Compare delivery with the agreed brief
Start with the written scope. Review the pages, features, integrations and documentation that were agreed, including any later changes. Test important visitor journeys such as navigating from a service page to the contact route. Record an issue with the page address, the action taken and the result you expected.
Distinguish an incomplete agreed feature from a new request. Both can be discussed, but they may have different implications for the delivery schedule and cost. If there is an acceptance process or correction period in your agreement, use it to organise the review. Keep a written list of remaining actions and who will handle them.
Confirm domain and hosting access
Check that the domain is registered in an account your business controls and that the renewal contact reaches the right person. Know who pays renewal fees and where those settings are managed. Being able to edit website content is different from controlling the domain that sends visitors to it.
For a Cholbei project, confirm access to the agreed Cloudflare setup and any connected accounts. Record the production project name, domain configuration and deployment source in the handover notes. Use account invitations and appropriate permissions for collaborators. Avoid treating a password sent in an email as the complete access handover.
- Confirm you can sign in to the domain and hosting accounts.
- Record renewal responsibilities and recovery contacts.
- Identify collaborators whose access is still needed.
Receive the source code and deployment instructions
Open the GitHub repository and confirm that it contains the project source and the files required to build or deploy the website. Ask which branch is used for production and how a change reaches the live site. The repository should have instructions that another developer can understand without relying on a private conversation.
Request a small demonstration of the update process. For example, a developer can show how a reviewed text change is deployed and how to return to a previous working version. Agree who will perform updates after handover. Keeping the code is most useful when the process for using it is also documented.
- Repository ownership and production branch.
- Setup instructions and required configuration names.
- Deployment steps and a recovery procedure.
Review business data and connected tools
If the website stores enquiries, bookings or other records, confirm where those records live and how authorised people can access them. Ask how data can be exported and what a backup includes. A spreadsheet report is not necessarily the complete production database, so document the role of each system.
Check the integrations that are actually in scope, such as email notifications, Google Sheets or analytics. Test them with clearly labelled sample information and agree how that test data will be removed. Record which account owns each integration and how credentials can be changed without breaking the website. Keep secrets out of public documentation and repositories.
Check licences, content and launch basics
Ask for a list of third-party assets and services, including any paid templates, fonts, images or subscriptions. Record who purchased them and whether renewal or a particular licence is required. Ownership of the delivered project does not automatically transfer every third-party right, so keep the relevant purchase and licence information accessible.
Review the final content on a phone and a larger screen. Check the main navigation, contact details, page titles and links. Confirm that intended public pages have appropriate canonical URLs and that the sitemap contains the pages you want discovered. If analytics is included, ask for evidence that your own property receives test activity rather than assuming the installation is working.
- Check contact routes and any agreed form notifications.
- Review images, text and navigation across screen sizes.
- Confirm search and analytics account access where included.
Agree who looks after the website next
A handover should make ongoing responsibilities explicit. Write down who manages domain renewals, content changes, provider bills and any required backups. If maintenance is included for a period, record its scope and end date. If support is optional, clarify how to request work and agree a price before it starts.
Cholbei’s model is to deliver an independently owned website, with optional maintenance and future development. You should know what you can manage yourself and when you will need technical help. Keep a final handover document with account locations, repository links, operating instructions and unresolved items so your business has a practical reference after launch.
- Save the final scope, review notes and delivery documents.
- Confirm ongoing tasks and the person responsible for each.
- Keep account recovery details accessible to the business.
- Arrange a final walkthrough of updates and recovery.
Discuss your website
Tell Cholbei about your goals, required features and timeline.
Contact Cholbei