Most site hand-offs leave behind credentials, half-finished tasks, and a vague “let me know if anything breaks.” That is not done. Here is what done looks like at Gorden Web Design.
The hand-off checklist
Credentials handed over (with ownership)
The client owns the domain registrar, the hosting account, the WordPress admin, the email accounts, the analytics properties, the search console, and any third-party API keys. I provide the list with login details, but I transfer ownership — not just access.
Documentation delivered
Every site ships with a 1-page operations guide. How to log in. Where the contact form submissions go. How to publish a blog post. How to update the homepage hero. How to renew the domain. How to back up the site. How to restore from backup.
If the client cannot run the site without me, the site is not done.
Final audit passed
Lighthouse 90+ on every category. Search Console has no errors. Schema markup validates. Mobile-friendly test passes. No broken links. No console errors. This is not optional.
Post-launch support window
14 days of post-launch support is included. Any bugs, any tweaks, any “this is not quite right” — handled in that window. After 14 days, maintenance is a separate scope.
What I do NOT do
I do not retain admin access after hand-off
If I need to make a change, the client adds me as a contractor or opens a maintenance scope. The site is theirs, not ours.
I do not keep credentials in my password manager after the support window
Once the project is closed and support is ended, credentials are wiped. The client owns everything; I do not carry their access.
I do not leave custom code undocumented
If I wrote a custom function or modified a theme file, the operations guide has a section on it. The client does not have to read the code, but they know it exists and where to find it.
Why this matters
Most web design horror stories are about hand-off. The designer disappears. The client cannot get into their site. The credentials are lost. The site breaks and no one knows who to call.
Doing hand-off right — transfer of ownership, documentation, audit, support window — takes an extra 4-6 hours per project. It is the cheapest insurance in the business.