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CONTRACTTemplate preview · Example
01
Services
Sitemap and wireframes; designs for the homepage and inner-page templates.
02
Fees and payment
Deposit before work starts, invoices due within 14 days, expenses at cost with approval.
03
Content and launch dates
Launch dates assume the client supplies final content by the agreed date. If content is late, the launch date moves by the same amount of time.
04
Termination
Either party can end the agreement with written notice; work done to date is paid.
What a web design contract should cover
A web design contract sets out what you’ll deliver, what the client must do, how you’re paid and what happens if things change. For web designers, the clauses that matter most are usually content and launch dates, browser and device support, third-party services.
Clause
Why it matters
Services and exclusions
Defines the work and stops scope creep before it starts.
Client responsibilities
Makes dependencies explicit and ties your dates to them.
Fees and payment
Deposit, payment terms, expenses and late payment.
Content and launch dates
Launch dates assume the client supplies final content by the agreed date. If content is late, the launch date moves by the same amount of time.
Browser and device support
The site is tested on current versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge on desktop and mobile. Older browsers are not included.
Third-party services
The client pays for and owns accounts for hosting, domain, fonts and plugins. The designer is not responsible for outages or changes to those services.
Termination
How either side can end it and what’s owed.
The template
Parties
Service provider: [Business name, address, email] (“the designer”)
The provider will deliver the web design services described below, or in a statement of work signed by both parties.
[Sitemap and wireframes]
[Designs for the homepage and inner-page templates]
[Built, tested website on the client’s hosting]
[Editor training and a short how-to guide]
2. Not included
[Copywriting and photography]
[Domain, hosting and third-party subscriptions]
[SEO beyond page titles and descriptions]
[Ongoing maintenance after launch]
3. Client responsibilities
[Final copy and images for every page]
[Access to the domain, hosting and booking system by invitation]
[One approver for each design stage]
If the Client’s inputs are late, delivery dates move by the same amount of time.
4. Fees and payment
Fee: [Amount and basis — fixed, hourly, day rate or monthly]
Deposit: [e.g. 30% before work starts]
Payment terms: [e.g. invoices due within 14 days]
Expenses: [Charged at cost with prior approval / included]
Late payment: [Interest or right to pause work, as allowed by law]
5. Changes to the scope
Either party can request changes in writing. The provider will confirm the effect on fees and timeline before starting any change.
6. Content and launch dates
Launch dates assume the client supplies final content by the agreed date. If content is late, the launch date moves by the same amount of time.
7. Browser and device support
The site is tested on current versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge on desktop and mobile. Older browsers are not included.
8. Third-party services
The client pays for and owns accounts for hosting, domain, fonts and plugins. The designer is not responsible for outages or changes to those services.
9. Confidentiality
Each party keeps the other’s confidential information private and uses it only to perform this agreement, during the agreement and for [2] years after it ends.
10. Liability
[Limit each party’s total liability, e.g. to the fees paid under this agreement in the previous 12 months, and exclude indirect losses, to the extent the law allows. Have a lawyer draft this clause for your jurisdiction.]
11. Term and termination
This agreement starts on the effective date and continues until the services are complete, unless ended earlier.
Either party may end it with [14] days’ written notice.
Either party may end it immediately if the other materially breaches it and doesn’t fix the breach within [10] days of notice.
On termination, the Client pays for work done up to the termination date.
12. Independent contractor
The provider is an independent business, not an employee, and is responsible for their own taxes and insurance.
General
Entire agreement: this agreement (and any statements of work under it) is the whole agreement between the parties on its subject.
Changes: changes to this agreement must be in writing and signed by both parties.
Notices: notices are sent to the email addresses above, or as updated in writing.
Governing law: this agreement is governed by the laws of [jurisdiction], and the courts of [jurisdiction] have jurisdiction.
Signatures
[Party A]
[Party B]
Name
Title
Signature
Date
How to fill it in
Fill in both parties’ legal names and addresses, and the effective date.
Describe the services and deliverables, or reference a signed statement of work.
List exclusions and the client’s responsibilities, with dates where they affect yours.
Set the fee, deposit, payment terms, expenses and late payment terms.
Review the web design-specific clauses, such as content and launch dates, and adapt them to the project.
Have a lawyer review the template for your jurisdiction, then sign it before work starts.
Use it in Word, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: key terms for Brightpath Web and Northfield Physio
How the main clauses read once filled in for a five-page website with online booking. Both companies are fictional.
Parties and dates
Provider: Brightpath Web
Client: Northfield Physio
Effective date: 1 March
Services
Sitemap and wireframes
Designs for the homepage and inner-page templates
Built, tested website on the client’s hosting
Editor training and a short how-to guide
Not included
Copywriting and photography
Domain, hosting and third-party subscriptions
SEO beyond page titles and descriptions
Ongoing maintenance after launch
Fees and payment
Fee: $7,150.00 excluding tax, as itemised in the proposal
Deposit: $2,145.00 (30%) before work starts
Payment terms: Invoices due within 14 days
Notice: 14 days’ written notice by either party
Content and launch dates
Launch dates assume the client supplies final content by the agreed date. If content is late, the launch date moves by the same amount of time.
Browser and device support
The site is tested on current versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge on desktop and mobile. Older browsers are not included.
Third-party services
The client pays for and owns accounts for hosting, domain, fonts and plugins. The designer is not responsible for outages or changes to those services.
Common mistakes
Starting work before it’s signed. Most disputes start on projects where the terms were “agreed on a call”.
A scope described in one line. Reference a detailed scope or statement of work.
No change process. Without one, every extra request becomes a negotiation.
Copying clauses you don’t understand. If you can’t explain a clause to the client, ask a lawyer about it.
Angelwood’s proposal software builds proposals and agreements from your own templates, shows when the client has opened them and collects e-signatures, with a countersignature to execute the agreement.
A good web design contract says that launch dates assume content arrives on time and move if it doesn’t. Some contracts also allow you to invoice the build stage if content is more than a set number of weeks late.
Is a contract template legally binding?+
A template becomes binding once the parties agree and sign it, if it meets the legal requirements where you are. Whether it protects you depends on what it says, so have a lawyer review it for your jurisdiction.
Can contracts be signed electronically?+
In most countries, yes: electronic signatures are generally valid for business contracts like this one, with some exceptions for specific document types. Check the rules that apply to you.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.