A Website Handover Checklist for Local Business Owners

A finished website is not fully handed over until the owner can operate it without depending on one person's memory. Before signing off on a new build or a contractor change, ask for a small handover package and test it.

Collect the working map

The package should identify the domain registrar, DNS manager, web host, email provider, content editor, and any paid tools. It should say who pays for each service, when renewals happen, and who receives notices. The contract determines which files, designs, licenses, or accounts the business is entitled to receive, so check the actual agreement rather than relying on a generic assumption.

Request instructions for ordinary updates: changing hours, editing a service description, and replacing a photo. If the site uses special plugins or integrations, record what they do and how they are renewed. Keep provider contacts and support boundaries in the same document. Do not collect everyone's passwords in an emailed attachment; use the platform's authorized account and delegation process.

Perform acceptance tests

With the owner or designated staff member at the keyboard:

1. Sign in using the business's own authorized account.
2. Make a harmless content edit, review it, and undo it if appropriate.
3. Find the current backup and learn how a restore would be requested or performed.
4. Confirm that contact forms, important links, and email still work.
5. Check that the business can reach the registrar and hosting accounts if needed.

A backup that exists only in the contractor's private account may not be available when the owner needs it. Likewise, a “simple editor” is not useful if no one knows how to log in. Document unresolved items before declaring the project complete.

Separate handover from account ownership

The domain and account control inventory helps determine who can reach the underlying services. This handover checklist asks a broader question: can the owner maintain and recover the finished website? For a move that changes web hosting, also read how to protect business email.

Switchboard's web service can help a Kirksville business organize a handover or take over a site when authorized access and the relevant contract terms are clear.

See also

• Audit website subscriptions — to record renewals and exit terms.
• Keep business website details current — for the first routine maintenance pass.