Writing Your Web Design Contract: What to Include and Best Practices
Do you really need a contract as a web designer?
Yep! Any time you are charging a client for a service, you should have a contract in place.
The contract lays out the expectations that you and your client have for each other, and it holds you both accountable to your agreement. It’s more than just legal protection. It’s a way for you and your client to make sure you are on the same page.
But signing a contract is scary…
I get it. I used to feel the same way.
But in most cases, contracts are only intimidating if you don’t understand them. Once I understood how to write my web design contracts, I realized how helpful they are.
While I’m not qualified to give you official legal advice, I want to give you a look into what I include in my contracts and how they protect my web design business.
What should you include in a web design contract?
The first thing I think about when writing a contract is…what exactly am I agreeing to???
Basically, I outline everything that I am agreeing to do for my client, and I try to be specific as possible.
For example, I don’t just write “I will design a Squarespace website” in my contract. That’s not helpful to my client at all!
Instead, I think about the details. How many pages will I design? How many photos will I use? How many products will I add to the shop?
Obviously, you might not know all of these details until actually getting started with the web design. But the more you specify, the better. It not only ensures that you and your client are on the same page, but also ensures that your client won’t make extra last-minute requests that are outside the original agreement.
Once you finish writing what YOU agree to do, you also need to outline your expectations for your CLIENT. What files do they need to provide you? Do they need to send you their brand kit? Will they need to write all of the copy for the website, or will you do the copywriting?
Another big topic that should be included in your contract is how you will manage the editing process. How many rounds of edits will you do for your client? Will you charge extra for additional edits? Personally, I suggest setting a certain number of days for doing edits, instead of setting a number of rounds for edits. Otherwise, I’ve seen rounds of edits drag on for way too long…
Lastly, make sure you include your project timeline and price in the contract. At the very least, you should have a set deadline for completing the website. But the more detailed your timeline, the better. The same principle applies to the price. Be specific about payment amounts, the due dates, and the payment method.
In summary, here is a list of the items I you should cover in a contract:
What you are agreeing to do for your client
What your client needs to do for their end of the project
How you will send files back and forth
How many edits you will do
Project checkpoints and deadlines
Price and payment schedule
Creating policies for legal protection
While it would be nice to finish your contract with the list of items above…you also need to think about protective measures. What if your client doesn’t pay on time? What if they request additional work that you didn’t agree to? What if they cancel the web design project?
You need to think about all of these things when writing your web design contract!
Creating your business policies can be a bit of a headache, but it’s necessary. Not every web design project will go smoothly. Eventually you will run into a tough situation, and you need to have a policy in place.
For example, when I sign a contract with a client, I require 20% of the total payment before the project starts. That 20% is non-refundable, as a protective measure in case they cancel the project.
You also need a policy in place if something happens to you, and you can’t complete the project. For example, if you get injured or your computer dies, you may not be able to finish the web design by the set deadline. What happens then?
Lastly, there’s the matter of who owns the website copyright once it is completed. Will you keep the copyright, or transfer it to your client? What expectations do you have once the website is completed?
If nothing else, state that you will use screenshots of the website to promote your business. That way your client can’t complain if you display their website in your portfolio or on your social media channels.
Figuring out all of your business policies is not very fun, but it will help keep your web design business safe.
Should you use a contract template?
At this point, you’re probably wishing you never heard about contracts!
Writing a web design contract from scratch is super daunting. But hiring a lawyer to write one for you can be expensive. So what should you do?
A good compromise is to use a contract template. But I wouldn’t recommend using just any template you find online.
Most of the contract templates I’ve seen have same problem. They aren’t written for web designers, so they lack a lot of the elements we need in our contracts.
But I eventually found Creative Law Shop, which offers contract templates specifically for web designers. The templates are written by an actual lawyer, making them legally sound. So if you aren’t sure how to write a contract from scratch, or if you are worried about leaving out important details, I definitely recommend using their templates.
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What is the best way to deliver your web design contract?
Once you have a contract…how do you collect your client’s signature?
While you can just use software like DocuSign to collect signatures online, I prefer to keep all of my contracts, invoices, and other client files organized in Honeybook.
Honeybook is an online booking software, but it’s also perfect for keeping your project files organized. I keep my contract templates saved in Honeybook, along with email templates. That way, when a new client books my services, it doesn’t take me long to edit the contract and send them an email with it.
To try Honeybook for yourself, click here to get 50% off your first year.
