Changing web designer: what to have before you move
You should be able to find out who controls your website and what it costs to keep it running. I'd check that before agreeing the next build.
Work out which accounts belong to you
Start with the domain registrar, hosting account and website login. If the current supplier manages everything, ask for a list of the services, renewal dates and the arrangements for moving them.
Access to the website editor is not the same as control of the domain. You need to know who can change DNS and who receives renewal notices. Keep the business contact details current and use a secure handover for passwords.
- Domain account and renewal contact.
- Hosting access and a usable site backup.
- Website admin login and paid software accounts.
- Email, analytics, search and booking accounts used by the business.
Read what the existing agreement says
Check the ownership and cancellation terms, especially if you pay monthly. Find out what you can take with you and whether any outstanding build payments remain due.
A hosted website builder can have different export limits from a site with its own files and database. Ask the next supplier what can be moved and what would need rebuilding before you cancel the old service.
Make a record of what needs to survive
Save the important page addresses, forms and integrations. Explain which pages bring enquiries, which documents customers download and where the website sends its messages.
If page addresses change, agree the redirects before launch. Keep an eye on the enquiry routes after moving: a form displaying a success message is not enough if nobody receives the enquiry.
Agree the handover and final checks
Keep the current site available while its replacement is tested. Decide who changes DNS, who checks the email and who confirms the move is complete.
Do not combine every possible change with the handover unless there is a reason. Moving the host, changing the domain, replacing the platform and redesigning every page together makes a problem harder to trace.
What I would ask you to send me
The website address, what you want to change and what access you already have are enough to start. You do not need to diagnose the problem first. I'll tell you which details are needed for the next stage.
For a Flying Penguin build, the scope and price are agreed in writing, then you see a working prototype before paying a deposit. The work we create for the project transfers to you when it is paid in full; paid software licences are explained separately.