{"id":133,"slug":"rule-list-business-as-domain-registrant","title":"RULE: Always list the business (not the agency) as the domain Registrant. Step 1 of every engagement.","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","claude-code","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["agency-methodology","domain-registration"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** For every Candid client engagement, the **first action** in onboarding is a WHOIS lookup of the client's primary domain. If the **Registrant** is not the business or the business owner, **fixing that is task #1** — before any design, development, or content work.\n\n**For new domains:** Candid never registers a domain in Candid's own name on behalf of a client. The client creates their own registrar account (Cloudflare Registrar, Porkbun, or similar — not Squarespace) and adds Candid as a delegate user where useful. The business is always the Registrant.\n\n**Why:** ICANN treats the listed Registrant as the legal owner (see [[icann-registrant-is-legal-owner]]). Without Registrant status the business has no transfer authority, no leverage, and no path to recovery if Candid goes under or the relationship ends. The \"agency-as-Registrant\" hostage pattern (see [[agency-domain-hostage-pattern-recurring]]) is the single most common ownership failure in SMB web work.\n\n**How to apply:**\n- WHOIS lookup at engagement kickoff. Document the result in the project handoff.\n- If the current Registrant is a prior agency: transfer to business control **before any other work** begins. Budget 1-2 weeks for the transfer.\n- New domains: client creates the registrar account; Candid is delegate only.\n- This rule is **non-negotiable**. There is no engagement where Candid is the Registrant of a client's domain.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"icann-registrant-is-legal-owner","title":"ICANN: listed Registrant is the legal owner of a domain — admin/technical contact is NOT ownership","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"agency-domain-hostage-pattern-recurring","title":"Agency-as-Registrant \"domain hostage\" pattern — practitioner-documented but rarely litigated","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"squarespace-acquired-google-domains-2023","title":"Squarespace acquired Google Domains for $180M (Sept 7, 2023) — ~10M SMB domains migrated automatically","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-owning-your-stack","title":"Research brief: Owning your stack — why agency-managed platforms cost more than they save (piece 4 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T19:17:26.878Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T19:17:26.878Z"}