A web design contract covers page count and feature scope, pricing (small business sites $3,000–$15,000; project or 50% deposit structures), revision rounds (2–3 per phase), the content-delivery dependency (client copy and images are the #1 delay), browser/device support matrix, IP transfer on final payment (with the designer retaining portfolio rights and third-party themes/plugins keeping their own licenses), launch checklist, and post-launch support terms (usually 30 days bug-fix, then a care plan).
Free Web Design Contract Template
Reviewed by the Agiled editorial teamUpdated June 2026
Web design projects die in two places: undefined scope ('can we add a booking system?') and waiting for content ('the About page copy is coming next week,'...
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Full template text
Below is a comprehensive web design contract template you can copy, customize, and use for your projects. Replace the bracketed placeholders with your specific project details.
WEB DESIGN SERVICES AGREEMENT
Effective Date: [Date]
1. Parties
This Web Design Services Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into by and between:
Designer:
Name: [Designer / Agency Name]
Address: [Street Address, City, State, ZIP]
Email: [Email Address]
Phone: [Phone Number]
Client:
Name: [Client Name or Business Name]
Address: [Street Address, City, State, ZIP]
Email: [Email Address]
Phone: [Phone Number]
The Designer and the Client are collectively referred to as the "Parties."
2. Project Overview
The Client engages the Designer to design and develop a website (the "Website") as described in this Agreement. The Website will serve the following purpose: [Brief description of the website's purpose, target audience, and primary goals].
3. Scope of Work
The Designer agrees to perform the following services ("Services"):
a) Discovery and Planning — Conduct a discovery session to gather requirements, define site architecture, and create a project plan.
b) Wireframes and Prototypes — Produce wireframes for up to [Number] unique page layouts for Client review and approval before proceeding to visual design.
c) Visual Design — Create high-fidelity design mockups for approved wireframes, including color palette, typography, imagery, and iconography consistent with the Client's brand guidelines.
d) Front-End Development — Convert approved designs into responsive HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that function across major modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and devices (desktop, tablet, mobile).
e) Content Management System (CMS) Integration — Install and configure [CMS Platform, e.g., WordPress] so the Client can manage content independently after launch.
f) Quality Assurance and Testing — Test the Website for cross-browser compatibility, responsive behavior, broken links, and basic performance optimization.
g) Launch Support — Assist with deploying the Website to the Client's hosting environment and perform a post-launch review.
Exclusions. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the following are not included in this Agreement: copywriting, photography, videography, search engine optimization (SEO) beyond basic on-page setup, ongoing marketing, third-party software licensing fees, and custom back-end application development.
4. Design Deliverables
The Designer will provide the following deliverables at the stages indicated:
| Phase | Deliverable | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Site map and project plan | |
| Wireframes | Page-level wireframes for [Number] layouts | PDF or Figma link |
| Design | High-fidelity mockups for desktop and mobile | Figma / PSD / Sketch |
| Development | Functioning Website on staging server | URL |
| Launch | Live Website on Client's hosting | URL |
| Handoff | Source design files and style guide | ZIP archive |
5. Content Responsibility
The Client is responsible for providing all text content, images, logos, and other media assets required for the Website. Content must be delivered in the format specified by the Designer by the dates outlined in the project timeline (Section 6).
If the Client fails to deliver content by the agreed deadline, the Designer may adjust the project timeline accordingly. Placeholder content used during development does not constitute final approval. The Client must review and approve all content before launch.
6. Timeline and Milestones
The project will follow the milestone schedule below. Dates are estimates and depend on timely Client feedback and content delivery.
| Milestone | Target Date | Client Approval Required |
|---|---|---|
| Project Kick-Off | [Date] | — |
| Wireframes Delivered | [Date] | Yes |
| Design Mockups Delivered | [Date] | Yes |
| Development Complete (Staging) | [Date] | Yes |
| Quality Assurance | [Date] | — |
| Website Launch | [Date] | Yes |
| If the Client does not provide feedback within [Number, e.g., 5] business days of a deliverable submission, the deliverable will be deemed approved, and the Designer will proceed to the next phase. Delays caused by the Client may result in an adjusted launch date and will not constitute a breach by the Designer. |
7. Compensation
The total fee for the Services described in this Agreement is [Currency] [Amount] ("Project Fee").
