Website redesign handover: accounts, search and enquiry tests
Accept a website redesign after the agreed pages, customer journeys and ownership arrangements have been checked. Keep a written record of access, old and new URLs, enquiry tests, backup recovery and outstanding items.
Confirm the accounts your business controls
List the domain registrar, DNS, hosting, website administrator, search reporting and connected services. Identify the account owner and recovery method for each. Agree which access the developer retains for support.
The handover should state what the contract provides: source code, website files, content, design assets and licences. Identify third-party subscriptions and renewal dates. Confirm how the site will be maintained and moved if hosting or support changes.
A password list should travel through an appropriate secure handover process. Keep it separate from a public project brief or ordinary website form.
Match the old pages to the new website
Ask for a list of the existing URLs, their purpose and their destination after the redesign. Give particular attention to pages with search impressions, enquiries, links from other websites or active advertising.
Map old URLs to suitable new destinations and use permanent server redirects where URLs change. Test the important mappings after launch. Retained URLs still need working content and internal links.
Check titles, descriptions, canonical links, sitemap entries and indexability on the pages being accepted. Keep the old-to-new map as part of the handover record so later questions have a clear reference.
Test a complete enquiry on mobile
Use a phone-sized screen and complete the actual customer journey. Open the menu, select the service, fill the form and check the resulting confirmation. Then verify the enquiry reached the correct business record and responsible person.
Test required fields, a mistyped email address, a repeated submission and a service with additional questions. Check telephone and messaging links against the intended destination. A visible success message should correspond to a successfully recorded enquiry.
| Handover test | Result to verify |
|---|---|
| Navigation | Menu opens, closes and reaches the intended page |
| Forms | Validation works and a successful request reaches the business |
| Phone and messaging | The correct number and destination open |
| Layouts | Text, forms and tables remain usable on a narrow screen |
| Downloads | Documents open and carry the intended content |
| Analytics | The agreed action appears once in the test evidence |
Agree how performance is measured
Record the pages, device conditions and method used for performance checks. A laboratory result is useful for diagnosis. Real visitor measurements provide another view once sufficient traffic is available. Keep the method consistent when comparing versions.
Test the pages customers actually use, including pages with forms, images and embedded functions. Record a performance issue with a reproducible example and a responsible owner. Prioritise the faults that prevent visitors from reading, navigating or contacting the business.
Finish with recovery and support arrangements
Ask where backups are stored, how frequently they are made and who restores them. Include a practical recovery check appropriate to the website and hosting arrangement. Document which content or transactions would need reconciliation after restoration.
Write down the support period, contact route, renewal costs and treatment of future content changes. Identify unresolved defects separately from later enhancement requests. Each unresolved acceptance item needs an owner and an agreed resolution.
DSDillon's website work should be scoped around the pages, customer actions and connected systems your business depends on. Bring the existing website address and examples of the journeys you want the redesign to improve.
Discuss a website redesign
Tell us about the work you are planning and the result you need.
Discuss a website redesign