A website handover isn’t a goodbye—it’s the start of a new phase in the client journey. And the smoother the transition, the stronger your relationship will be.
So says André Da Silva of Studio Merge, one of three agencies that took time to share their best practices for streamlining the website handover process, giving clients the tools and knowledge they need to manage their online presence with confidence.
Before we dive in, meet the three agencies who shared their stories with Wix Studio.
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10 best practices for a smooth and seamless website handover
With tons of successful handovers between them and glowing testimonials to boot, Studio Merge, Scopetheory and VMV.Studio went into website handover mode to share their top tips on effective offboarding.
01. Create an SOP handover doc
Tiereny Allen-Green, founder of Chicago-based Scopetheory, advocates putting your step-by-step handover process on paper to help reduce errors, enhance quality and ensure consistency.
“Draft and review a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documenting the exact steps of your handover,” she advises. “Then refine the steps and productize them as much as you can so that you can automate where possible and understand the bottlenecks. This allows you to speed up and have a streamlined repeatable process every time, making the handover easier for you and the client.”
02. Apply the human touch
Sure, automation is key to keeping client management smooth and efficient, but there’s nothing like human touch when the finish line is in sight. As an agency founder, Allen-Green likes to stay out of the weeds and focus on the operational and strategic side of the business—except when it comes to website handover.
“It’s one of the few areas where I still do one-to-one services with clients,” she says. “It’s not as productized as other phases of our process, but I’ve found that allowing the client to have this personalized time with me minimizes confusion and post-project changes.”
03. Tailor the training
While having a clear and structured approach to website handover is essential, it shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Many of Allen-Green’s clients are Wix Studio converts from other platforms, so she demos Studio’s backend and dashboard to help them feel more confident when they take over. Aside from the platform’s essentials, she spends time giving clients info only relevant to their business.
“To avoid overwhelming them, I’ve developed a pretty streamlined system that highlights only the key handover points, and I adjust it based on their business model type,” she says. “For example, if it’s a service industry client, I won’t give as much detail to Wix Studio eCommerce, but instead focus more on the marketing or booking elements and tailor functions for their needs.”
04. Future-proof the website
Most web professionals will have been there—watching on with horror as a former client destroys a once stunning website. Vedant Majithia, founder and creative director of VMV.Studio in London, reminds us that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can future-proof every client site using reusable assets and roles and permissions.
“Build in reusable elements like saved assets, grids and blank templates, so clients aren’t starting from scratch with every update,” says Majithia. “Train them not just on the technical side but on the platform’s creative possibilities. The flexibility offered by Wix Studio design is a huge asset.”
Majithia’s team also sees Studio’s custom roles and permissions as an effective tool to ensure your design stays in the right hands. “This feature is indispensable for us,” he says. “It lets us hand over specific areas of the site, like admin controls or analytics, to the right teams while maintaining design integrity.”
05. Offer reassurance
Some clients need hand-holding during and after website handover while others a reassuring arm around the shoulder. Either way, let them know you’re with them (within reason) on this journey.
“Clients often feel nervous about taking over something unfamiliar, so it’s your job to reassure them,” says Majithia. “Take time to personalize your approach based on their team’s expertise—some clients need more hand-holding, while others just need you to lay out the Wix Studio management tools. Don’t forget to highlight the flexibility of Studio as a platform that empowers even non-technical users, so leaning into its low-code no-code design is a big confidence boost for clients.”
06. Tap into templates
Among VMV.Studio’s most memorable and satisfying handovers was with a client who wanted to post blogs regularly but not worry about formatting or design every time. Building a completely on-brand custom blog template, Majithia’s team provided a solution that enabled the client to publish independently and cut the risk of future back and forth.
“During the website handover, we showed them how easy it was to add content on the backend—just writing the blog, adding an image and hitting publish, while everything else was handled automatically,” says Majithia. “Seeing their excitement at how simple it was to keep their site looking polished without extra effort was such a great moment. It’s those small wins that make the process so rewarding.”
Explore our collection of Wix Studio templates.
07. Lean into video
Not every client will walk away from handover having website management down to a tee—no matter how good they are at notetaking. While documentation can give them the info they need, video tutorials and guides are often more effective and inclusive.
Allen-Green recommends a video recording app like Loom to produce visual walkthroughs and step-by-step tutorials that are easy to revisit.
“We use Loom to record videos and also offer specially created templates that outline the need-to-know features with screenshots and commonly asked questions,” she says. “We also use the Wix dashboard to upload the client brand kit and videos so the client can easily access them post-launch.”
08. Test with non-tech folk
Before sharing your final design, Da Silva advises agencies to rigorously test the client site across all devices and browsers. After that, he recommends bringing in a non-tech teammate to review your client kit.
“If a non-developer colleague can’t easily understand your guides, neither will your client,” he says.
Discover how to create a client kit on Wix Studio.
09. Stay available
Studio Merge describes its approach to website handover as “focusing on empowerment, not dependency.” That means equipping clients with enough knowledge to manage their sites confidently.
However, Da Silva says the door is always open for clients who still need support. “The project doesn’t just end,” he stresses. “We gather client feedback and stay available for post-handover questions.”
10. Celebrate the win
It’s the big website handover philosophical question: Did a successful handover even happen if you didn’t mark the occasion? Da Silva tends to think not. He says a formal handover moment, like a mini-launch party, makes the process much more memorable for your client and is also a morale boost for your team.
“It’s like finishing a group project where everyone played their part—relief, pride and that rush of accomplishment,” he says. “Knowing the client feels confident and excited about their new site? That’s the cherry on top. It’s like leaving behind a piece of our creativity in the wild and watching it thrive.”
Majithia echoes that sense of accomplishment. “It’s such a rewarding moment—like a team win for both us and the client,” he says. “Seeing the client feel confident and empowered to carry their brand forward reinforces why we do what we do. It’s the perfect balance of collaboration and creative execution.”
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