Transferring a website is more than handing over a password. You're moving a domain, hosting, files, databases and every connected account. Do it in the wrong order and the site can go down or lose rankings. Do it carefully and it's straightforward. Here's the process in five steps.
Step 1: Prepare before you touch anything
- List every asset. Domain, hosting, files, databases, email accounts and lists, analytics, social profiles and any third-party services the site depends on.
- Take a full backup. Files, databases and configuration, stored somewhere safe. If something goes wrong mid-transfer, this is your undo button.
- Agree the terms in writing. Settle any payments or obligations before access changes hands.
Step 2: Transfer the domain
The domain is the part people most often get wrong.
- Unlock the domain in your registrar's dashboard.
- Get the authorization code (also called an EPP or transfer code).
- Give the code to the new owner, who starts the transfer at their registrar. It usually takes a few days, and both sides may be asked to confirm by email.
If the new owner uses the same registrar, many registrars let you move the domain straight to their account instead. And a domain that was registered or transferred recently may be locked for a period, so check with the registrar before you promise a date.
Step 3: Move the hosting and files
- Decide on hosting. The new owner can take over the existing account or move the site to their own.
- Migrate files and databases with a migration tool or by hand, then update the configuration on the new server.
- Test everything. Pages, forms, checkout, logins and anything else dynamic, before you call it done.
Step 4: Hand over every linked account
This is the step people forget, and it causes trouble later. Transfer ownership of the CMS admin, analytics, Google Search Console, email marketing, payment tools and social accounts. Where a service lets you add an owner, add the new owner with full admin rights, then remove the old one. Have the new owner change every password.
Step 5: Confirm, sign off and protect the SEO
- Check it works for both sides: the domain resolves, the site loads and the new owner has admin access everywhere.
- Sign a transfer agreement covering terms, payment and responsibilities.
- Protect the rankings. Keep URLs the same, confirm the new owner is verified in Search Console, and avoid redesigns or structural changes during the handover. A clean transfer shouldn't cost you traffic. A careless one can.
Own it from day one
Most messy transfers have the same cause: the domain, hosting or accounts were set up under a developer's or agency's name instead of the business's. The site works fine until someone needs to leave.
If you're having a site built, ask for the domain, hosting, code and every account to be in your name from the start. That's how we work in web development: we hand over the code and accounts in the client's name, with documentation, so there's nothing to untangle later. If you're weighing an agency against a freelancer, ownership is one of the things to check.
FAQ
Do I need a legal agreement? It isn't always required, but a written agreement protects both sides and sets out payment, responsibilities and timelines.
Will it affect SEO? Done right, it shouldn't. Keep URLs the same and keep Search Console access in place.
What about email and social accounts? Transfer ownership on every linked service, then have the new owner reset the passwords.
Are there costs? Possibly a domain transfer fee, hosting costs, and any legal or technical help you bring in.
Handing over a site, or taking one on, and want it done without losing data or rankings? Book a 30-minute call.