How to Switch Web Design Agency Without Losing Your Site, Domain or Rankings

The short answer

You can switch web design agency without losing anything if you do it in the right order: secure the accounts first, take complete copies second, move the domain and hosting third, and cut over with redirects and monitoring last. Domain transfer rules are on your side, your old agency cannot hold your domain hostage over a disputed invoice, and your search rankings survive as long as every URL either stays the same or redirects permanently. The handover usually takes two to four weeks; the preparation is what decides whether it is calm or chaotic.

Before you switch web design agency: find out what you own

The most common surprise when owners decide to switch web design agency is discovering that the agency registered the domain in its own name, hosts the site on a shared account with other clients, and holds the only login to analytics. None of that is necessarily sinister, but it changes the order of operations. Make an inventory before giving notice:

• Domain: who is the registrant, which registrar, when does it renew, and is the registrant email address one you control?
• Hosting: whose account, which provider, what plan, is there a contract term?
• Code and content: is there a code repository you can access, a content management system login with administrator rights, and a recent full backup?
• Third-party accounts: Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Business Profile, Tag Manager, email sending services, form tools, payment processors, SSL certificates, CDN.
• Contract: notice period, who owns the deliverables, exit clauses, and whether maintenance fees are prepaid.
• Licences: themes, plugins, fonts and stock images bought under the agency's account may not transfer.

On ownership, Canadian law is simple and often misunderstood. Under the Copyright Act, the author of a work is its first owner and an assignment is only valid "in writing signed by the owner." If your contract never assigned the design and code to you, the agency may own them, and you are negotiating rather than demanding. Most reputable agencies will assign anyway, but check before you assume. This is general information, not legal advice.

Your rights on the domain

The domain is the one asset you cannot rebuild, so it comes first. For .com, .net and other generic domains, ICANN's Transfer Policy (updated February 2024) sets the rules every accredited registrar must follow. Three protect you directly. A registrar must give the registrant the authorisation code and remove the transfer lock within five calendar days of the request if it does not offer a self-service way to do so. A transfer request cannot be denied for "nonpayment for a pending or future registration period", and registrars "must not employ transfer processes as a mechanism to secure payment." And a registrar may deny a transfer requested within 60 days of the domain's creation or a previous transfer, so plan around that window.

The catch is the word registrant. Those rights belong to whoever is listed as the registered name holder. If that is your agency, the first step is a change of registrant to your company, and the same policy requires a 60-day inter-registrar transfer lock after a change of registrant unless the registrant opts out beforehand. If you expect to move registrars, ask for the opt-out at the same time as the change. For .ca domains, CIRA's process is similar in practice: registrar guidance such as Webnames' explainer notes that the authorisation code "can be obtained from the registrar you are transferring away from" and the domain must be unlocked. Our .ca vs .com guide covers the eligibility rules if you are also deciding which to keep.

Practical advice: open your own registrar account before you give notice, so there is somewhere to transfer the domain to on day one.

The handover checklist

Work through these in order. Each one is a request you can make politely and in writing; the order protects you if the relationship turns sour.

1. Accounts into your name. Domain registrant, hosting account owner, and administrator access to the content management system. For Google Search Console, Google's permissions documentation distinguishes verified owners, who proved ownership with a token on the site, from delegated owners and users. Make yourself a verified owner, then review "unused ownership tokens", because a former verified owner can re-verify if their token is still on the site. For Google Business Profile, Google's access documentation says only the primary owner can transfer primary ownership, and a newly added owner or manager must wait seven days before removing others or becoming primary owner. Start that clock early.
2. Complete copies. A full backup of files and database, exports from the CMS, the code repository, design source files, brand assets, and exports of analytics and form submissions. Verify the backup restores somewhere before you rely on it.
3. Documentation. How the site is built, what plugins or services it depends on, any scheduled jobs, how email is routed, and a list of every DNS record. The DNS list matters: a domain move that drops the MX records takes your email down with it.
4. Licences and subscriptions. List which are in the agency's name and either transfer or replace them.
5. The URL map. A spreadsheet of every live URL, its traffic and rankings, and what will happen to it on the new site. This is your ranking insurance.
6. Written confirmation of ownership. A short letter assigning copyright in the site to your company, signed by the agency, if the original contract did not.
7. Notice. Give it per the contract, in writing, with a proposed handover date and a thank-you.

