What happens to my website if I stop paying my marketing company? Either you keep a working site, you keep a domain pointing at nothing, or you keep nothing at all — and the answer is in the agreement and in what platform the site was built on.
This is the single most expensive thing lawyers discover late. Ask it before you sign, in writing, asset by asset.
- Published pricing — $2,500, $3,500 and $4,500 a month, on the site.
- Month to month. No contract is holding you anywhere.
- A former attorney of 17 years who filed 5,000+ cases works your account.
- You see your rankings move for 14 days before you are billed a dollar.
- Law firms only — no other industries, ever.
| Attorney Pro Marketing | Scorpion | FindLaw | Typical legal agency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing published on the website | Yes — $2,500 / $3,500 / $4,500 per month | Not published | Not published | Rarely published |
| Contract term | Month to month, 30 days’ notice | Not published | Not published | Commonly 12 months |
| Who works on your account | A former attorney of 17 years, in every account | Assigned account team | Assigned account team | Account manager, often across industries |
| Your website is built on | Standard, portable code | Proprietary platform | FirmSite platform | Varies — ask before signing |
| See results before you are billed | Yes — 14 days, then you decide | No | No | No |
| Ad spend billed by Google directly to you | Yes, no markup | Ask | Ask | Often passes through the agency |
“Not published” means the figure does not appear on that company’s own website as of October 2026 — check for yourself before you sign anything, with them or with us.
The Three Outcomes
Outcome one: you keep a working site. The site is built on standard technology — ordinary web code, a common content management system — the files can be exported, and the domain and hosting are in your firm's name. You stop paying, you move hosting or take over the existing hosting, and the site keeps working. Your rankings carry on, because nothing about the site changed from Google's perspective.
Outcome two: you keep a domain pointing at nothing. The site was built on the agency's proprietary platform and only runs while you are a client. Billing stops, the site goes dark or reverts to a placeholder, and you own a domain name with nothing behind it. Your rankings go with the pages, and rebuilding takes months.
Outcome three: you keep nothing. The domain itself is registered in the agency's name. This is less common than it used to be but it still happens, usually because the agency registered the domain during onboarding as a convenience and nobody transferred it. Recovering a domain from an unwilling holder is slow, and sometimes it is for sale back to you.
Why the Platform Decides It, Not Goodwill
The important point is that outcome two is not caused by a bad agency. It is caused by a platform, and it applies identically to every client of that platform regardless of how the relationship ended.
Proprietary platforms exist for real reasons — they are cheaper to maintain at scale, more consistent, and faster to deploy. The trade-off is portability, and it is a trade-off the firm makes without usually being told it is making one. “Your site” in a sales conversation can mean “the site we operate for you,” and both parties leave the call believing they understood each other.
- “Is the site built on a proprietary platform or on standard code?” If proprietary, outcome two applies and nothing else in the agreement changes that.
- “Can you send me an export of the site files today?” The ability to produce them is the test. The answer to this question is the answer to the whole issue.
- “In whose name is the domain registered?” Ask for the registrar and the account holder, and check it yourself with a public WHOIS lookup.
- “If I give notice today, what is live in thirty days?” A specific, uncomfortable question that produces a specific answer.
Six Assets, Asked About Separately
A single blanket assurance covers six different things that are frequently held differently from one another. Ask about each one by name.
- The domain name. Registered to your firm, in a registrar account you can log into.
- The website files and design. Exportable, on standard code, assigned to you rather than licensed.
- The written content. Occasionally licensed for the term rather than assigned, which means the pages come down when you leave.
- The Google Ads account. In your firm's name, holding its own conversion history. Losing this sets the next agency back months.
- The Google Business Profile. Owned by your Google account, with the agency as a manager you can remove.
- Analytics and call tracking. Your historical data, in accounts you control, or you lose the baseline that proves what worked.
Protecting Yourself Now, Mid-Engagement
If you are already with an agency and do not know the answers, four steps, none of which require a confrontation.
Run a WHOIS lookup on your own domain and read who is listed. Ask for an export of the site files as a routine backup request. Check in Google Ads and your Google Business Profile whether your own account holds ownership or merely access. And ask for a copy of the current agreement, then read the termination clause first.
Attorney Pro Marketing builds on standard, portable code, with the domain, hosting, website files, content, Google Ads account and Google Business Profile all registered in your firm's name from day one. If you stop paying, the site keeps working — there is nothing to transfer, migrate or buy back, because none of it was ever held on our side. Month to month with 30 days' notice and no termination fee, and published pricing at $2,500, $3,500 or $4,500 a month.
That structure is not generosity. It is the only arrangement under which a month-to-month promise means anything at all.
See it before you pay for it.
We snapshot your rankings on day 0, build and launch your site within three days, and show you the movement on day 14. If it has not moved enough to be worth continuing, you owe nothing for that period and you keep the Google Business Profile work.
Related Questions
It depends on the platform. On standard, portable code with the domain and hosting in your firm's name, the site keeps working and your rankings carry on. On an agency's proprietary platform it typically goes dark or reverts to a placeholder when billing stops, leaving you a domain with nothing behind it.
Ask the agency to send an export of the site files today — the ability to produce them answers the whole question. Ask whether the site is on a proprietary platform or standard code. Run a public WHOIS lookup on your domain to see who is registered. And ask what would be live thirty days after you gave notice.
It happens, usually because the agency registered the domain during onboarding and nobody transferred it. Recovering a domain from an unwilling holder is slow and occasionally it is offered back for sale. Check the registrar and account holder yourself with a WHOIS lookup rather than relying on an assurance.
Six, each asked about individually: the domain name, in a registrar account you can log into; the website files and design, exportable and assigned rather than licensed; the written content; the Google Ads account with its conversion history; the Google Business Profile, owned by your Google account; and analytics and call tracking data.