SEO Handover Checklist: What to Keep When Changing Agencies

An SEO handover checklist helps a business change agencies without losing the history behind its website. The goal is not to collect a folder of ranking screenshots. It is to understand which accounts the business controls, what was changed, what still needs attention and how performance will be measured next.

Use the checklist before the previous engagement ends. Confirm any contractual arrangements with the providers involved; this guide does not decide who owns assets under your agreement.

1. Start your SEO handover checklist with account ownership

List the website, domain registrar, hosting, Google Search Console, analytics, Google Business Profile and any advertising or call-tracking services used by the business. For each, record the business owner, billing contact, current agency access and the person authorised to approve changes.

Keep passwords, recovery codes and secret keys out of ordinary handover documents. Use the service’s supported access controls and an appropriate secure credential process. Do not remove an existing provider’s access until the replacement access and recovery arrangements have been tested by the authorised account owner.

2. Preserve the baseline and its definitions

Request exports showing the date range, country, device and search type used in the report. Separate branded searches from service-discovery queries. A position reported for one location or device is not a universal ranking.

Record which pages and query groups matter commercially. Preserve clicks, impressions and click-through rate alongside confirmed enquiry data where available. If calls or forms were never tracked reliably, say so rather than treating website clicks as leads. The SEO reporting guide explains how to read those measures together.

3. Request the website change log

Ask for a dated list of changed URLs and the reason for each change. Include rewritten content, titles, descriptions, redirects, canonical settings, navigation changes, structured data and sitemap work.

For redirects, preserve the source and destination mapping. For removed or consolidated pages, record what happened to their content. Keep a copy of important before-and-after material when your agreement allows it. This helps the next team avoid reversing a repair or repeating work that has already been completed.

4. Separate completed work from proposals in the SEO handover checklist

A good handover labels each item as completed and checked, implemented but awaiting verification, planned, or blocked. For a blocked item, include the access or decision needed to proceed.

“Indexing fixed” is not enough detail. Ask which URL was checked, what evidence supported the result and when it was checked. Similarly, a directory submission is not the same as a live listing. Record the actual listing URL and its status where one exists.

5. Collect the content and local-business records

Ask for the content inventory, keyword-to-page plan, unpublished drafts and any editorial calendar. Note which articles require subject-matter review or fresh source checks before publication. Identify duplicate topics before commissioning another round of blogs.

For local profiles and directories, record the public business name, phone number, eligible address or service area, category, login owner and verification status. Check these against the business’s current information. Do not create replacement listings simply because access to an existing one is inconvenient.

6. Record technical dependencies and recovery options

List plugins, themes, renewals, integrations and services that may stop working when an agency subscription ends. Ask whether licences belong to the business or the provider and what replacement arrangements are needed.

Record where backups are stored, who can restore them and whether a restore has been tested. The incoming team should inspect the current site before making changes. A handover is not a reason to rebuild the design, change every URL or replace working tools without evidence.

7. Agree the first review, not an instant-results promise

Choose an initial review that establishes access, verifies priority pages and identifies urgent problems. Then prioritise improvements against the preserved baseline. Do not attribute a ranking change to the new agency without considering timing, seasonal demand, Google changes and work already underway.

To finish your SEO handover checklist, use these fields in a compact record: asset or URL; owner; last change date; current status; evidence link; next action; responsible person. That gives both teams a shared picture without hiding uncertainty.

If you are comparing providers, read our guide to choosing an SEO company in Brisbane. For help turning the handover into a measured plan, explore SEO Edge’s SEO services.

Official reference checks

Use Google’s Search Console permissions guidance when reviewing account roles, and its Search Console and Analytics guidance to understand why search clicks and on-site activity are different measures.