Cutting over without losing rankings

If the new agency is simply taking over the existing site, the cutover is a hosting move: the same files on a new server, the same URLs, a DNS change. Rankings are unaffected if nothing else changes. Keep the old hosting live for a week or two after the DNS switch so stragglers still reach a working site.

If you are also redesigning, treat it as a site move and follow Google's guidance on site moves with URL changes: map every old URL to its new destination, use server-side 301 or 308 redirects without chains, avoid sending many pages to the homepage, "keep the redirects for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year", and change one thing at a time where you can. Google also advises expecting "temporary fluctuation in site ranking during the move" and monitoring old and new URLs in Search Console. The 301 redirect glossary entry explains the mechanism, and our website redesign checklist walks through the full sequence.

Two more things break more often than anything else during agency switches. Email, because the DNS records for mail were not copied to the new DNS host. And forms, because the old form service was billed to the agency and stops working the day the account closes. Test both the morning after cutover.

Choosing the next agency so you never do this again

The best time to prevent the next messy exit is while choosing the new partner. Put these in the contract: the domain is registered in your name at a registrar you control; hosting is in your account or a dedicated account you can take over; you own the code, design and content on payment, in writing; you have administrator access to every account from day one; and the agency documents the site and provides a backup on request. Our guide to choosing a web design agency in the GTA covers the rest of the questions, and our website maintenance cost guide explains what a reasonable ongoing arrangement looks like. These are the terms we build into our own maintenance and support agreements, and they cost nothing to insist on.

Key takeaways

• Inventory first, notice last: hold the domain, a verified backup and your own accounts before anyone knows you are leaving.
• Domain transfer rules require registrars to release the authorisation code within five days and forbid blocking a transfer over unpaid future fees; the rights belong to the registrant, so make sure that is you.
• Copyright in your site only transfers in a signed written assignment; check the original contract.
• Rankings survive a move when URLs stay the same or redirect permanently, kept for at least a year.
• Test email and forms the morning after cutover; they fail more often than the website does.

Frequently asked questions

Can my web agency refuse to release my domain?

If your company is the registrant, no. ICANN's Transfer Policy requires registrars to provide the authorisation code and unlock the domain within five days of your request where no self-service option exists, and forbids denying a transfer over unpaid future fees. If the agency is the registrant, you first need a change of registrant to your company, which is a negotiation; your contract and the agency's own terms govern it.

Will switching web agencies affect my Google rankings?

Not if the site and its URLs stay the same; a hosting move is invisible to Google. If you redesign at the same time, map every old URL to a new one and use permanent redirects kept for at least a year. Google advises changing one thing at a time and expecting temporary fluctuation during a move.

What should I ask my old web agency for when leaving?

Administrator access to the CMS and hosting, the domain in your name with its authorisation code, a full backup of files and database, the code repository and design source files, a list of all DNS records, details of any licences and subscriptions, a document describing how the site is built, and a written assignment of copyright if the original contract did not include one.

Sources

1. Transfer Policy — ICANN, updated 21 February 2024
2. Exciting Changes Coming for .CA Domain Owners — Webnames blog
3. Site Moves With URL Changes — Google Search Central documentation
4. Managing owners, users, and permissions — Google Search Console Help
5. Add, edit, or remove Business Profile owners and managers — Google Business Profile Help
6. Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42), section 13 — Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website

How Flowmatix can help

We put this into practice for businesses in Toronto and around the world through our Website Redesign, website care & maintenance, website design & development services. Want to know what it would take for your business? Get a personalised quote in about 3 minutes.