Map the working chain
Record the domain registrant and registrar, DNS provider, email provider, website host and application platform. For each one, note the operational owner, renewal date and support route. A hosting invoice alone does not establish who controls the domain.
Identify dependencies before a migration: a DNS change may affect both the website and email; a certificate or caching layer may belong to another account. Keep a short service map without placing passwords or other secrets in the shared document.
- Domain owner and renewal date recorded.
- DNS, email, hosting and application mapped separately.
- Owner and support route identified for each service.
Compare offers against an actual scenario
Describe the site: static pages or application, media volume, observed or expected traffic, storage needs and who applies updates. Ask what a plan really includes for backups, restoration, monitoring, certificates and support. An introductory price does not represent the full operating cost.
Compare the same scope and period, including necessary options, renewal and work left to your team. If data location matters, check the region and contract documents for the precise service selected; one provider may offer several architectures and regions.
- Offers compared over the same period and scope.
- Backup, recovery and support described in writing.
- Recurring and exit costs visible.
Try recovery and departure
Ask how to retrieve files, database, media and the settings needed to run the site elsewhere. Check that an authorised person can reach backups and that restoration can be tested without overwriting production. A backup button alone does not show that the site will restart.
Plan a domain transfer separately from a website migration. Document timing, administrative access to hand over and who approves the cutover. The handover guide extends this list for a completed project.
- Content and data export tried.
- Recovery tested in a suitable environment.
- Separate domain and website transfer plan.
Maintain a usable register
Keep a dated register of providers, contracts, ownership, deadlines, dependencies and escalation contacts. Store credentials in an appropriate access manager, never in the document shared with the team. Review the register after a change of supplier, owner or service.
The arrangement works when another authorised person can understand where to act during an outage or after a supplier leaves. An annual and renewal-time review helps uncover forgotten services.
- Dated register without secrets.
- Authorised people named.
- Provider replacement procedure understood.