Website Handover Email Template: What to Send When the Site Goes Live
Send one clear email on the day the site goes live. It should say where the site is, who owns the web address and logins, what you will and will not do after launch, and how to ask for changes. Keep it short enough to read on a phone, and save a copy.
I have run a marketing agency for 15 years and worked with 100+ agency clients. Most upset owners I have met were not unhappy with the site. They were unsure what happened next. This guide is about the email, not the setup. For the setup itself, see how to hand over a website to a client and how to explain website hosting to a client. I will not repeat them here.
Nothing below assumes you have clients yet. If this is your first launch, the email matters even more, because you have no track record to lean on. Names are made up. Use your own words.
Why one email is worth writing
On launch day the owner is excited. Six weeks later they cannot remember who to ask about a new phone number. One email gives them somewhere to look, and it shows what you agreed if there is a later mix-up. A handover email closes the project, sets the rules for after, and gives one way to ask.
What goes in the email
Keep each piece to a line or two. If a piece needs a long explanation, link to a guide or attach a one page sheet.
- A warm opening and the link. Say the site is live and give the address.
- What was delivered. The pages, the contact form, the call button. List what they paid for, nothing more.
- Who owns what. One line for the domain, one for hosting, one for logins. Say whose name each one is in. If you hold anything on their behalf, say so plainly here.
- Where the logins are. Say how they were shared or will be shared. Never put passwords in the email. Use a password manager or ask them to create their own accounts and add you as a helper.
- What you will do after launch. A short, honest list.
- What you will not do. The other short list.
- How to ask for changes. One address, what to include, how fast you usually reply.
- Renewal dates. The domain and hosting dates, and who pays.
- One small request. Check the phone number and hours on their own phone.
- A thank you. Brief and real.
What to promise after launch, and what not to
This is the part owners care about most and beginners skip. Decide it before you write.
Things you can reasonably say you will do, if they are true for you:
- Fix anything that is broken from your work, such as a button that does not work, for a stated period.
- Make a set number of small changes, such as new hours or a new phone number, in a stated period.
- Reply to messages within a stated time.
- Help them move the site if they ever want to leave.
Things to leave out or say you do not do:
- Search rankings. No one can promise a result on Google. Do not hint at one.
- More customers or calls. A website does not guarantee them.
- Unlimited changes. It sounds generous, then eats your week.
- Big new work. A new page or a redesign is a separate quote.
- Anything you cannot do. If you do not know how to set up email, say so and point them elsewhere.
If you offer a monthly service for ongoing updates, link to your terms instead of explaining it in this email. Website care plan: what to include covers how to describe one. Do not make the handover email a sales pitch.
How to ask for changes
Give the owner one simple routine. It keeps requests from arriving by text, voicemail and a Facebook message.
- One place. A single email address, or one reply to this thread.
- One list. Ask them to put every change in one message, not five.
- Page and words. Say which page, and write the exact new words or send the photo.
- A reply time you can keep. For example "within two working days." Choose your own, and only promise what you will do.
- What counts as small. Spell out a small change and a new request. How to handle website revision requests explains the difference.
The short template
This one fits on a phone screen. Fill the brackets and delete anything that does not apply.
Subject: Your new website is live
Hi Sam,
Your new website is live at [website address]. Thank you for trusting me with it.
What you have: [list the pages], a contact form that sends messages to [owner email] and a call button for [phone number].
Who owns what:
- Web address: registered in your name, with your email.
- Hosting: [your account / my account for now, and I will help you move it any time you ask].
- Logins: [shared through a password manager / you created them and added me as a helper].
After launch I will:
- Fix anything broken from my work, free, for [number] days.
- Make up to [number] small changes, like hours or a phone number, in [time period].
I will not:
- Promise search results or new customers. No one can.
- Do big changes, such as new pages, without a separate quote.
To ask for a change, reply to this email with everything in one message. Say which page and give me the exact words or photo. I usually reply within [number] working days.
Renewals: the web address renews on [date] and hosting on [date]. [Who pays and how you will remind them.]
One small favour: open the site on your phone, tap the call button and check your hours. Tell me if anything looks wrong.
Thanks again,
Alex Smith
Smith Web Studio
(555) 555-0199
100 Example Street, Springfield, ST 00000
Tone and timing
Write like a person. Short sentences, no jargon. Send it the same day the site goes live, after you have tested it on a phone. A one page sheet with renewal dates and contacts makes a good attachment.
Before you hit send
- Open the website address from the email. Make sure it loads.
- Click every link and the call button.
- Check the owner's name, phone number and hours.
- Make sure no password is in the email.
- Read it as the owner. Would a busy person understand it in a minute?
Then keep a copy with the agreement and the notes. If you track what you did each month, you will find the next conversation easier. If you are still working out the agreement itself, see website contract basics for web designers. I am not a lawyer, so ask one to check any written terms before you rely on them.
Where SiteRevive fits
SiteRevive handles the work before the reply. You pick a trade and a U.S. state. It finds local businesses with old or missing websites, checks each site, and takes the owner's email from the business's own website. With Run with your AI, you paste one prompt into your AI. It builds a one-page preview site for each business, then drafts or sends a short note from your own inbox. You can choose "drafts only" and send each one yourself.
When an owner replies, you take it from there, in your own words and with your own inbox. SiteRevive plans start at $97 a month, plus your own AI plan, which the AI company bills you for. There is no setup fee and nothing to install. There is a 7-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. It does not promise replies or sales, and no tool can. SiteRevive's servers never send email; your own AI sends from your own account, or saves drafts.
For the full path, read how to sell websites to local businesses. You can see the idea on the SiteRevive home page, or try the free website check.
Frequently asked questions
What should a website handover email include?
The live address, what was delivered, who owns the domain, hosting and logins, what you will and will not do after launch, how to ask for changes and renewal dates. Never include passwords.
When should I send the handover email?
On the day the site goes live, after you have tested it on a phone. One email on launch day beats several scattered messages later.
Should I put passwords in the handover email?
No. Share access through a password manager, or ask the owner to create their own accounts and add you as a helper. Send nothing secret by plain email.
How do I tell an owner what I will not do after launch?
Say it in one short, calm list: no promised search results, no unlimited changes, no big new work without a quote. Owners respect clear lines more than vague promises.
How should an owner ask for changes?
Ask for one email with every change in it, the page named and the exact words or photo attached. Say how soon you usually reply, and only promise a time you can keep.
Does SiteRevive reply to owners for me?
No. SiteRevive finds the businesses and, with Run with your AI, has your own AI build a preview and draft or send the first note. Replies come to your inbox and you answer them. SiteRevive's servers never send email; your own AI sends from your own account, or saves drafts.