Although WordPress makes it easier for you to build and run your website cost-effectively & efficiently, there are a few nitty-gritty of your website that you need to take care of. The website handover is such an example.
After your website builder finishes and launches your site, you need to make sure that you take a proper handover of your website.
What does a handover of a website mean?
Getting all the necessary details of your website from your web developer to take full control of your website is known as a handover.
What does a handover of the website include?
Well, there are several things that are included under the website handover process, but in this blog post, we’ve shared 5 important things that you must get from your developer in order to take complete control of your WordPress website.
#1 Website manual
A website manual is a document that contains all the necessary information or details to manage your website yourself.
Getting a website manual from your developer is even more important when you do not want to hire a website builder again to make minor adjustments to your WordPress website.
WordPress CMS allows you to make those adjustments yourself without seeking assistance from your developer. All you need is just guidance from your web developer.
Below are some of the important areas that your website manual must cover:
- How to change the content on any of the web pages of your website.
- How to upload the images to any webpage.
- How to add new web pages.
- How to manage the links and menus.
- How to back up your website.
- How to manage the products, if you have a WordPress e-commerce website.
#2 Source codes
What are the source codes?
A source code is a collection of code, written using a human-readable programming language, mostly as plain text. These codes are executable by the computer to generate an output which in our case is the website.
In simpler words, source codes are the codes that render your website, when compiled by your web hosting (server-side) and the browser (user-side).
Getting the source codes of your website from your web developer is a crucial part of a website’s handover.
Why getting source codes from your website builder is important?
In the future, you may want to hire a different programmer to manage your website. If you don’t have the source codes of your website, your new developer may find it difficult to make the required changes to your website.
#3 Designs' source files
Why getting designs’ source files is so crucial?
In order to change the design elements of your site in the future, your developer needs all the source files of your website design. Without the design source files, your website developer can’t make any changes to your graphics.
Let’s take an example.
You may decide to change the colors, background, or size of your logo. If you have the source file of your logo, your web designer can easily make changes to it but if you don’t have it, your designer may face a lot of challenges to make even minor changes.
Sometimes, it may become impossible for your designer to make any changes if you don’t have the source files with you.
It is therefore important to have all the source files of your designs & layouts as a part of your website’s handover process.
Here are some of the important designs for which you must have the source files:
- Website layout
- Logo
- Header banner/image
- All the background graphics
- Any other graphic that has been used on your website.
#4 Server details
If your website has been hosted by your web developer, then you must ensure that you get all the necessary login details of your server in order to take complete control of your website.
If you don’t have your server login details and you are not able to get hold of your website developers for any reason, then you could be in a big mess. You won’t be able to redesign your website.
We at Innomax, have experienced many times that most webmasters forget to ask about the server details of their website from their previous developers, and as a consequence, they may have to buy a new hosting package again and redo their website from the scratch.
Don’t let this happen to you.
Always make sure to get all the necessary server credentials after your website development is completed.
Here are a few important things that you need to take from your website builder:
- Control panel login details
- Credentials of your hosting company/portal.
- FTP/database access to your website.
#5 Misc login details
Your website developer may use several plugins and themes to create your website. These plugins may be required to upgrade from time to time. But if you don’t have their login details such as username, password, or license key, you may not be able to upgrade them.
As a result, you may have to purchase these plugins again which will unnecessarily increase the cost of your website development.
Here are some of the important login details that you need to take from your web developer:
- Plugins login details or license key.
- Theme’s license key.
- Google Analytics login details.
As a part of your website handover, your developer should provide you with all the misc login details.
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