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To find out who built a website, start with the site’s own credits and the developer’s portfolio, then use domain and technical records only as supporting clues. A site owner, domain registrant, registrar, hosting provider, platform vendor, and web developer can all be different people or companies. The strongest attribution is a current site credit corroborated by a first-party project page or direct confirmation.
1. Check the website’s own pages for a credit
Look for wording such as “site by,” “designed by,” or “developed by” in the footer, About or Contact pages, and legal pages such as the privacy policy or terms. A named person or agency is a useful direct lead, but check whether the credit refers to the current site or a previous version.
If there is no credit, this step has not identified the builder. Do not treat the absence of a credit as evidence that a particular developer was involved.
2. Search the exact domain with attribution phrases
Search for the domain in quotation marks alongside phrases such as “built by,” “designed by,” “developed by,” or “website by.” You can also search the business name with the domain and terms such as “redesign” or “case study.” ICANN’s 2016 consumer survey lists Google search and website information among approaches people reported using to identify website creators: ICANN consumer research.
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A search result is a lead, not proof. Follow it to the candidate developer’s own portfolio or project page and check whether it identifies the same client and domain.
3. Inspect the page source and metadata
In a desktop browser, use the page context menu’s “View page source” option, or open Developer Tools and inspect the page’s HTML. Look for explicit credits, comments, generator metadata, theme names, asset paths, or links that name a development studio.
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A CMS, framework, or theme can help identify the technology behind a site, but it normally does not identify who implemented it. Treat a platform fingerprint as a clue unless the source contains an explicit, attributable credit.
4. Check public domain registration information with ICANN Lookup
Enter the domain in ICANN Lookup to check for publicly available registration data. Some records display registrant information; privacy or proxy services may conceal personal details. ICANN explains these privacy limits in its registrant information.
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For generic top-level domains such as .com, .org, and .net, ICANN made the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) the definitive source for registration information on 28 January 2025, replacing sunsetted WHOIS services. ICANN recommends its RDAP-based Lookup: ICANN’s RDAP update.
A registration record identifies the recorded registrant when that information is public; it does not establish who designed or coded the website.
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5. Separate the registrar and hosting clues from authorship
A registrar handles a domain’s registration. A hosting provider supplies services that make a website available. DNS and IP lookups may point to infrastructure providers or intermediaries, not the people who created the site. ICANN notes that a domain name is not the website itself and that the registrar and host may be different companies: ICANN’s domain and hosting FAQ.
Even if a developer appears in registration details, that does not prove authorship: a developer may register a client’s domain on the client’s behalf. Do not report a registrar, host, or infrastructure provider as the builder based on that evidence alone.
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6. Verify a candidate in the developer’s portfolio
When the site credits a possible studio, check the studio’s own portfolio or case-study page for the project. Compare the client name, domain, and project description. If no credit appears on the site, search the business name with “website redesign” or “case study,” then prioritize a first-party project page or direct confirmation over an unattributed directory listing.
Check what work the portfolio actually claims. It may describe a redesign, a specific phase, or an earlier version rather than the current live site.
7. Compare archived versions with the current site
An older captured version may preserve a footer credit that has since disappeared, or show when the site changed. Record the capture date and compare the archived page with the live one. A historical credit can support attribution for that earlier version; it does not establish who built a later redesign.
How to weigh the evidence
| Evidence | What it can support | What it does not establish alone |
|---|---|---|
| Current “site by” credit | The named person or agency claims a design or build role. | That the credit is current or describes every part of the work. |
| Developer’s first-party portfolio or case study | The candidate publicly associates a project with its work. | That the live site is unchanged from the project described. |
| Public domain registration record | The identity recorded as the registrant, if visible. | Who designed or coded the site; privacy protections may hide the record. |
| Registrar result | Which company handles domain registration. | Who hosts or built the site. |
| DNS, IP, or hosting clue | An infrastructure or service-provider lead. | Who created the site. |
| CMS, theme, or source clue | The technology used, or an explicit code credit if present. | Individual authorship without corroboration. |
| Archived credit | Attribution for the version shown in that capture. | The builder of a later redesign. |
For a confident attribution, look for two independent clues—for example, a current credit on the site and a matching case study on the developer’s own website. That is a practical cross-check, not an ICANN standard. State the role as narrowly as the evidence allows: “credited for the redesign” is more accurate than “built the website” when the record supports only a redesign.
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