The Project Fee is based on the scope of work defined in Section 3. Any work outside the defined scope will be quoted separately and requires written approval from the Client before the Designer begins.
8. Payment Schedule
Payments are due according to the following schedule:
| Payment | Amount | Due Date / Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | [Amount or Percentage] | Upon signing this Agreement |
| Milestone 1 | [Amount or Percentage] | Upon approval of design mockups |
| Milestone 2 | [Amount or Percentage] | Upon completion of development (staging) |
| Final Payment | [Amount or Percentage] | Prior to Website launch |
| All invoices are payable within [Number, e.g., 14] days of the invoice date. Late payments will incur a fee of [Percentage, e.g., 1.5%] per month on the outstanding balance. The Designer reserves the right to pause work if any payment is more than [Number, e.g., 14] days overdue. |
9. Revisions
The Project Fee includes up to [Number, e.g., two (2)] rounds of revisions at each major milestone (wireframes, design mockups, and development). A "revision" is defined as a set of changes that does not alter the approved project scope, site architecture, or core functionality.
Additional revision rounds or requests that expand the scope will be billed at the Designer's standard rate of [Currency] [Rate] per hour or quoted as a flat fee, with work commencing only after the Client provides written approval of the additional cost.
10. Intellectual Property and Ownership
a) Upon Final Payment. Upon receipt of the final payment in full, the Designer assigns to the Client all right, title, and interest in the final Website deliverables, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and design files created specifically for this project.
b) Designer Tools. The Designer retains ownership of pre-existing tools, frameworks, libraries, and code snippets used in the project ("Designer Tools"). The Client receives a non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free license to use the Designer Tools as embedded in the delivered Website.
c) Third-Party Assets. Any third-party assets (stock images, fonts, plugins, or software) are subject to their respective license terms. The Designer will inform the Client of all third-party assets used and their licensing requirements.
d) Portfolio Rights. The Designer retains the right to display the completed Website and related materials in portfolios, case studies, and marketing materials unless the Client provides written objection within [Number, e.g., 30] days of project completion.
11. Hosting and Domain
The Client is responsible for securing and maintaining web hosting and domain registration for the Website. The Designer may recommend hosting providers but is not responsible for hosting uptime, server performance, or domain renewals unless a separate maintenance agreement is executed.
If the Designer manages hosting or domain services on behalf of the Client, associated fees will be billed separately and are not included in the Project Fee.
12. Confidentiality
Each Party agrees to keep confidential all non-public information received from the other Party during the course of this project, including business strategies, customer data, proprietary processes, and technical specifications ("Confidential Information"). Neither Party will disclose Confidential Information to third parties without prior written consent, except as required by law.
This obligation survives the termination or completion of this Agreement for a period of [Number, e.g., two (2)] years.
13. Warranties and Limitation of Liability
a) Designer Warranty. The Designer warrants that the Website will substantially conform to the approved specifications for a period of [Number, e.g., 30] days after launch ("Warranty Period"). During the Warranty Period, the Designer will correct any defects attributable to the Designer's work at no additional cost.
b) No Other Warranties. Except as stated above, the Services are provided "as is." The Designer makes no warranties regarding search engine rankings, traffic levels, or business outcomes.
c) Limitation of Liability. In no event will either Party's total liability under this Agreement exceed the total Project Fee paid or payable. Neither Party will be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages.
14. Termination
a) Termination for Convenience. Either Party may terminate this Agreement by providing [Number, e.g., 14] days' written notice to the other Party.
b) Termination for Cause. Either Party may terminate this Agreement immediately if the other Party materially breaches any term and fails to cure the breach within [Number, e.g., 10] days of receiving written notice.
c) Effect of Termination. Upon termination, the Client will pay the Designer for all Services completed and expenses incurred up to the date of termination. If the Client terminates for convenience after the deposit has been paid, the deposit is non-refundable. The Designer will deliver all completed work and files to the Client within [Number, e.g., 10] business days of receiving final payment for completed work.
15. Governing Law
This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [State / Province / Country], without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. Any disputes arising under this Agreement will be resolved in the courts of [Jurisdiction].
