Taking over a website or system after an agency
The site works, but nobody in the company has the passwords, knows where the hosting is or who pays for the domain. The agency does not reply, or replies with an invoice. I sort it out step by step and leave you with an inventory.
What a takeover involves
Recovering access
Domain registrar, DNS, hosting, WordPress admin, FTP and database, email, Google Search Console and Analytics, payment gateway. In an order that makes sense.
An inventory of what you have
Which systems, where they run, who pays for what and when it expires. Which accounts belong to whom. One document, in your hands.
A health check
Versions, updates, backups, plugins, certificate, errors in the logs. What is at risk of failing, what is blocking you, what can stay as it is.
Securing it
New passwords in a password manager, two-factor authentication, removal of former vendors’ accounts once I have noted what they were tied to.
A backup
A full copy of files and database in a place you have access to. Verified: the site can be restored from it.
Documentation
How to log in where, what to do in an outage, who to ask. Short, plain, with the date of the last update.
A plan for what comes next
A list of things to fix with priorities and a quote. You decide what we do now, what later, and what stays.
The same for a CRM and integrations
Takeovers are not only for websites. I run the same process for a CRM left behind by an implementation partner and for integrations nobody understands.
How it goes
A call and a list of what you know
Which logins, invoices, emails from the agency and old contracts you have. From that, more can usually be reconstructed than you would expect.
Recovering access
From the domain, through the hosting, to the site admin. Password resets, contact with providers, and where needed a formal request to the registrar.
Backup and inventory
As soon as I have access: a backup, then an inventory of systems, accounts and payments.
Health check
The state of the site or system. No changes, diagnosis only. Half a day to two days, depending on size.
Report and decision
What I found, what to fix now, what can wait. The documentation stays with you whether or not we work together afterwards.
When the agency will not hand over access
The domain matters most. Check who the registrant is: your company or the agency. If it is you, the registrar will help you regain access after verification. If it is the agency, you need a transfer, which you should request in writing. Most agencies do it when the request is specific.
The hosting and the site can be rebuilt from a copy on a new server even without the agency’s cooperation, as long as you have at least one way in: the WordPress admin or FTP. In disputes over ownership of code or content, a lawyer helps, not me, but I will prepare the list of facts for them: what, where, since when.
Questions about takeovers
We have no passwords at all. Can anything be done?
Almost always. I start with what you have: invoices, emails, access to the company mailbox. Registrars and hosts have recovery procedures for the owner. The list and the order are in the article on the access checklist.
How long does it take?
Recovering access: from an hour to a few days, depending on the providers. Inventory and health check: half a day to two days. The whole thing usually closes within a week or two.
Do we have to move the site?
Not if the hosting is paid for in your name and works. I suggest a move when the hosting is in the agency’s name and they will not transfer it, or when it is the cause of the problems.
What if the site has code written specifically for us?
I review it and judge whether it can be changed safely. If not, I tell you what the options are. I do not rebuild it from scratch straight away.
Do we have to stay with you after the takeover?
No. The documentation and access are yours. Some companies stay on monthly care, some come back when something needs changing, some manage on their own. Each option is fine.
Your developer has vanished and the list of changes keeps growing? Tell me what needs doing.
I reply within one business day. The first call is free of obligation.
Describe what you need
No technical names needed. Tell me what does not work, or what you wish worked on its own. I reply within one business day.