name, not your web designer’s
- Your website files and content — You should be able to move your site if needed
- Your email — Know where it’s hosted and that it’s being backed up
- Your online directories — Claimed and controlled by you, not set up automatically
- Your paid advertising and SEO accounts — With full admin access and regular reporting
If you can’t answer “yes, I own that and can access it right now” to each of these, you have a gap.
The Good News: This Is Fixable
You don’t need to become a tech expert. You just need to ask the right questions and make sure someone is paying attention to these details.
Start here:
- Do you know where your domain name is registered and who the owner is?
- Can you log into your website hosting account?
- Do you have a list of all your digital accounts, logins, and vendor contacts?
- Is anyone backing up your website and email regularly?
- Do you review what you’re paying for and what you’re actually getting?
- Are there tools or subscriptions that overlap or duplicate each other?
If you’re unsure about any of these, you’re not alone. Most of my clients come to me with that exact feeling: something’s off, but they don’t know where to start.
What’s Next
Once you understand what your digital assets are, the next step is making sure they’re organized, backed up, and working together efficiently. Over the past 20+ years working with small businesses, I’ve seen what happens when digital assets aren’t managed properly. I’ve also seen how much peace of mind and money business owners save when they finally know what they have, what they own, and that it’s all working in their favor.
In my next post, I’ll walk you through a practical approach to organizing and protecting your digital foundation so nothing falls through the cracks.
Ready to Audit Your Digital Assets?
Your Discovery Session: 30 Minutes, No Obligation
A fresh set of eyes on your digital setup.
- Clarity on where you may be overspending or missing easy wins
- Insights you can act on right away — at least one clear step forward
- No-pressure conversation focused on your goals
Whether we work together or not, you’ll walk away more informed and in control.
[Schedule your Discovery Session]
Or, start small on your own with the questions above.