16. Entire Agreement
This Agreement, including any exhibits or attachments, constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties and supersedes all prior negotiations, representations, and agreements, whether written or oral. Amendments to this Agreement must be in writing and signed by both Parties.
17. Signatures
By signing below, each Party acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Agreement.
Designer
Signature: ____________________________
Printed Name: ____________________________
Title: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Client
Signature: ____________________________
Printed Name: ____________________________
Title: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
- Small business site
- $3,000 – $15,000 typical
- Deposit
- 30 – 50% to start
- Revisions
- 2 – 3 rounds per phase
- IP transfer
- On final payment
What your web design contract should cover
Scope: pages, features, platform
Page count and templates listed, features named (forms, blog, e-commerce SKU count, integrations), platform stated (WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, custom), and the exclusions that prevent drift: copywriting, logo design, photography, and ongoing SEO are separate engagements unless priced in.
Price and payment schedule
30–50% deposit, milestone payments (design approval, development complete), balance before launch — the site goes live on a paid account. Hosting, domains, premium plugins, and stock licenses billed at cost as pass-throughs.
Content responsibility and the dependency clause
Who writes copy, who supplies images, and the deadline — with consequences: client content overdue by 14+ days pauses the schedule, and projects stalled 60+ days reactivate at a fee (10–15%). Designer-supplied placeholder copy is placeholder, not deliverable.
Revision rounds
2–3 rounds per phase (design comps, then built site), consolidated feedback from one authorized voice per round, and additional rounds at the hourly rate. 'Revision' means refinement of the approved direction — a new direction after approval is a change order.
Approval gates
Design approved before development begins — the gate that prevents rebuilding. Approvals in writing, with a deemed-approval clause for silence beyond 10 business days so the project can't be stalled to death.
Browser, device, and accessibility targets
Current versions of major browsers, responsive to stated breakpoints, and the accessibility standard if committed (WCAG 2.1 AA is the common target). Internet Explorer is dead; the contract shouldn't resurrect it. Legacy support, if demanded, is priced.
Third-party services and licenses
Themes, plugins, fonts, and stock assets carry their own licenses — transferred or registered in the client's name where the license allows. The client owns their accounts (hosting, domain, analytics) from day one; designers who own the client's domain create hostage situations both directions.
IP transfer and portfolio rights
On final payment, the client owns the site design and custom code; the designer retains pre-existing tools/libraries (licensed to the client) and portfolio/case-study rights. Open-source components remain under their licenses.
Launch and post-launch support
A launch checklist (DNS, SSL, redirects, forms tested, analytics live, backups configured), 30 days of bug fixes included (defects, not new features), and the care-plan offer for updates, backups, and security beyond that.
Liability and the content warranty
Liability capped at fees; the client warrants they have rights to all content they supply (the designer isn't the one who licensed that hero image); and no guarantees of traffic, rankings, or conversion — design enables outcomes, it doesn't promise them.
Typical web design pricing and terms (U.S., 2026)
| Item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brochure site (5 – 10 pages) | $3,000 – $8,000 | Template-based lower |
| Small business + CMS | $8,000 – $15,000 | Custom design |
| E-commerce | $10,000 – $50,000+ | Catalog size driven |
| Hourly rate | $75 – $200 | For changes and extras |
| Deposit | 30 – 50% | Balance before launch |
| Revision rounds | 2 – 3 per phase | Then hourly |
| Post-launch bug window | 30 days | Care plans $50 – $300/mo after |
Pricing varies widely by platform, custom-functionality depth, and market. The content-dependency and approval-gate clauses matter more to on-time delivery than any number above.
How web design contracts work in practice
The site stalled on client content
Design approved in March, development done in April, launch in… October, because the team's bios and service pages never arrived. The contract's machinery for this: content deadlines in the timeline, a pause clause after 14 days' delay, a reactivation fee after 60 days dormant, and — the decisive one — the final invoice triggering on substantial completion of the designer's work rather than launch. The designer's obligation ends with a launch-ready site; the client's content calendar can't hold the last payment hostage.
The scope-creep feature
Mid-development: 'Can customers book appointments on the site?' That's a feature — calendar integration, notifications, payment, edge cases — not a tweak. The change-order lane: a short written quote (cost and schedule impact), client signature, then the work. The contract's exclusion list makes the conversation easy because booking systems were never in the page-and-feature scope. Designers who absorb one 'small' feature have repriced the whole project at zero; the second one is on them.
