Small-Business Website Handover Checklist
A website handover is the point where a business can operate its site without relying on one designer’s memory or one employee’s personal login. Before a launch, a change of agency or a hosting move, ask for a usable record of the accounts, services and everyday tasks that keep the site working.
Quick answer: A good handover includes verified access, a service and renewal list, a tested customer enquiry, a recovery plan and a named person for ongoing maintenance. A folder of passwords is only part of the job.
If account control is unclear, use the domain and hosting ownership checklist. If a login or recovery method is already missing, follow the account recovery checklist before planning the handover.
Start with an account and service register
List the services below, the business contact responsible for each, and where their recovery details are stored. Keep passwords and recovery codes in a secure vault rather than a document that circulates by email. Record access instructions in the handover document.
| Service | What the business needs | Handover check |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and DNS | Registrar details, renewal date and access to the DNS manager | A business representative can sign in and locate the website and mail records. |
| Hosting | Plan, billing contact, support route and backup access | The owner knows how to request help and retrieve a recovery copy. |
| Website administration | Individual accounts with the permissions needed for each job | The person maintaining content can complete an ordinary edit. |
| Email, forms and booking | Mailbox billing, form destinations and integration details | A test enquiry reaches the person who will respond. |
| Analytics and business profiles | Access to the correct properties and profiles | The business can view its own reporting and manage its profile. |
| Paid software | License holder, renewal amount and what happens if an agency license ends | Someone can explain which features depend on ongoing subscriptions. |
The registrar, DNS service, website host and email provider can be different companies. Our domain and hosting guide explains how those pieces fit together.
Verify access by doing an ordinary task
Invite the business representative to sign in using their own account. On a WordPress site, have the content maintainer update a harmless draft and preview it. Check separately who can handle plugins, users and site settings.
WordPress roles have different capabilities: an Editor can manage content, while an Administrator has broader site controls. Give each person the access required for their responsibility. Confirm business-controlled recovery access before reducing a contractor’s permissions.
For a Google Business Profile, Google supports separate owner and manager access using each person’s Google Account. Profile access is a separate handover item from WordPress or hosting access.
Follow one enquiry from visitor to staff member
Use the public site on a phone. Submit a clearly labeled test enquiry through the important form and record where it arrives. Check the sender notification, any confirmation page and the staff member’s ability to reply. For an appointment site, include the booking confirmation.
A successful message on the website does not prove that an email or CRM record arrived. Agree who checks failed submissions and who investigates missing notifications. Our hosting and email guide helps separate mailboxes from website services.
Include a hosting security responsibility record in the handover. Name the owners of software updates, scan alerts, firewall changes, cleanup and recovery.
Write down maintenance and recovery responsibilities
Name the person who handles software updates, backup checks, incident support and billing notices. Record the backup location and restore procedure. Demonstrate recovery in an appropriate test environment rather than overwriting the public site as part of a handover.
Include a change log and a short list of known problems. If an issue occurs next month, the new maintainer should be able to tell what changed and whom to contact. The WordPress staging guide covers planning releases and protecting live data.
Record the host’s support scope and the developer responsible for excluded work. Leave the support-ticket checklist with the incident contact and account register.
Agree on the continuing bill and final handoff
Separate hosting, domain renewal, email, paid plugins and maintenance charges. For each item, record the next billing date and the normal renewal amount. Ask which subscriptions remain with the agency and what the business must arrange if that relationship ends.
Finish with a short meeting: demonstrate the important tasks, record outstanding items and confirm who handles them. Review old contractor access only after the business can operate and recover the site. Keep the handover record current when providers or staff change.
If you are also selecting a host, use the small-business hosting buying guide and hosting shortlist alongside this checklist. The goal is a website the business can maintain, with a clear route to help when it needs it.
Documentation checked October 1, 2026. Permissions and service features vary by platform and plan.