Did the person who set up your website leave, and now nobody knows who holds the domain login? The same gap shows up when you switch agencies. Your domain, host, form service, CRM and phone number each sit in an account. If one sits where nobody can reach it, new inquiries can stop even though you still have the website files. Trojan Digital Marketing is based in Indianapolis and has more than 1,400 live websites. We help owners list who controls each account, starting with the domain. Bring whatever account list you have, even a half-finished one: the first strategy call is free, and during business hours we aim to reply within five minutes.
An account list shows where each piece lives. We keep passwords out of it. Each line names the system, what it does for the business, who should have access, and proof that the account can be used and recovered.
Start from a real customer action
- Fit
- Explain the service scope.
- Trust
- Show supporting evidence.
- Next step
- Give a clear contact route.
Choose one important action, such as requesting a quote. Trace it from the page to the person who follows up. Write down every system that participates. Repeat the exercise for a phone inquiry and any other critical route.
This reveals accounts that a generic vendor list can miss. A form may use a separate delivery service. A notification may run through an automation owned by an individual. A phone number may sit under a provider account that is billed separately from the website.
The owned lead generation framework puts this inventory in context: control must be practical enough for the business to continue operating. A list of brand assets does not establish that the inquiry path will survive an account change.
Use fields that answer operating questions
| Inventory field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| System and account identifier | Distinguishes the live account from a test or old account |
| Business function | Explains what stops working if access is lost |
| Administrative owner | Identifies who can authorize necessary changes |
| Working users and roles | Shows who can perform the current tasks |
| Billing and renewal responsibility | Prevents an important service from becoming an unowned invoice |
| Recovery route | Identifies how authorized access can be restored |
| Connected dependencies | Shows which other systems rely on the account |
| Acceptance check and date | Records whether the operating claim has been demonstrated |
We wouldn't accept agency or office as the owner on a line. Put a person's name there, so someone acts when a renewal fails or a connection expires.
Domain, DNS, and hosting are separate entries
Record the registrar and the domain registration details available to the business. Identify renewal billing and the authorized recovery contact. We'd check the domain line first, because a missed renewal can take down the site and any email that runs on it. ICANN describes registrant information and responsibilities; the inventory should point to the actual registrar arrangement, not infer it from the website's branding.
DNS and hosting may use different providers or accounts. Note where the settings are managed and who can inspect them. If email also depends on those settings, record that relationship so a website change does not overlook a separate communication service.
A website delivery scope should explain the platform, release process, and continuing subscriptions relevant to maintenance. The inventory is the place to connect those instructions with real account ownership.
Measurement needs the correct property and role
- Event → record
- Define the event and check the record.
- Meaning → decision
- Review the business meaning before acting.
Analytics systems may contain several properties for old sites, tests, or related businesses. Record the one that measures the live channel and the person responsible for its configuration. A screenshot of a chart doesn't prove access, so we'd ask to see the account itself with the right role.
Google Analytics documents account and property permissions. Confirm that each authorized user has the access needed for their actual task. Viewing reports, changing configuration, and managing users are different responsibilities.
Also identify Search Console, advertising accounts, tag management where used, and any reporting connector. If a dashboard depends on a private connection controlled by a departing user, the business needs a plan to replace or reauthorize it before the handover.
Forms and automations need dependency notes
For each inquiry route, record the form, delivery service, destination, CRM action, and notification. Identify any integration that authorizes the connection. The inventory should explain what a normal run looks like and where someone can inspect a failure.
An automation implementation should name the process owner as well as the technical account. A workflow that creates a task needs someone to receive it. A workflow that fails needs someone to notice and decide the next action.
Keep credentials and API secrets in the approved secure location. The inventory can reference where authorized staff obtain access without copying sensitive material into an ordinary project document.
Phone numbers require their own record
List the public numbers and any tracking numbers associated with the channel. Record which provider controls them, where they route, what billing supports them, and which business contact can request changes. Include numbers used in older materials if they still receive inquiries.
We wouldn't retire a number just because a campaign ended. Saved contacts, printed flyers or old links can keep sending calls to it. The business should review current use and the relevant provider process before making a change.
Distinguish access from agreed rights
- Domain and website
- Document ownership and access.
- Analytics and records
- Define access and the handover.
Being able to log in doesn't settle who owns what. A platform may let you in while the agreement gives different rights to content, creative assets or exports. The agreement checklist covers those terms. Jeff Clerisier, our founder, works out each scope with the client, so raise domain and content ownership with him on the free strategy call.
Keep the inventory factual. Record the current arrangement and unresolved questions without presenting an assumption as a completed transfer. This makes the document useful during a provider change or an internal staffing transition.
A practical review drill
In a hypothetical quarterly review, the business owner asks the responsible team member to identify the live domain account, locate the next hosting renewal, open the correct analytics property, and follow a labeled form submission into the CRM. One connection fails because its authorization belonged to a former employee.
The useful result is a named correction: reauthorize the connection through the approved business arrangement, test the route, and update the inventory. The drill doesn't mean changing every account. It fixes one weak link before a real customer request finds it.
The website transfer guide uses the same evidence during a handover. Review the inventory after material changes, renewals, or role transitions so it remains a working document rather than an outdated attachment.
Request a free marketing audit to identify which account and inquiry dependencies deserve a closer review. A clear inventory makes the next website or automation scope easier to own and maintain.