Website Migration Handover Checklist

A complete handover lets us copy and test your website without guessing how the current setup works. Collect the details below before requesting a migration. Send passwords only through the secure method agreed with support - never in an ordinary email.

1. Identify everything that is moving

List each live domain, website, subdomain, staging site, and redirect. State which one is the main site and whether any domains simply open or redirect to it. Tell us if the project includes an API, private area, shop, booking system, forum, or scheduled import.

2. Provide current hosting access

The easiest route is usually a working control-panel login. If that is unavailable, we may need SFTP or SSH access plus a database export and database credentials. Confirm whether the current host restricts logins by IP address or requires two-factor authentication.

• Current provider and control-panel address
• Control-panel username or delegated user
• Website document root
• Database name and application configuration location
• Approximate file and database sizes

3. Record domain and DNS control

Tell us where the domain is registered, which nameservers it uses, and who can edit the live DNS zone. Copy the complete current zone or export it if the provider supports that. Include unusual records used for verification, applications, or remote services.

4. Explain where email is hosted

Do not assume email lives with the website. Confirm whether mail uses the current host, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or another provider. Record all MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records and list any website forms or applications that send mail.

If mailboxes are moving, provide the number of accounts, aliases, forwarders, and approximate stored mail. Agree how passwords and the final synchronisation will be handled.

5. List application requirements

For PHP sites, record the current PHP version, required extensions, memory limit, scheduled jobs, and any special configuration. Note external storage, payment gateways, SMTP services, licence restrictions, webhooks, and IP allowlists.

Some commercial plugins and themes bind a licence to the domain or server. Make sure you can reactivate them after the move.

6. Choose a safe migration window

Tell us when the site is quietest and whether it accepts orders, form entries, account changes, bookings, or uploads. Dynamic data may require a short editing freeze and a final database copy immediately before DNS changes.

7. Supply a test plan

List the pages and actions that prove the site works. Include administrator login, forms, search, checkout, payment test mode, downloads, protected content, scheduled tasks, and any integration that matters to the business. Provide a test account rather than a real customer’s credentials.

8. Keep the old service active

Do not cancel the old hosting as soon as files have been copied. Keep it running until DNS caches have expired, the new site has handled real traffic, email has been checked, and you have confirmed the final data. Agree a later cancellation date.