The redesign with an existing site live
Replacing a live site adds migration risk: URL structures change (a redirect map preserves SEO equity — and the contract should name who builds it), content migrates (how many pages/posts, automated or manual, priced), forms and integrations re-connect, and launch happens in a maintenance window with a rollback plan. The pre-launch SEO checklist — redirects, metadata, sitemap, search-console submission — belongs in the launch checklist explicitly, because 'the redesign tanked our traffic' is the most common post-launch dispute and redirects are almost always the culprit.
Mistakes that weaken a web design contract
Starting design before content strategy
Designing around lorem ipsum guarantees redesign when real copy arrives twice as long. Get real content — or at least real structure — before comps, and put the content deadline ahead of the design milestone.
Unlimited revisions
'Until you're happy' prices infinite work at a fixed fee. Two to three consolidated rounds per phase, then hourly — and a single authorized feedback voice, because committee feedback is how round counts explode.
Tying final payment to launch
Launch dates belong to client content and approvals; the designer's invoice shouldn't. Bill on substantial completion (launch-ready), and let the launch happen whenever the client's copy does.
Owning the client's domain or hosting
Registering the domain in the designer's name creates a hostage dynamic that sours every future negotiation. Client owns accounts; designer gets admin access. Cleaner for both, forever.
Silent on third-party licenses
The premium theme licensed to the designer's account stops updating when the relationship ends. Register or transfer licenses to the client, and bill them at cost — the $60 license is not where the margin is.
How to use this template
- 01
Download the web design contract template in Word or PDF.
- 02
Define scope: pages, features, platform, and the exclusion list.
- 03
Set the payment schedule — deposit, design approval, completion — and pass-through costs.
- 04
Add content deadlines with the pause/reactivation clause, and 2–3 revision rounds per phase.
- 05
Set the approval gate before development, IP transfer on payment, and portfolio rights.
- 06
Attach the launch checklist and 30-day support window, then sign before discovery.
Skip this template if…
- Custom application development — software with user accounts, complex logic, or APIs needs a software development agreement with acceptance testing.
- Ongoing marketing/SEO retainers — recurring optimization work runs on a marketing services agreement, not a project build contract.
FAQs
How much does web design cost?
Small business brochure sites typically run $3,000–$8,000 (template-based) to $8,000–$15,000 (custom with CMS); e-commerce starts around $10,000 and scales with catalog and integration complexity. Hourly rates for changes run $75–$200. The structure matters as much as the number: 30–50% deposit, milestone payments, balance before launch.
What should a web design contract include?
Page-and-feature scope with exclusions, payment schedule, content responsibility with deadlines and a pause clause, revision-round limits, a design-approval gate before development, browser/device targets, third-party license handling, IP transfer on final payment, portfolio rights, a launch checklist, and a 30-day post-launch bug window.
Who owns the website after it's built?
On final payment, the client — design and custom code — with three standard carve-outs: the designer's pre-existing tools and libraries (licensed to the client), open-source components (their own licenses), and third-party themes/plugins/fonts (licensed, ideally registered in the client's name). The client should own hosting, domain, and analytics accounts from day one.
How many revisions should be included in web design?
Two to three rounds per phase — design comps and built site — with consolidated feedback from one authorized stakeholder per round, and extra rounds at the hourly rate. The other essential boundary: revisions refine the approved direction; a new direction after approval is a change order, not round three.
What happens when the client doesn't provide content?
The most common cause of stalled web projects, so the contract should answer it specifically: content deadlines in the timeline, the schedule pausing after 14 days' delay, a reactivation fee for projects dormant 60+ days, and final payment triggering on the designer's substantial completion rather than launch — the client's content calendar shouldn't hold the invoice hostage.
Should the designer or client handle hosting?
The client should own the hosting and domain accounts in their own name, with the designer holding admin access — ownership disputes and 'designer disappeared with the domain' stories all start the other way. Designers can resell managed hosting through a care plan, but the underlying accounts and renewals should always be recoverable by the client.
Pair it with the web design invoice template
The contract sets the terms — the invoice collects on them. Free download with the right line items pre-filled.
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