Hiring / Project agreement
What Should a Website Design Contract Cover?
A useful project agreement turns the selected proposal into clear responsibilities and decision points for both sides.
Define the deliverables and assumptions
The agreement should identify the pages, design and development work, integrations, content tasks, testing, and launch responsibilities included in the project. State important exclusions and assumptions, such as who supplies copy, product data, photography, and account access.
A proposal can explain the approach, but the agreement should make the accepted scope unambiguous. Use the proposal comparison guide to spot differences before choosing a provider.
Set review and change rules
Name who can approve work, how feedback will be collected, how many review rounds are included, and how a change outside scope will be priced and scheduled. A timeline should identify dependencies on client material and approvals, not only a desired launch date.
This avoids treating every later request as either free or forbidden. It gives both parties a way to adjust scope without losing track of cost and timing.
Record ownership and operational access
Specify who owns the finished design and code under the agreed terms, which third-party licenses remain separate, and who controls the domain, hosting, CMS, analytics, and accounts. Include what source files, credentials, and documentation will be handed over.
The domain and hosting ownership guide explains why these details matter after launch.
Make launch and support concrete
Describe acceptance criteria, defect handling, launch responsibilities, payment milestones, warranty or support terms, and the process for ending the engagement. Ask for clarification on any term that affects your ability to operate the site later.
A clear agreement is a shared delivery tool. Have appropriate legal counsel review legal terms when the risk or project size warrants it; the project team should still resolve practical scope questions before signing.
Plan a site around real decisions
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Northform can help turn these decisions into a clear, usable website scope for your business.
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