A website handoff is complete when the agency or client can operate, maintain, recover, and transfer the site without depending on undocumented vendor knowledge. Launch day is only one step.
AxiomLift’s white label web design and development page covers project delivery. Use this checklist to close a website project cleanly, whether the work was completed internally or by an external partner.
1. Domain and DNS
Confirm:
- Domain registrar account owner
- Primary admin/recovery contact
- DNS provider
- Current nameservers
- Important DNS records documented
- Renewal responsibility
- Agency/vendor access that should be removed
The developer should not be the only person able to renew or recover the client’s domain.
2. Hosting and infrastructure
Record:
- hosting provider/account owner
- plan/environment
- production URL
- staging URL
- deployment method
- server/CDN access
- runtime/version requirements
- environment variables/secrets location
- log/monitoring access
- backup/restore process
Do not put raw secrets into the handoff document. Record where they are securely stored and who has access.
3. Source repository
Confirm:
- Repository URL
- Organization/account owner
- Default branch
- deployment branch/process
- required CI/CD settings
- active collaborators
- third-party integrations
- vendor access removal date
If the project is supposed to be owned by the agency/client, the repository should not remain only in a freelancer’s personal account.
4. CMS and editor access
Document:
- CMS URL
- admin owner
- editor roles
- custom content types
- important reusable components
- publishing workflow
- role restrictions
- safe editing boundaries
Provide named accounts rather than a single shared administrator login where possible.
5. Design and brand source files
Handoff can include:
- Figma/design file link
- design-system/library link
- logo source files
- icon/illustration sources
- licensed photo assets
- font licensing notes
- brand guidelines
Clarify whether source assets are client-owned, agency-owned, or third-party licensed.
6. Licenses and subscriptions
Create a register for:
- plugins
- themes
- fonts
- stock assets
- APIs
- form/email tools
- analytics/reporting tools
- ecommerce apps
- security/backup tools
For each, record owner, renewal date if relevant, and whether the license can remain with the client after the agency relationship changes.
7. Forms and lead routing
Test the live forms after launch.
Document:
- form name/location
- destination email/CRM
- spam protection
- success page/message
- required notifications
- webhook/integration
- test date
- analytics event
A form that looked correct on staging can still fail because production credentials or routing differ.
8. Analytics and search tools
Confirm durable ownership/access for:
- analytics
- tag manager
- Search Console
- Bing Webmaster Tools where used
- advertising pixels/tags
- consent platform
- call tracking
- heatmap/product analytics tools if used
Remove vendor accounts that no longer need access after the transition.
9. SEO launch items
Record and verify:
- canonical domain
- robots controls
- sitemap
- redirects
- noindex rules
- title/meta implementation
- structured data where applicable
- 404 behavior
- trailing slash/URL policy
- staging site indexability
Do not leave a staging noindex rule on production or expose staging to indexing accidentally.
10. Backups and restore
The handoff should answer:
- what is backed up
- how often
- where backups live
- how long they are retained
- who can restore
- whether restore has been tested
- what the disaster-recovery expectation is
“Hosting has backups” is not enough if nobody knows how to use them.
11. Integrations
List each external dependency:
- CRM
- payment gateway
- ecommerce feeds
- booking system
- email marketing
- maps
- authentication
- APIs
- webhooks
- automation tools
Record owner, credentials location, and what the integration does.
12. Known issues and technical debt
Do not hide unresolved items at handoff.
Use a table:
| Issue | Impact | Workaround | Owner | Recommended next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Known issue | Explain | If any | Named team | Action |
This protects both the agency and client from assuming everything not mentioned is complete.
13. Maintenance responsibility
State what happens after launch.
Options include:
- client self-manages
- agency retainer
- external maintenance partner
- limited warranty/bug-fix period if contractually agreed
- separate project work only
For WordPress, see the WordPress maintenance SLA checklist and WordPress development vs maintenance.
14. Access-removal audit
At the end of the project or vendor relationship:
- remove unnecessary repository access
- remove hosting access
- remove CMS users
- remove DNS/CDN users
- rotate shared secrets if necessary
- remove staging credentials
- transfer account recovery ownership
- verify the agency/client still has working access
Do not remove access until the receiving team has confirmed it can operate the systems.
15. Final acceptance record
Capture:
- production URL
- launch date
- client/agency approver
- outstanding items
- handoff date
- maintenance owner
- links to documentation
This creates a clear project boundary.
For the complete delivery process leading up to handoff, read how to outsource web development for agency clients.