Taking over a site from another contractor? Check these things before there is a problem

You are changing agencies, the previous freelancer has vanished, or you are simply taking over a site someone built years ago. It is a common situation and a moment when it is easy to inherit problems nobody will tell you about. Before you decide "the site works, so it is fine", it is worth doing a short audit of what you are actually inheriting. Here is what to watch for.

1. Access: do you really have everything

This is the most important and most often neglected point. Make sure you have (and that they work):

• access to the domain: whether it is registered in your name and whether you have the panel (we wrote separately about why this is crucial),
• access to hosting: the panel, FTP account, database,
• an administrator account in the site's system (WordPress, Joomla),
• access to email on the domain,
• accounts for tools: Google Search Console, analytics, possibly the Google Business Profile.

The worst moment to discover you do not have access to the domain or hosting is when something stops working and the previous contractor does not answer the phone. Check this at the very start, while things are calm.

2. A backup right away

Before you change anything, make (or commission) a full backup of the site and database. You are taking over unknown terrain, it is good to have a point you can return to. It is also a good test of whether you even have the right access to make such a backup.

3. What sits under the hood

A site that "looks nice" can hide various things inside. It is worth checking:

• which system and which version (often it turns out badly outdated),
• which plugins/extensions are installed, whether they are up to date and whether none are pirated ("nulled"),
• whether there are signs of infection or strange, unknown files and administrator accounts,
• whether the site runs over HTTPS and whether the certificate is valid.

This is the moment when neglect often comes to light: no updates for years, suspicious add-ons, or even traces of an earlier break-in nobody knew about.

4. Backups, currency, security

Check what the site's "hygiene" has looked like so far:

• whether backups were being made and where they are,
• when anything was last updated,
• whether people who should no longer have access still have it (former employees, the previous contractor), such accounts are worth removing or resetting,
• whether the passwords are strong (or better: change all of them after taking over).

5. Google visibility and addresses

Take a look at how the site does in search: whether it is in Google, whether there is not a mass of 404 errors, whether the sitemap and robots.txt are in order. If the takeover comes with a rebuild or a system change, this is a crucial moment to take care of redirects and not lose your hard-won rankings.

6. Write down the "day zero" state

Finally, it is worth documenting what you found: versions, access, deadlines (domain and certificate expiry), problems discovered. This way you know where you are starting from and have order for the future, plus clarity on what still needs fixing.

You do not have to do it yourself

Auditing a site you are taking over is exactly the moment to have someone who knows where to look for catches. We run such reviews regularly: we check access, technical state, security and visibility, point out what needs urgent repair, and tidy the site so you start from a clean, known situation.

Taking over a site and want to know what you are really getting? Get in touch, we will do an audit and tell you plainly what is fine and what needs attention.