What a buyer checks about your online presence.

A free checklist you can work through yourself: who controls the online side of your HVAC business, what it shows and what can be handed over.

For any owner, alongside either route through the programme.

Free.

Have a free first conversation

What you get

What to record for each domain, profile and account.
What a buyer will ask about each one.
How handover usually works, and what cannot be promised.

How it works

List what you have
Domains, hosting, profiles and email.
Check who controls it
Registrants, administrators and recovery access.
Record the handover
The permitted transfer route and access.

What we look at

A referral-built business can outgrow its website. A buyer will want to know that the services, reputation and access belong with the business, rather than depending on the owner's personal accounts.

Domains and DNS

Domains. A buyer needs to know the business has the right to use its address. List every domain, its legal registrant, registrar, renewal date and who can log in. A company name on a bill is not proof of the registrant. A change of registrant and a move to a different registrar are separate procedures. Ask the current registrar which approvals and waiting periods apply.

DNS access. DNS keeps the website and email reachable. Name the DNS provider and authorised company administrators; keep an export of the records. Transfer or grant control through the provider. Preserve the web and mail records; moving the domain does not by itself prove DNS access.

Hosting and readable pages

Hosting and website rights. A buyer needs the site to keep working and the right to use its content. Record the host, payer, renewal, backups and working administration access. Check rights to code, photographs and text. Hosting contracts and software licences may need consent or migration. Owned rights can be assigned through the sale documents; third-party rights are not automatically included.

Readable pages. Customers and search tools need to understand what the business does. Show services and service areas in readable text, with useful headings and links. Check that intended public pages can be crawled and indexed. Google says its normal search foundations apply to its AI search features. This is not a promise of inclusion by Google or any other assistant.

The website and reviews customers see

The business today. An out-of-date site leaves a buyer asking what else is missing. Include every service you now provide, accurate contact details, current photographs and recent meaningful updates. Test the enquiry route. Check content rights before handing over. A website update should describe the existing business honestly, not invent capabilities.

Reviews and Google Business Profile. Reviews and accurate local details help a buyer understand how customers see the business. Check recent genuine reviews, hours, services and the primary owner. Invite honest feedback without incentives or selecting only positive reviewers. Google provides primary-owner transfer and preserves business information and reviews for that route. Newly added users face seven-day restrictions; confirm timing before completion.

Company pages and handles

A personal account should not be the only way to manage a company's public presence.

Inventory Google Business Profile, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and X. Use the business identity for company pages, with named authorised administrators using their own accounts.

Facebook supports role-based Page administration with full or partial access. LinkedIn uses super-admin roles. YouTube ownership needs the appropriate Brand Account setup and waiting period. Personal profiles never transfer. Instagram's terms restrict account sales and transfers, with no general business-sale exception. Obtain consent and a permitted route from the platform; do not promise Instagram or X account/handle transfers.

Email, measurement and the handover pack

Email and measurement. Customer enquiries and useful history should remain accessible after the owner leaves. Use email on the company domain and record mail administration, analytics administrator and Search Console owner access. Grant and test incoming access before revoking outgoing access. Review Search Console verification tokens as well as users; mail contracts and personal-data handling need their own checks.

The handover pack. A buyer should not have to ring the former owner to find a renewal or recover access. Keep a company-controlled secure password store, recovery arrangements, provider list and named responsibilities. Test the pack with another authorised person. Transfer only the access and rights included in the agreement and allowed by each provider. Never hand over a personal profile or put passwords in an ordinary report.

What a sale actually transfers

The sale agreement decides what is included. In a share sale, where the buyer buys the company itself, the company may remain the rights holder; an asset sale, where the buyer buys the business's assets but not the company, can need assignments and supplier consent. Neither makes personal profiles part of the sale. Confirm platform terms and the permitted route before promising a handover.

This addresses buyer check 4: owner dependency and buyer check 7: market position.

Sources behind this check

Checked 1 October 2026. Which? Trusted Traders describes business profiles with services, photographs and reviews. These are useful checks alongside a personal recommendation. No claim is made here about how many people choose a trade using AI.

Instagram terms prohibit selling accounts and attempting to transfer account aspects; transferring contractual rights or obligations requires consent. There is no general business-sale exception. Ask Meta for a permitted route. X restricts username sales. The scope is company control where permitted.

What you'll need to have ready

Your domain registrar and hosting logins.
Administrator access to your Google Business Profile and company pages.
Access to your website analytics and Search Console.

What happens after

If you want help with what you find, Buyer-ready presence is led by Martin Dugan. Priced to your business after a short call. The check connects to two of the nine things a buyer checks: less reliance on you, and the reasons customers choose the business.

Questions owners ask

Is the check free?

Yes. It is a checklist you can work through yourself.

Do I need help to do it?

No. You can run this check yourself. Ask for Simon if you want to discuss what you find.

Can every social account be handed over?

No. Personal profiles never transfer, and Instagram or X account and handle transfers cannot be promised. Company pages use platform roles and administrators.

Start with a free conversation.

Ask for Simon. Your first conversation can be with Simon or Emily. Buying a preparation service does not commit you to selling, or to selling through Reads.