Website design contract template
Published
Short answer
A website design contract should pin down the pages and features, how many rounds of revisions are included, who provides the content, what happens with hosting and domains, when the site counts as launched, and who owns the design and code. Below is a template you can copy, and a prompt to send it from your agent.
The clauses that cause most disputes
| Topic | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Pages and features | "A website" can mean five pages or fifty |
| Revisions | Unlimited rounds are the fastest way to lose money |
| Content | Projects stall waiting for the client's copy and images |
| Hosting and domain | Someone has to pay for them, and own them, after launch |
| Launch and acceptance | Without a definition, the project never ends |
| Ownership | Design files, code and licensed fonts or photos are different things |
Website design contract template
Website design agreement
This agreement is made between [Client name], company number [number] ("the Client"), and [Agency name], company number [number] ("the Agency").
1. The website. The Agency designs and builds a website with the following: [pages, e.g. home, about, services, five service pages, contact]; [features, e.g. contact form, newsletter sign-up, CMS for blog posts]. Not included: [e.g. online shop, copywriting, photography, translations].
2. Process and revisions. The Agency delivers [a design proposal for the home page and one inner page], then the full design, then the built site. Each stage includes [two] rounds of revisions. Further revisions are billed at [rate] per hour.
3. Content. The Client provides all text, images and logos by [date]. If content is late, the timeline moves accordingly. [Optional: the Agency can write or source content at [rate].]
4. Timeline. Design proposal by [date]. Built site for review by [date]. Launch planned for [date].
5. Price and payment. The total price is [amount] excluding VAT, invoiced [40% on signing, 40% on design approval and 20% at launch], with payment due within [number] days.
6. Hosting and domain. [The Client buys and owns the domain and hosting in the Client's name. / The Agency provides hosting at [amount] per month under a separate agreement.]
7. Launch and acceptance. The site is accepted when the Client approves it in writing or launches it, or [10] working days after delivery for review if no defects are reported. Defects reported within [30] days of launch are fixed at no charge.
8. Ownership. When paid in full, the Client owns the design and the site's custom code. Third-party items (fonts, stock photos, plugins) are licensed under their own terms, which the Agency lists at handover. The Agency may show the site in its portfolio.
9. Maintenance. Ongoing updates, security patches and support after the [30]-day period are not included, and can be agreed in a separate retainer.
10. Termination. Either party may end this agreement with [14] days' written notice. The Client pays for work done up to that date.
Tie each payment to a clear milestone
- 0140%On signing
- 0240%On design approval
- 0320%At launch
Send it from your agent
Keep this as a template in Pledge, then:
Website design agreement for Fjord Studio: 8 pages plus a blog, 18 000 fixed, 40/40/20 payment, launch 1 March, two revision rounds. Show me before sending.
Your agent fills it in from your template, you check it in Claude, ChatGPT, Codex or Cursor, and it goes out for signature when you say so.
This article is not legal advice.
Questions
- What should a website design contract include?
- The pages and features, the number of revision rounds, who provides content, hosting and domain arrangements, how launch and acceptance work, payment milestones, and who owns the design and code.
- How many revisions should a web design contract include?
- Two rounds per stage is common. Write the number down, and set a rate for further rounds.
- Who owns a website after it's built?
- Usually the client, once it's paid for in full, while third-party fonts, photos and plugins stay under their own licences. Put it in the contract either way.
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