Why does the handover matter more than the launch?
Launch day feels like the finish line. It is the point where your bargaining power ends.
Once the final payment goes out, a developer has little reason to answer quickly or hand over anything extra. Owners who skip this step often discover the problem months later: the domain is in the developer's name, the hosting bill goes to a stranger, or nobody can find the source code after the developer changes phones.
A handover checklist fixes this in an hour. It is simple, and it works with any developer, whether a freelancer, a local agency or Ureka.
How do I check who owns my domain name?
Search your domain in a public WHOIS lookup (a free tool that shows the registrar and, often, the registered owner) and look at the registrant name and the registrar. If you see the developer's name or company, ask for a transfer into your own account before final payment.
Many developers register a domain on a client's behalf as a favour. That is fine if it is transferred afterwards. It becomes a problem when the developer disappears, the renewal lapses or the developer asks for a fee to release it.
A domain renews yearly. Put the expiry date in your phone calendar the day you get access.
What source code and backups should I receive?
Ask for three things:
• The source code: the actual files that make the website run, ideally in a repository (an online folder with history, such as GitHub) under your account.
• A database backup: your content, orders and users, in a file you can store.
• A restore note: one page that says how to put the website back on a new server.
Without these three, the site can be rebuilt only by the developer who made it. With them, any competent developer can take over.
If you also have a mobile app, the developer accounts for the stores need to be yours too. Google Play charges a one-time registration fee of US$25, and Apple's Developer Program is US$99 a year, charged in local currency where available. Pay these from your own card, so the listings sit under your name. A developer who insists on publishing under their own account is a red flag.
How do I test the website myself before paying?
You do not need technical knowledge. Spend 30 minutes on this:
1. Open the site on your phone using mobile data, not office Wi-Fi.
2. Submit every form with your own phone number and email. Check the alert arrives.
3. Click every menu item and every button. Note anything that fails.
4. Make one real payment of a small amount if the site takes payments, then check it in the gateway dashboard.
5. Search your business name on Google, 24-48 hours after launch, and see whether the site and your Maps listing appear.
6. Ask someone outside your team to find your phone number within 10 seconds.
Write down every issue and send it as one list. Ask for a date by which each will be fixed.
What should the support period cover?
Most small websites need a few fixes in the first weeks, after real visitors use them. Get the following in writing:
• The number of days of free fixes after launch
• What counts as a fix (a broken form) and what counts as a new request (a new page)
• How you contact the developer and typical response time
• What happens after the window: monthly maintenance, per-hour or per-request
If a developer says "we will always be there" without a written period, assume you will pay for every change.
What does this look like in practice?
For example, a Faridabad manufacturer pays 70% of a ₹60,000 website quote up front and is told the site is ready. Before paying the last 30%, the owner goes through the 12-row sheet. Four rows fail: the domain is in the developer's name, the hosting account is the developer's, the contact form sends mail to the developer's inbox, and there is no backup.
The owner holds back the final instalment, sends the list on WhatsApp, and agrees a date. Everything moves into the owner's accounts within a week and then the last payment goes out. The owner has paid the same price, and now owns what was bought.
When is this checklist overkill?
If you bought a ₹5,000 template on a website builder (Wix, Shopify, Squarespace) in your own account, you already hold the logins and there is no source code to hand over. Check rows 1, 6, 8 and 9 and skip the rest. The full checklist is for custom-built sites and apps, where someone else holds the keys until you ask.
How Ureka does it
Ureka Technologies is a New Delhi software company. Our process is a 20-minute call, a fixed written quote within 24 hours, and a working build about every two weeks, so nothing on this list is a surprise at the end. The code, domain, hosting, database and app-store accounts are in your name from day one, not transferred at the end. You speak to the developer on WhatsApp, with replies within a few hours. See our website development service or the Delhi NCR city pages.
FAQ What should I get from my web developer after the website is built?
Get the domain and hosting in your name, admin logins with owner rights, the full source code, a database backup, third-party accounts such as Google Analytics and the payment gateway, and written notes on how to update the site. Also get a support period in writing. The 12- point table above lists each item.
Should I pay the final instalment before or after the handover?
After. Pay the last instalment once every row on your checklist is ticked, and you have tested forms, payments and mobile view yourself. If a developer will not agree to this, ask why before you sign the quote.
Who should own the domain and hosting for my business website?
You should, in your name and with your email as the contact. A developer can manage them for you, but the account holder must be you so you can move them if the relationship ends.
Can I get the source code of my website?
Yes, for custom-built sites. It should be part of the agreement before work begins. With Ureka, the code is yours from day one. Template-based sites on hosted builders do not have exportable code.
How long should free support last after launch?
There is no fixed rule. A common arrangement is a fixed window of free fixes for bugs in the delivered scope, then paid maintenance for changes. Ask for the dates in writing before you pay.