A café’s digital presence does not transfer as one asset. A buyer may be able to acquire the domain, website content, registered trade marks and agreed intellectual property, while access to listings, reviews, social pages, analytics and delivery platforms depends on the relevant account structure and provider rules.

Treat the handover as a controlled migration, not an exchange of passwords. Identify each asset, its legal owner, the platform administrator and the approved transfer process before assigning value. Online reviews in particular are records held by platforms; a sale agreement cannot guarantee that they will remain, move or display in the same way after settlement.

Build a digital asset and access register

Ask the seller for a register that distinguishes ownership from practical control. Test it by logging in through a supervised screen-share or by adding a buyer-controlled account with limited access. The register should cover:

Asset or channel Evidence to request Settlement question
Domain and DNS registrant record, registrar, expiry and recovery email Can the licence be transferred to the buyer’s entity?
Website and hosting contract, source files, CMS, hosting and backup access Who owns the code, design, copy and photographs?
Email and phone service contract, administrator and recovery method Which addresses, number and history should move?
Google listing owners, managers, verification status and policy notices Can primary ownership be transferred before settlement?
Social accounts full-control users, business portfolio and linked accounts Is access business-controlled or tied to a person or agency?
Delivery and booking merchant entity, contract, bank details and administrator Does the provider require consent or a new agreement?
Analytics and advertising account, property, pixel, tag and billing owners Can history move without carrying seller-wide access?
Content and customer data creator agreements, licences, privacy notices and consent records What may legally be assigned, disclosed and used?

Record multi-factor authentication, recovery contacts, API integrations and paid subscriptions separately. A username shown in a sales memorandum is not proof that the seller owns the asset or can transfer it.

Reviews and business listings are platform-controlled

For a Google Business Profile, the outgoing owner can add the buyer as an owner and later transfer primary ownership. Google’s transfer guidance says the new owner or manager faces a seven-day limitation on some administrative actions. Start early enough to complete that waiting period and test access before the seller is removed.

Google also says that reviews remain where a business has new ownership or management but keeps the same name. Its separate review guidance warns that not every business change qualifies for reviews to move and that significant changes may make reviews irrelevant. The buyer should therefore inspect profile health, policy warnings, duplicates, historical responses, name and address accuracy—but should not price the reviews as an owned database with guaranteed portability.

For other directories, repeat the same exercise: identify the verified owner, obtain the provider’s change-of-control procedure and preserve evidence of completion. Do not create duplicate listings simply because the seller has lost access; recovery or provider support may be safer.

Transfer roles, not personal logins

Social handover should use native business permissions wherever available. Meta explains that people with full Facebook Page control can manage settings and access, including removing other users, while task access is narrower (Meta). Map the Page, Instagram connection, business portfolio, advertising account, catalogue and billing relationship rather than accepting the seller’s personal Facebook password.

Confirm whether the handle, account or content may be transferred under current platform terms. Record any agency ownership, verification subscription or former employee with full control. Before settlement, the buyer should receive appropriate administrator access, activate its own authentication, confirm recovery to buyer-controlled email and phone, then remove obsolete users only after the handover test succeeds.

Delivery, booking and loyalty accounts can require provider approval or a new contract. Uber’s Australian change-of-ownership guidance describes a formal request, seller involvement, verification, updated bank and tax information and confirmation by email. Check every provider directly: continuity of a storefront does not prove that ratings, rankings, favourites, customer history or commercial terms will continue.

Separate the domain, website, analytics and email

A .au domain is a licence, not merely a password. auDA says a buyer must be eligible to hold the licence, enter a new licence agreement and complete a change of registrant; buying the business does not transfer it automatically. Where the domain is sold under a contract, auDA says the transfer must be requested within 28 days unless that agreement provides otherwise (auDA). Confirm the exact registrant and recovery email, then coordinate the contractual completion date with the registrar process.

Website transfer requires more than moving the domain. Request source files, themes, plugins, database, hosting, backups, certificates, integrations and a current restore test. Identify recurring fees and licences that cannot be assigned. Preserve DNS and email records during migration so ordering, booking and supplier communications do not fail.

Analytics history may also have its own transfer route. Google permits a GA4 property and its data streams to move between accounts where the user has the required roles, although permissions and some linked products need care (Google Analytics). Decide whether to move the property, grant access or create a new buyer-owned property. Do not accept screenshots as a substitute for administrator access and live traffic testing.

Confirm intellectual-property and privacy rights

The sale agreement should list the business name rights, registered trade marks, logo files, menus, website copy, photography, video and design source files. IP Australia says a trade mark assignment requires an agreement between the registered owner and the proposed owner, followed by a request to record the change (IP Australia). The Attorney-General’s Department notes that Australian copyright protection is automatic and gives owners exclusive rights (Attorney-General’s Department). Ask a lawyer to verify ownership and written assignments, especially where an agency, photographer, designer, employee or former owner created the material.

Customer lists, loyalty records, booking histories and email databases require separate privacy analysis. The OAIC advises sellers and prospective buyers to avoid identifiable customer data during due diligence where possible, use de-identified or aggregated information, limit access and return or destroy collected information when the process ends (OAIC). The buyer’s lawyer should assess the transaction structure, privacy notices, consents and intended future marketing before any database is disclosed or used.

Put the handover into the sale timetable

Use four gates:

  1. Before signing: inventory assets, identify legal owners, review provider rules and value only evidenced continuity.
  2. Before settlement: add buyer administrators, start consent and recovery processes, export permitted data and test backups.
  3. At settlement: complete registrant and contractual transfers, change billing and recovery details, rotate credentials and record evidence.
  4. After settlement: test the website, email, bookings, orders, analytics and listings; remove seller access only when the agreed handover is stable.

Escalate missing ownership, unrecoverable access, suspended profiles, disputed content or non-transferable contracts before committing. Possible responses include a condition precedent, specific assistance obligation, retention, price adjustment, replacement account plan or exclusion from the value attributed to goodwill.

Sources

Disclaimer

This article provides general information only. It does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial, credit, valuation or other professional advice. Circumstances differ. Obtain advice from appropriately qualified advisers before acting or entering a transaction.