Direct answer
A usable handover lets the next responsible person continue without reconstructing the project from old emails, folders and private memory. It should make the important decisions, dependencies, owners, acceptance conditions, current source, known risks and next actions easy to find and safe to interpret.
Why it matters
Files alone are not a handover. A folder can show where something is stored without showing which version is current, why a choice was made, what remains unresolved or what could break if a seemingly local change is made.
This matters beyond websites. A strategy, content system, analytics setup, AI workflow or brand programme has only partly survived delivery if the next person cannot see what to respect, maintain or reopen.
Five checks
Check that the handover makes five things visible: the decision and its reason; dependencies in both directions; the owner of the next decision and exception; an observable acceptance condition; and a continuity route to the current source, risks and next action.
Then test it with someone who was not involved. They should be able to identify the source of truth, the most important unresolved risk, and who can decide what happens next. If they cannot, the missing information belongs in the handover rather than another archive.
Limits
The depth should match the risk. A small, self-contained task may need a short handover; a programme involving multiple systems, teams or suppliers needs clearer decision and responsibility routes. Never place credentials in the handover itself.
Soft next step
Ask a colleague who was not in the project to answer one real operational question from the handover. Improve the page wherever they have to guess or search elsewhere.