Insight

Switching agencies is a completely normal thing to do, and it does not need to be complicated if you have the right things in hand before you start. We have written before about protecting yourself in case an agency shuts down unexpectedly, this is the version for when you are the one making the call to leave.

• Domain registrar access: you need to actually control this yourself, not just have the domain pointed somewhere by the old agency. If they own it outright, that is a serious problem on its own, and one worth resolving before you do anything else.
• Hosting access: full admin access, not a limited FTP login that only lets you upload files.
• CMS or platform admin access: the real, full-permission account, not a restricted editor login.
• Source code access: if the site or app is custom-built, you need the actual repository, not just what happens to be running live on the server.
• Analytics and Search Console: losing years of historical traffic data and search performance is one of the most common, and most painful, losses in a switch. Make sure these accounts are under your own ownership, not the agency's.
• DNS records, documented: get a full export of these before anything changes. A DNS mistake during a handover is one of the most common ways a site or business email goes down without warning.
• Third-party accounts and API keys: payment gateway, email marketing platform, CRM integrations, anything the site talks to.
• A short overlap period: do not cut ties the moment you have decided to leave. Get everything confirmed and working with the new agency first, and only let the old agency's access lapse once that is done.

A good agency will make this easy and will not push back on handing any of it over. If they do push back, that tells you something too. If you are not sure what you currently have access to, or want a second set of eyes on a handover before it happens, that is exactly the kind of thing a consulting conversation can help with.

Still have questions? Give us a call, book a quick meeting, or send us a message to understand more without any pushy sales tactics.