Buying or Selling a Business? Don’t Forget the Website, Domain and Digital Assets

When someone buys or sells a business, most of the attention goes to the obvious stuff.

The lease. The stock. The equipment. The staff. The customer list. The contract.

Fair enough.

But the website and digital assets often get treated like a small admin task. That is where things get messy.

A business can look like it has a website, email, Google listing and social accounts. But that does not mean the buyer actually controls them after settlement.

And if the old owner, old web developer, old marketing agency or someone’s cousin still controls the login, the new owner can end up with a business they cannot properly operate online.

The website is not just a brochure

For a lot of small businesses, the website is part of the sales system.

It brings in enquiries. It holds service pages. It connects to forms, analytics, booking tools, payment systems and tracking. It supports Google rankings and helps people check whether the business is real.

So when a business changes hands, the website should be treated as a business asset, not an afterthought.

If the handover is vague, the new owner may not know who hosts the site, who owns the domain, where the leads go, or who can update the content.

That is not a great welcome gift.

Start with the domain name

The domain is one of the first things to check.

For Australian businesses, especially .com.au domains, the registrant details and eligibility matter. Do not assume the domain automatically transfers just because the business name or assets are being sold.

Check who the registrant is. Check which registrar holds it. Check who has access to the account. Check whether the contact email still works.

If the domain stays under the old owner’s name, the new owner may be relying on goodwill to keep their website and email alive. That is not a plan. That is a hostage situation with invoices.

Check the website admin access

The next question is simple: who can log in and make changes?

For a WordPress site, that means administrator access. For Shopify, Squarespace, Wix or another platform, it means the main owner account, billing access and recovery email.

Do not settle for “we can send updates to the old web guy”.

The buyer should know who owns the account, who pays for it, who can reset passwords, and what happens if the current supplier disappears.

Email matters more than people think

Email can get missed because it feels separate from the website.

It usually is not.

The domain controls email records. The hosting setup may control email accounts. Contact forms may send leads to an address that no longer exists. Staff mailboxes may contain business history, customer conversations and admin trails.

Before handover, check:

• Who hosts the email
• Which mailboxes exist
• Who pays for them
• Where website form enquiries are sent
• Whether old staff accounts need closing
• Whether forwarding rules are still active

If forms are sending leads to the previous owner after settlement, that is a problem you want to catch before it costs real enquiries.

Do not forget Google Business Profile

For a local business, the Google Business Profile can be just as important as the website.

It controls how the business appears in Maps, reviews, photos, opening hours, phone numbers and local search results.

The buyer should be added as an owner, then the old owner should be removed when appropriate. The same goes for any agency or staff member who no longer needs access.

If the previous owner keeps control, they may still be able to change the phone number, edit the website link, update hours or respond to reviews.

That is not ideal when the business has just changed hands.

Social accounts need a proper handover too

Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, LinkedIn pages and ad accounts are often tied to personal profiles.

That makes handover awkward if nobody plans it early.

Check who owns the Business Manager or Meta account. Check who has admin access. Check whether two-factor authentication is set up under someone leaving the business.

Also check whether paid ads, boosted posts or old campaigns are still running.

Small leak. Big waste.

Analytics and tracking are part of the asset

A website without data is harder to improve.

Google Analytics, Search Console, Tag Manager, call tracking, booking tools and form tracking should all be reviewed during the handover.

The new owner should not have to start from scratch if years of useful website data already exists.

At the same time, old users should be removed if they no longer need access.

A basic website handover checklist

If you are buying or selling a business, the digital handover should include:

• Domain registrar login and registrant details
• Website platform or CMS admin access
• Hosting account access and billing details
• Email hosting and mailbox list
• Website form destinations
• Google Business Profile ownership
• Google Analytics and Search Console access
• Social page admin access
• Ad account access
• Payment gateway and booking tool access
• Plugin, theme or software licence details
• Backup location and restore process

This does not replace legal, accounting or broker advice. It is the practical website side that often gets missed.

When should you sort this out?

Before settlement, ideally.

Once the deal is done, the motivation to clean up logins can drop quickly. People move on. Old emails close. Passwords get lost. The helpful person becomes hard to reach.

If you are selling, a clean digital handover makes the business look better organised.

If you are buying, it protects the parts of the business that keep enquiries coming in.

Need help checking the website side?

If you are buying, selling or taking over a business, get the website and digital access checked before it becomes urgent.

Spray Media can help review the website, domain, email, Google listing and digital assets so you know what needs handing over, fixing or rebuilding.

Much easier before the old owner vanishes into retirement with the only domain login.