Do You Really Own Your Website? What Small Business Owners Need to Know

August 7, 2025/Ann Marie/

If you’re a small business owner, your website is one of your most important marketing tools. It’s how customers find you, learn about you, and decide to do business with you. So, naturally, you assume—of course I own my website.

But here’s the truth: many business owners don’t actually own their websites in the way they think they do. And that can lead to some frustrating (and costly) surprises down the road.

What "Owning Your Website" Really Means

When we talk about website ownership, we mean more than just having a domain name and access to a login screen.

Truly owning your website means:

You have access to all your files and data
You can move your site to a different host if needed
You control your domain name and where it points
You’re not locked into a single platform or service

If you can’t easily back up your site, transfer it, or update it without starting from scratch, you might not own your website in a meaningful way.

The Hidden Limitations of Wix, Squarespace, and Other Site Builders

Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and even GoDaddy’s Website Builder are popular because they’re easy to get started with. But they come with serious limitations:

You’re renting space, not owning it. Your site lives on their closed system. You can’t download a full copy of your website or take it with you to another provider.
You’re locked in. If you ever decide to leave, you’ll likely have to rebuild your site from the ground up.
You’re limited in customization. Want to add advanced features or make backend edits? You might hit a wall quickly.
You’re at their mercy. If the platform changes pricing, removes features, or updates its policies—you don’t have much say.

In other words, you’re building on borrowed land.

Why WordPress = True Ownership

At Cascade Valley Designs, we build websites using self-hosted WordPress, which gives small businesses true control and long-term flexibility. Here’s why that matters:

You own the files. Every line of code, image, and post is yours.
You can host it anywhere. If you ever want to move your site, you can—no rebuilding needed.
You can grow with it. WordPress is endlessly customizable and scales with your business.
You’re not trapped. With proper setup, you have full admin access to everything behind the scenes.

With WordPress, your website is like owning the house and the land it sits on—not just a lease on a pretty apartment.