Your website is finished: what to collect from the contractor before closing the project

Publishing a website does not complete the handover. A month later, someone will need to change a phone number, restore a page or renew the domain. If nobody knows where access details are or who maintains the site, a small task becomes an investigation.

Map ownership

List the domain, hosting, repository, content management system, email notifications and analytics. For each, record the owner, access recovery method and next payment date, where applicable. Set up work accounts so the organisation can regain control when staff change.

Transfer secrets through an agreed secure channel. Do not put passwords in a publicly accessible instruction document. Instead, explain where authorised staff obtain access and whom they notify about a problem.

Test everyday operations

Ask a team member to change sample text, add an image and undo the edit independently. Instructions are useful when someone can follow them without the author’s help. Document limits: permitted image dimensions, required fields and the process for publishing translations.

Agree on recovery

Clarify which data a backup includes, where it is stored and who can restore it. Having an archive does not prove the website can be returned to working order. Perform a restore in a separate test environment and record the outcome. Finally, agree where to report incidents and which tasks ongoing support includes.