Find the domain account.
Check which registrar holds the domain, whose email receives renewal notices and whether you can sign in. A domain is separate from website hosting. Keep it registered to your business and make sure the recovery details are current.
Separate the website from the email.
Write down where the website is hosted and where email is hosted. They may be different providers. Give the new designer that information before anyone changes nameservers or DNS records. Ask what will happen to email during the move.
Check what belongs to you.
Read the current agreement for the design, source files, copy, photographs, domain and licences. A paid monthly rental can have different transfer terms from a completed build. Get an agreed handover list rather than assuming everything transfers.
List what the website connects to.
Booking systems, payments, contact forms, mailing lists, maps and business tools can be easy to miss. Identify the account owner and the access needed for each. Transfer access through the provider’s own controls rather than sending passwords in an ordinary email.
Keep a record of the existing pages.
Export or list the important page addresses, content and media before the change. If you have Search Console or analytics, use them to spot pages people find. Agree redirects for changed addresses and check where old links will land.
Agree a launch and handover plan.
Decide who takes backups, tests enquiries, checks the mobile site and makes the final switch. Keep the old site recoverable until the new one is checked. Confirm the ongoing hosting, maintenance and support costs in writing.
If you are unsure what you have access to, bring the information you do have to a call. We can work out what needs checking before quoting the move.
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