THE SHORT ANSWER
Keep the current setup working during the build. Review the replacement on a separate preview, then agree exactly what changes at launch.
Find the accounts before changing anything
Your domain registration, website hosting, and email may come from one provider or several. Having the password for the website editor does not necessarily give you access to the domain or mailbox settings. Make a short account list before work begins.
Keep the account recovery details under your control. Give a builder the access needed for the work through the provider’s access-sharing options where available. Do not send passwords in a website brief or ordinary email.
- Who holds the domain registration and when does it renew?
- Where are the domain’s DNS settings managed?
- Which provider handles business email?
- Where does the current website live, and is there a usable backup?
Treat email settings as a separate part of the move
DNS is the set of records that directs services for your domain. MX records direct incoming email. A website move should account for those records and any other settings required by your email provider.
Before changing DNS or nameservers, have the person handling the move record the current setup and identify which records must stay. Changing the website destination and moving the email service are different jobs. If both are needed, agree that scope explicitly.
Use the preview to test the ordinary tasks
At Your Page, your current website, email, and domain stay untouched while we build the working preview. Use it on your phone as well as your computer. Read the contact details out loud, follow the booking link, and check the services a first-time customer would look for.
For any agreed form or integration, plan a real end-to-end test before launch. A success message on a screen is only one part of the check. The request also needs to reach the intended destination.
Plan for customers using old links
If page addresses change, map the old pages to their closest relevant replacements and use permanent redirects where appropriate. Update internal links and the sitemap to the new addresses. Do not send every old service link to an unrelated homepage.
Google notes that search visibility can fluctuate during a site move. A launch plan can reduce avoidable mistakes, but it cannot promise that search positions will stay fixed.
Agree the launch window and a way back
Before the switch, confirm who is making changes, who can approve them, and how the old setup can be restored if a problem appears. Keep the old hosting available until the replacement has been checked and you know which services depend on it.
After launch, check the live site, incoming and outgoing email, and each agreed customer contact path. Record the account details and responsibilities in the handoff so the next change is easier to plan.