What a Proper Website Handover Contains
A project is not finished at launch. It is finished when the client can run the site without calling the developer.
The most damaging thing an agency can do is deliver a working site that only the agency understands. Two years later the client is trapped: nothing can be changed without a quote.
Access, in the client's name
Domain registrar, hosting, CMS admin, analytics, Search Console, payment gateway, email. All registered to the client's accounts, with the developer added as a user — never the reverse.
Documentation someone non-technical can follow
- How to add and edit a page, with screenshots
- How to publish a blog post
- Where enquiry emails go and how to change that
- What runs on a schedule, and what breaks if it stops
- Renewal dates for domain, hosting and SSL
A recorded walkthrough
Twenty minutes of screen recording covering the five things the client will actually do saves more support time than any written manual.
The backup restore, tested
An untested backup is a belief, not a backup. Restore it once, in front of the client, before handover.
Comments
No comments yet — be the first to weigh in.