Website handover checklist: accounts, content and a working site
A finished-looking homepage is only one part of a website handover. This checklist helps you establish who controls the services, how you will update the site and what happens when something needs attention.
Quick answer
At handover, confirm the published website works, the agreed accounts are accessible, enquiries reach the right place and renewal responsibilities are recorded. Request the content, files or exports included in your agreement and identify third-party licences. Ownership, account access and portability are separate questions; verify each one for the platform you use.
A handover record to complete with your provider
| Item | Evidence to check | Record without passwords |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | You can access the registrar account or have the agreed control | Registrar, renewal date and responsible person |
| Website editing | Your own account has the agreed permissions | Provider, role and recovery contact |
| Hosting or builder plan | You know which service keeps the site online | Plan, billing cycle and account owner |
| Enquiries and bookings | A test reaches the right destination | Destination, notification route and operator |
| Content and licences | Agreed copies and usage details are supplied | Storage location, restrictions and renewal responsibilities |
| Support | You know how to request help or make changes | Contact, included period and quoted ongoing terms |
- 1
Check the live site against the agreed scope
Open the public address while logged out and compare it with your brief. Review the agreed pages, approved service information, phone links and main enquiry route. Test on a phone as well as a desktop. Note unresolved items in a shared list and agree who will handle each one. A screenshot of a working draft does not confirm that the published site or its integrations work.
- 2
Verify the domain account and renewal responsibility
Identify the registrar and confirm the access or control agreed for your business. Check the contact and recovery details and who is responsible for payment and renewal. Use the registrar’s official instructions for account changes. Domain registration and website hosting may be separate. Moving a domain or changing nameservers is not automatically required for a handover, and unnecessary changes can disrupt working services.
- 3
Use your own editing account
Ask for an account assigned to you with the permissions you need, rather than relying indefinitely on a designer’s shared login. Sign in yourself, make an agreed harmless edit and confirm you know how to restore it. Record the recovery route and enable available account protection. Decide which provider accounts still need third-party access for support and review that access when the relationship changes.
- 4
Request the content and portability information
Collect the text, original photographs and other materials you supplied, plus the exports or site files included in your agreement. Ask what can actually be moved to another provider and what would need rebuilding. A hosted builder may support content copies but not a portable version of every layout or function. Do not assume that owning your domain means the whole website can be exported unchanged.
- 5
Identify licensed assets and paid tools
List any paid themes, plugins, stock photographs, fonts, booking services or other tools. Ask which account holds each licence, what use is permitted, whether it can transfer and who handles any renewal. Keep the relevant purchase records or agreed licence information. A file delivered with the site is not by itself evidence of unrestricted reuse. Resolve unclear items with the provider or the relevant licence terms.
- 6
Trace an enquiry from the public page
Submit a test enquiry from the actual public form and confirm receipt at the destination your business will monitor. If email notifications are expected, check those separately from any dashboard inbox. Test an external booking link and distinguish a request from a confirmed appointment. Record which person handles new enquiries; technical delivery alone does not establish that a customer will receive a reply.
- 7
Record recurring charges and support terms
Make a list of the domain, hosting or builder plan, email, integrations and any support arrangement. Record billing cycles, the responsible account and how to cancel or change the service. Ask what happens to the live site when a support plan ends. Keep this record accessible to the business without publishing credentials or personal recovery information in it.
- 8
Send a clear handover request
Adapt this request: “Please send the agreed account-access process, domain and hosting details, content copies or available exports, third-party licence information and renewal responsibilities. Please also confirm the support contact and any outstanding work. I would like to test the published enquiry route and make an edit using my own account before we close the handover.” This is a practical request template, not a substitute for your project agreement.
Common questions
Does paying for a website mean I can move it anywhere?
+−
Portability depends on the platform, the delivered files and third-party services. Ask for the actual export or migration options. A custom domain can often be repointed, but the design and functions may need rebuilding.
Should the designer give me all their passwords?
+−
Ask for accounts and permissions appropriate to your business. A provider may manage many clients through one account. Use invitations or an agreed transfer process instead of requesting a shared password for unrelated services.
Do I have to change the domain registrar at handover?
+−
Not necessarily. First establish the control and access you need. If a transfer is required, use the relevant providers’ instructions and preserve the services that depend on the domain.
What if something is missing from the handover?
+−
Write down the missing item, why it matters and the proposed next step. Compare it with your agreement and clarify responsibilities with the provider. Avoid disconnecting live services while access or support arrangements are still being resolved.
Sources and further reading
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