How do you switch web agencies without anything going down?

Your web agency is slow to respond, has become too expensive or is closing down. You want to switch, but your website, shop and advertising need to keep running. That works if you take the steps in the right order. This guide covers what you own, what to back up first and when to remove the old agency.

First, check what you own

Before you give notice, check what's in your name. Sometimes an agency sets up the domain or accounts in its own name to keep things simple. You often only notice this when you switch. Go through these points:

Who owns the code?

Under the Swiss Copyright Act, code is a work, just like text and images (Art. 2 CopA). The rights first belong to the person who wrote it. If employees wrote it, they belong to the employer, in other words the agency (Art. 6 and Art. 17 CopA). They pass to you if your contract says so (Art. 16 CopA). A copy of the files doesn't give you these rights on its own (Art. 16 para. 3 CopA).

So read your contract and the agency's terms and conditions. Check whether you may change the code and pass it on to a new agency. If they say the rights stay with the agency, raise this before you give notice. If anything is unclear, a contract lawyer can help.

Switching web agencies: the checklist before you give notice

1. List every service and login

Make a list of everything that belongs to your website. That includes the domain, hosting, website or shop, payment provider, shipping, newsletter, analytics, ad accounts and social media. For each service, note whose name it's in and who has a login. You'll need this list for every step that follows.

2. Make yourself the owner everywhere

Every account has a role that can add and remove other users. You need that role yourself before the agency leaves. Start early, because some changes at Google take a few days.

• Google Ads: Administrator. Only this role can grant access and change access levels (Google Ads Help).
• Google Analytics: Administrator at account level. Only then can you delete users (Analytics Help).
• Search Console: Owner. When you remove the agency, delete its verification tokens as well. Otherwise, according to Google, it can verify itself as an owner again (Search Console Help).
• Google Business Profile: Owner, ideally primary owner. According to Google, new owners have to wait 7 days before they can manage some profile features (Business Profile Help).
• Facebook and Instagram: Pages and ad accounts run through your own business account at Meta. The agency only gets access there.

3. Make a full backup and test it

Ask for an up-to-date backup. It covers all the website's files and the database with customers, orders and content. A backup only helps if it can be restored. Have the new agency check this in a test environment before the old one switches anything off.

4. Find out what runs through the agency

Some things depend on the agency's accounts without anyone noticing and only come to light once those accounts are gone. Ask the old agency directly and get the answer in writing:

• licences for templates, extensions and fonts
• keys for payments, shipping or the website's email sending
• scheduled tasks, such as nightly backups, stock syncing or sending invoices
• agency user accounts that processes depend on
• domain records that point to the agency's servers

Don't delete the agency's user accounts straight away. Lock them first or remove their rights, and check that everything keeps running. Only then delete them.

5. Think of the domain and email

If you move your domain to another provider, you need a transfer code. You get it from your current registrar. According to SWITCH, the registrar must allow you as the holder to transfer at any time (SWITCH). If the agency is registered as the holder, a change of holder to you comes first. The current holder submits this request via the registrar (Art. 28 OID).

Take all DNS records with you whenever you move your domain or hosting, especially the ones for email. Without the MX record, emails stop arriving. Without SPF or DKIM, your emails are more likely to land in spam.

On the day: the right order

1. Ready: The new agency has every login and a tested backup.
2. Move: The website moves, and the domain too if needed.
3. Check: Homepage, forms, emails, analytics and advertising, plus a test order with payment for a shop.
4. Lock: Only now do you lock the old agency's logins. Once everything has run for a few days, delete them.
5. Passwords: Change every password and key the old agency knew.

Your email to the old agency

Stay friendly, even if there was trouble. The old agency knows your website best, and you need its help. Also ask whether the handover costs anything, and get the effort confirmed in advance. Your email could look like this:

Hi [name], we're ending our collaboration as of [date]. Thank you for your work so far. For an orderly handover, we need a full backup of the website and database and all logins in our name by [date]. Please also send us a list of the services, licences and keys that run through your accounts. Please only remove your access after checking with us. Kind regards, [your name]

How we do it at chrismachts

With us, your domain, hosting and accounts are in your name from day one. Once the project is paid, the rights to code, design and content pass to you. If you later move to another provider, we hand everything over in good order. You get all logins, an up-to-date backup and an overview of what runs where. We only remove our access once everything is running on your side.

If you'd like to switch to us, we'll go through this list with you in a free call. Find out more under Websites. Before you sign a new contract, our five questions before you sign will help.

With this list, you can go step by step. No rush.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns my website if an agency built it?

Your contract decides. What the agency created, such as code and design, is protected by copyright. The rights first belong to the agency and pass to you if the contract provides for it (Art. 16 CopA). Whoever is registered as holder or owner controls the domain and accounts.

How do I get my domain from the old agency?

First ask your registrar who is registered as the holder. If it's you, request the transfer code there and give it to the new provider. If the agency is the holder, a change of holder to you comes first. The agency submits this request via the registrar as the current holder (Art. 28 OID).

What do I need to back up before switching?

All the website's files and the database with customers, orders and content. Add your text, images and the licences for templates and extensions. Have the new agency check that the backup can be restored before the old one switches anything off.

When do I remove the old agency's access?

Only once you're the owner everywhere and everything runs with the new agency. Lock the logins first and watch for a few days to check that everything works. Then delete them and change every password the old agency knew.

Sources

All sources retrieved on 26 October 2026. The English versions of Swiss law are for information only; only the German, French and Italian texts are legally binding.

• Federal Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Copyright Act, CopA), SR 231.1, Art. 2, 6, 16 and 17, as of 1 July 2025
• Ordinance on Internet Domains (OID), SR 784.104.2, Art. 28 and annex, as of 1 January 2024
• SWITCH, Domain names: support
• Google Ads Help, About access levels in your Google Ads account
• Analytics Help, Add, edit, and delete Analytics users and user groups
• Search Console Help, Managing owners, users, and permissions
• Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile owners & managers