Website care
Website care and ownership: what to check before handover
Record the accounts, access, recurring costs and maintenance responsibilities before launch. Hosting, email and ownership need separate answers.
Before your website is handed over, record who controls each account and who is responsible for keeping it working. Confirm what you can edit, which files you receive and what happens if you change providers. A working home page is only part of a useful handover.
Put these questions in the brief, even if you feel a little awkward asking them. They are easier to settle before the project is finished.
Make an account list
Domain registration, DNS, website hosting and business email perform different jobs. One company may provide them all. Or you may have a different provider for each. Record the provider and the authorised account owner for each, along with a secure way to recover access.
- Domain registration and renewal contact.
- DNS management and the person authorised to change records.
- Website hosting and any content editing account.
- Business email and other connected services.
- Forms, analytics or search accounts used by the site.
- Paid software, image licences and renewal arrangements.
Store access details securely rather than in a shared email chain. Use individual accounts where the service supports them and remove access that is no longer needed.
Agree what ownership and access mean
Ask which work is transferred to you and which parts remain subject to a third-party licence. Website content, design files, code and licensed fonts can have different arrangements. Get the answer in writing rather than assuming the word “ownership” covers everything.
Also ask what can be moved. A website may depend on a particular platform, so receiving a copy of the text is not necessarily the same as receiving a portable version of the site. If moving providers matters to you, discuss the available export and migration options before choosing the setup.
Give ongoing care a written scope
Our optional hosting and care is $49 per month. The work covered should be agreed with you, including how requests are made and which changes need a separate quote. It is not a promise of unlimited changes or round-the-clock support.
The agreement should name the routine jobs and explain who to contact when something goes wrong. Ask about content edits, software updates where relevant, backups and checks on the enquiry route. Confirm any exclusions and the process for ending the service. See our website care service for the starting point.
Ask how recovery works
“We have a backup” leaves several questions unanswered. What does it contain? How often is it made? Who can restore it? How much work could be missing if the most recent usable copy is older than expected?
The Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends regular backups so a business can recover information after loss or a cyber attack. Its small business cyber security guide is a useful place to start. Agree a recovery approach suited to your site rather than assuming a hosting account covers every connected service.
Test the enquiry process at handover
Open the live site on a phone. Use the main links and send a test enquiry. Confirm the message reaches the right inbox and that any acknowledgement says what you intend. If a booking or payment service is involved, agree how that connection will be checked.
Keep a record of the test and the person responsible for future checks. A form that worked at launch still needs attention when an inbox, service provider or domain setting changes.
Questions about ongoing costs
Does hosting include our business email?
Do not assume it does. Confirm email provision and costs separately. Changing website hosting should include a check of the existing email setup before anyone changes domain settings.
Can we update the website ourselves?
That depends on the agreed platform and editing access. Ask for a demonstration using a real task, such as changing opening hours. Confirm which changes you can make and which require technical help.
Add these decisions to your website brief. If you already have a site and are unsure who controls it, start with the account list before discussing a redesign.
