Step one: find out what you control
- Domain: can you log in to the registrar? If not, who can?
- Hosting: do you have the hosting account login, or only a WordPress login?
- Website admin: do you have an administrator account, not just an editor?
- Other accounts: Google Analytics, Search Console, Google Business Profile, email, payment processor.
- Code and backups: for a custom build, is the source code in a repository you can access?
Anything you cannot access, request in writing from the current developer before you tell them you are leaving. Most hand it over; a developer who refuses to release a domain registered for you is a problem the registrar's dispute process can sometimes solve, but it is slow.
How the handover works
For a WordPress or Shopify site: you add the new developer as an administrator, they review the site, take a full backup, update the software, change the passwords and any API keys the old developer had, and remove the old accounts. Hosting may stay where it is or move to a host the new developer recommends; moving a WordPress site between hosts is routine. The site stays live throughout. PrimaryDM does this regularly; see website maintenance for sites we did not build.
For a website builder (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow): the site can be transferred between accounts on the same platform, but it cannot be exported to a different platform. If the goal is to leave the platform, the site is rebuilt; see migrating from Wix or Squarespace to WordPress.
For custom software: the new developer needs the source code, the deployment details and time to read it. Budget for a review period before any changes.
Protecting yourself for next time
Register the domain and hosting in your own name, keep a document of every account and who has access, and get a full backup you hold yourself at least once a year. Then switching developers is a matter of changing passwords, not starting over. Do you own your website if an agency builds it lists the five things to check.