A website handover should leave your business able to run the site, renew its services, request help, and recover access when somebody is unavailable. A folder of design files is useful. It is only one part of the job.
Use this website handover checklist when a new site launches, a staff member changes roles, or you move to a different support provider. The aim is to make responsibilities and access clear enough that the next person can pick up the work without starting a small investigation.
Create one account and service register
Ask for a shared record of the services the website uses. Keep it somewhere the right people in your business can find. Store account information and responsibilities here, with credentials kept separately in an approved secure system.
For each service, record its purpose, provider, account holder, billing contact, renewal date, support route, and the business person responsible for it. Mark whether access has been tested.
- Domain registrar and DNS provider
- Website hosting and content management system
- Business email and website email-delivery services
- Analytics and search-monitoring accounts
- Forms, booking tools, newsletter services, and other integrations
- Paid themes, plugins, fonts, images, or other licensed assets
A service may be managed by your provider on your behalf. Record that arrangement explicitly, including what happens if support ends. Avoid assuming that paying one website invoice puts every connected account in your business’s name.
Confirm domain responsibility and recovery contacts
Identify the registrar, the domain’s renewal arrangements, and the person authorized to manage the registration. Confirm that registration contact details are current. ICANN explains why accurate registration data matters.
For key accounts, name a primary business contact and a backup contact. Document who can help recover access, how to reach the provider, and where the approved recovery process is recorded. Check whether account recovery depends on an old employee’s email address or personal device.
The practical question is straightforward: if the usual contact is away tomorrow, can an authorized person renew the domain or get help with the website? Resolve uncertain answers during handover, while everyone involved is available.
Test access with the right level of permission
Have the people receiving access sign in using their own accounts and complete the tasks they are expected to perform. Receiving an invitation is not the same as confirming that it works.
WordPress uses roles with different capabilities. Someone updating page copy may need different permissions from the person maintaining the site. Ask your provider to explain the roles assigned and who can authorize changes to them.
Do not ask people to send passwords by email or paste them into the handover document. Agree on a secure handover method, use individual invitations where supported, and have the authorized account holder manage sensitive recovery information. Schedule a review of access that is no longer needed after the receiving team has verified its own access.
Collect the files you will actually use
Request a clearly organized set of deliverables, with a short explanation of what each contains. The scope will depend on the project and your agreement.
- Final website copy and the current page list
- Brand assets in useful formats, including logos and approved colors
- Original supplied images and the versions prepared for the website
- Custom code or design source files included in the agreed deliverables
- Configuration notes and a record of custom features or integrations
- A current backup or a documented way for authorized people to obtain one
File access and intellectual-property rights are separate questions. Check your agreement for what is included, what you may reuse, and any limits. Do not infer unrestricted rights from the presence of a file in a folder.
Make licensing and renewal limits visible
For each paid component, ask who holds the license, what the license covers, who renews it, and whether it continues if you change providers. An agency-managed subscription may have different arrangements from a subscription purchased directly by your business.
Get unclear details confirmed by the provider or the relevant license terms. Record any replacement subscription your business will need, along with the decision date. The handover should also flag image or font usage restrictions that matter to future edits.
This is an inventory exercise. It should not require you to become a licensing specialist, but it should prevent a future editor from assuming every asset can be used anywhere.
Document backups and the support routine
Ask who monitors backups, what they cover, how long copies are retained, and who can request a restore. For a typical WordPress site, both the database and files are needed for a full restoration. Confirm the arrangements for your actual site rather than relying on a label that says “backups included.”
Also record who handles maintenance, content changes, and troubleshooting. These can be different responsibilities. Imbark offers managed hosting with proactive maintenance and backups and ongoing website support; the scope should be discussed for the site and work involved.
Finish with a practical walkthrough
Ask the receiving team to demonstrate the ordinary work: edit a draft page, replace an image, find a form submission, or request an update. Use test content and agree before publishing anything.
Keep a short operating guide with the sign-in locations, routine tasks, publishing approval process, support contact, and known limitations. Record unresolved issues with an owner and a next step. A checklist is useful only if someone can tell which boxes are genuinely complete.
Finish the handover when the essential access and responsibilities are verified, with any exceptions acknowledged. Revisit the register when people or providers change.
Need help taking over a website you already have? Send Imbark the website address and the access or documentation gaps you know about. We can discuss the support needed to make the next steps clearer.
