A Website Design Contract protects both the designer and client throughout a web project. This template ensures clear expectations for scope, timeline, payment, and ownership — preventing the scope creep and payment disputes that plague the web design industry.
What Is a Website Design Contract?
A website design contract is a legally binding agreement between a web designer/agency and a client that outlines every aspect of a website project. It covers the scope of work, design process, payment terms, ownership rights, and post-launch support.
The web design industry has high rates of scope creep and client disputes. A thorough contract is your best protection.
Key Clauses to Include
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Project Scope — Number of pages, features, integrations, responsive breakpoints, browser support, and CMS customization.
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Design Milestones — Break the project into phases with approval gates: discovery, wireframes, visual design, development, testing, launch.
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Content Responsibility — Clarify who provides the content (text, images, video). Set deadlines for client content — delays push the entire timeline.
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Payment Schedule — Tie payments to milestones. Common structures: 30/30/30/10 or 50/25/25. Never start without a deposit.
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Revision Policy — 2-3 rounds per milestone. Define scope changes vs. revisions. Charge hourly for extras.
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Hosting and Launch — Who sets up hosting? Who registers the domain? Who handles the launch process? Define all of this clearly.
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IP Transfer — Specify that all design assets transfer to the client upon final payment. The designer may retain license to use in their portfolio.
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Post-Launch Support — Include a support period (30-90 days) for bug fixes after launch. Define what’s covered and what’s billable.
How to Customize This Template
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Detail the tech stack — WordPress, custom CMS, static site, e-commerce? Be specific about technologies and any third-party tools or licenses needed.
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Set content deadlines — Clients often delay providing content. Include a clause stating that late content pushes the timeline and may incur additional fees.
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Define browser support — “Works on all browsers” isn’t realistic. List specific browser versions you’ll support and test against.
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Include a training clause — If you’re building a CMS site, define how much training is included (e.g., “2-hour video walkthrough of the admin dashboard”).
How to Send for E-Signature with WPsigner
- Upload — Drop this contract into your WPsigner dashboard
- Add fields — Place signature, milestone approval, and payment acknowledgment fields
- Send — Share a secure signing link with your client
- Track — Get notified when the client signs
- Store — Contracts archived with tamper-proof audit trails