A website handover checklist covers five groups: account access (domain, hosting, admin, email, Google tools), files and backups, licences for themes and plugins, documentation for editing the site, and a short support agreement. Receive and test every item before the final payment, so you can run or move your website without depending on one developer.
Key Takeaways
- Handover is complete only when you can log in to every account yourself.
- Test each login before the final payment, not after.
- Ask for a full backup stored outside the hosting account.
- Licences must be in your name, or you may lose updates and support.
- Change shared passwords after handover and remove access you no longer need.
The Website Handover Checklist
1. Account access
| Item | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Domain registrar | Registered to you; you can log in; auto-renew on |
| Hosting account | In your name; billing to your card or account |
| Website admin | Administrator or store-owner account in your name |
| Business email | Admin access to the email service |
| Google Search Console | You are the owner |
| Google Analytics | You are the administrator |
| Google Business Profile | You are the primary owner |
| Payment gateway and courier accounts | Registered to your business |
2. Files and backups
- A full backup of files and database, downloaded and stored outside the hosting account.
- Source code, or a transfer of the code repository to your account for custom builds.
- Original design files, logo files and images used on the site.
3. Licences
- Theme and paid plugin or app licences in your name, with renewal dates.
- Font and stock image licences, if any were bought.
4. Documentation
- A short guide to editing pages, products, prices and blog posts.
- A list of every plugin, app or integration and what it does.
- Renewal dates and yearly costs for the domain, hosting and licences.
- How redirects, forms and email notifications are set up.
5. Support
- The bug-fix period after launch, in writing.
- Response time for urgent problems.
- Prices for ongoing changes or maintenance, if needed.
How to Test the Handover
- Log in to every account above from your own device.
- Open the backup file and check it is not empty.
- Submit a form and place a test order, if the site sells online.
- Check the site on your phone using mobile data.
- Confirm that the sitemap is submitted in Search Console.
Make the final payment once every item is received and working. Our guide to milestone payments explains how to tie the last payment to handover.
Security After Handover
- Change any passwords that were shared during the project.
- Turn on two-step verification on the domain, hosting, email and admin accounts.
- Remove developer accounts you no longer need, or reduce them to limited roles.
- Keep the backup and a list of accounts somewhere safe that a trusted colleague can reach.
Platform Notes
| Platform | Handover focus |
|---|---|
| WordPress | Administrator account, full backup, plugin licences, hosting control panel |
| Shopify | Store ownership in your name, staff accounts for the developer, app subscriptions billed to you |
| Custom build | Code repository transfer, server access, environment documentation, deployment steps |
What If Items Are Missing?
Ask in writing for each missing item, referring to your agreement, and hold the final payment until it is received. If the domain or hosting is in the developer's name, prioritise moving those first. Our guide to who owns your website explains how to take back control, and our contract checklist shows how to include handover in the next agreement.
Our Handover
Every project we deliver ends with the domain and hosting in your name, full admin access, a backup, a short editing guide and a list of renewal dates. Ongoing maintenance is optional and priced separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How We Researched This Guide
The checklist is the one we complete at the end of every project, extended with items clients have found missing after projects with other developers. Account steps follow the official Google, GitHub and WordPress documentation; security steps follow common OWASP guidance.
Sources
- Google Search Console Help — Manage owners, users and permissions
- Google Analytics Help — Add, edit and delete users
- Google Business Profile Help — Add or remove owners and managers
- GitHub Docs — Transferring a repository
- WordPress Developer Resources — WordPress backups
- OWASP — Top 10 web application security risks
Disclosure: Kamboh Associates sells the web development services discussed here. Other providers' prices are quoted from their own public pages on the dates shown and may have changed. We correct errors as soon as they are reported. First published ; last reviewed .
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