What belongs in a website handover document?
A good handover explains how the website is operated and who controls its dependencies. It should help your business remain manageable if a supplier changes. It is not simply a folder of screenshots, nor should it become an unsecured collection of passwords and recovery codes.
Before you start
- Find the agreed scope, ownership terms and current supplier contacts.
- Choose a private business location for the document and authorised access list.
What to do
Record ownership and providers
List the domain registrar, website platform, host, DNS manager, email provider and important third-party tools. Identify the business account owner and support route for each. Keep billing responsibilities distinct from technical editing access, especially when one supplier provides several services together.
Describe the delivered website
Include its public addresses, main pages, important forms and any agreed redirect map. Note where approved content and completed files are held, subject to the contract and licences. Explain features that depend on a hosted platform rather than assuming every website is a portable folder.
Document care and recovery responsibilities
Record who maintains software, who handles faults and what backup arrangements are actually confirmed. For a typical WordPress site, files and database are separate recovery components. State what has been verified instead of relying on an unexplained claim that backups are handled somewhere.
Keep access instructions secure and current
Describe how an authorised person requests access or uses the business's approved credential system. Do not paste secrets into the ordinary handover. Review the document after a provider change, staff departure or major feature addition so it remains operationally useful.
What to check
- The business can identify the owner and support route for each dependency.
- File availability, licensing and recovery claims are documented accurately.
- The handover contains no unnecessary customer information or plain-text passwords.
Sources and further reading
Platform features can change. Check the provider’s current guidance before changing a live service.