01 / Website takeover
When a website takeover becomes necessary
We hear the same stories again and again. The web designer closed their business. The agency takes weeks to change a phone number. The monthly invoice keeps rising and nobody can say what it covers. Or, while selling the business, the owner discovers that the domain was never registered in their name.
In every case the rule is the same: the sooner you secure your logins, the easier it gets. While the old agency is still reachable, a handover usually takes a few days.
02 / Website takeover
Website handover checklist: what to get from your old agency
Ask the agency for each item in writing. What matters is that you end up with your own logins, not just the password to an agency account.
| Item | Why it matters | Where it usually lives |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and registrar login | Whoever controls the domain controls your web address and your email | Account at the registrar, e.g. GoDaddy, Namecheap, IONOS, Hostinger |
| Domain registrant | You or your company should be the registered owner, not the agency | Contact details in the registrar account |
| Authorisation (EPP) code | Needed to transfer the domain to another registrar | Generated or requested at the registrar |
| DNS settings | Decide where your website and email point | At the registrar or a DNS service such as Cloudflare |
| Hosting | Where the website's files and database live | Hosting account, plus SFTP and database access |
| CMS administrator | An admin account in your own name, not the agency's | WordPress, Shopify, Webflow or another CMS |
| Code repository | For custom builds, the actual source code | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or a ZIP archive |
| Licences | Premium themes, plugins, fonts and images are often licensed to the agency | Licence keys and vendor invoices |
| Analytics and Search Console | Years of your data and Google verification | Google Analytics, Search Console or similar; have yourself added as owner |
| Google Business Profile | Reviews and visibility on Google Maps | Business Profile; have primary ownership transferred to you |
| Backups | Your insurance if anything goes wrong during the handover | A full backup of files and database |
| Mailboxes, forwards and SPF, DKIM and DMARC records | Email provider or hosting package |
03 / Website takeover
How to take ownership of your domain
Start by checking who is listed as the domain's registrant. Since the GDPR, public WHOIS lookups hide the owner's name for most domains, so check your registrar account or ask the registrar directly.
If the agency is listed as the owner, you need a change of registrant. You request it at the registrar, and in most cases the current registrant, meaning the agency, has to approve it. Ask early and in writing while the relationship is still friendly. This is not legal advice; if a domain is disputed, talk to a lawyer who handles IT matters.
04 / Website takeover
How a takeover with us works
- 01
Inventory
We can see a lot from outside: where the site is hosted, who runs DNS and email, which platform it uses. That becomes your personal checklist.
- 02
Collect access
You request the logins; if you prefer, we draft the message to the agency for you. We test each login as it arrives.
- 03
Full backup
Before we change anything, we back up files, database and email settings.
- 04
Take over or move
Hand-coded websites and Shopify stores stay with their current host or move without downtime, with every DNS and email record in place. If the site runs on WordPress, we secure the logins and data and then move the content to our own code or to Shopify, because we do not run WordPress long-term.
- 05
Ongoing care
Afterwards we handle updates, backups and changes, or hand everything to you, properly documented.
05 / Website takeover
When your web developer has disappeared
Even without the agency's help, more is possible than you might think. If the domain is in your name, you can reset your registrar login and change DNS yourself. If you can reach the hosting account, we can create a new administrator account through the database.
If neither is available, the worst case is the public website itself. We then rescue text and images and rebuild, cleanly and with every login in your name this time. Whether that is worth it, or a fresh start makes more sense, is covered in our website redesign checklist.
06 / Website takeover
Taking over and moving to new hosting
Many takeovers end with a hosting move, because the old package was billed through the agency. We then move website, domain and email to a hosting account in your name. Our website migration page explains how that happens without downtime.
Disclosure: we are a verified Hostinger partner and recommend them because we use them every day, but you can choose any host. What matters is that the contract is yours. After the takeover we are happy to keep looking after the site through our website care plans.
FAQ
Common questions
01Who owns my website if an agency built it?
Your contract decides. Content you supplied is yours; for code, design and licences it depends on the usage rights you agreed. The domain should always be in your name. This is not legal advice; if there is a dispute, speak to a lawyer.
02How do I transfer domain ownership from my agency to me?
Through your registrar, usually with a change-of-registrant request. If the agency is listed as owner, it normally has to approve. Ask early and in writing.
03Will my website go offline during the takeover?
No. We back everything up first and only switch once the new setup is tested. Your visitors will not notice.
04How much does a website takeover cost?
It depends on how many logins are missing and whether the site moves. You get a fixed quote after a short call.
05Do you take over badly built websites?
Yes. After the inventory we tell you honestly whether maintaining it makes sense or whether rebuilding is cheaper.
06Do you take over WordPress websites?
We recover the domain, hosting, email and every login for a WordPress site too, and if it is hacked or broken we get it back online in an emergency. We do not keep running it, though: everything we build is hand-coded, so we move the content to a website of your own, or to Shopify for shops (website migration).