01
Introduction
This Website Design & Development Agreement governs the design, build, hosting, and delivery of websites by AI Takes Axion Ltd to the client. This Agreement should be read alongside the related policies listed in Section 16.
02
Project Scope
The scope of each project is defined in the written brief or onboarding form. Anything not explicitly included in the agreed scope will be quoted separately. The Company reserves the right to decline out-of-scope requests without penalty.
03
Payment & Deposit
Deposit
A non-refundable deposit of 50% of the total project fee is required before work commences.
Final Payment
The remaining 50% is due upon go-live, before the website is connected to the client's domain. The site will not go live until final payment is received.
Monthly Plan
The build fee covers design and development only. Every live website must also be on one of the Company's monthly plans, which is what provides hosting and ongoing care. The plan is selected before the build begins. The first month after go-live is included in the build fee, so the first monthly payment falls due one calendar month after the website goes live. Plans are set out in Section 08, and billing dates in the Billing Terms.
Non-Payment
Important
If final payment is not received within 14 days of go-live notification, the Company reserves the right to suspend access, withhold files, and remove the site from staging.
04
Project Timeline
Timelines are estimates based on timely receipt of content, feedback, and approvals. If the client fails to provide required materials within 14 days of request, the timeline shifts accordingly. The Company bears no responsibility for client-caused delays.
05
Client Content Responsibilities
The client is responsible for providing the following prior to or during the build:
- Logo files in PNG format with transparent background
- Brand colours: hex codes or reference images
- Written copy for all pages: or instruction for the Company to write it
- Photography: or instruction to use stock imagery
- Business information: address, phone, hours, services, pricing
- Access to existing domain, hosting, or Google accounts where required
The client confirms that any logo, photography, text, or other material supplied to the Company is the client's own or is properly licensed for use on the website. The Company is not liable for any claim arising from material supplied by the client.
06
Revisions
Included
Two rounds of revisions as standard. A revision round is a single consolidated list of changes submitted in one communication.
Additional
Further revisions are charged at £85/hour, agreed in writing before work proceeds.
Definition
A revision is a change to existing content within scope. A new page or significant design direction change is a new request, scoped and quoted separately.
07
Sign-Off & Go-Live
Written client sign-off is required before the website goes live. The Company will send a preview link together with an approval request. Sign-off may be given by email or other written message, and confirms that:
- The client has reviewed every page of the website
- All business information is correct, including name, address, phone number, opening hours, services, and prices
- Any logo, photography, and copy supplied by the client is the client's to use
- The client accepts this Agreement and the related policies listed in Section 16
Once sign-off is received and final payment has cleared, the site is connected to the client's domain and launched. The project is then complete. Minor factual corrections within 7 days of go-live will be addressed as a courtesy.
Important
The Company will not launch a website without written sign-off. If the client asks the Company to launch before reviewing the site, the client accepts responsibility for the accuracy of everything published on it.
08
Hosting & Monthly Plans
All websites are hosted on secure cloud infrastructure managed by the Company. Hosting includes website files served over HTTPS, an SSL certificate, uptime and security monitoring, and backups of the site source.
Hosting is delivered through a monthly plan rather than charged separately. From the date the website goes live, the client must be on one of the following:
- Website Care Plan: hosting, domain and SSL management, monitoring, backups, and content changes as set out in Section 15.
- Local SEO: everything in the Care Plan, plus Google Business Profile management, citations, and local search activity.
- Full SEO: everything in Local SEO, plus ongoing technical and content SEO.
Current prices for each plan are set out at the point of sale and confirmed in writing before the build begins. There is no additional hosting charge on top of the monthly plan, and no hosting charge during the build.
Domain registration and renewal are included in every monthly plan for as long as the plan is active. See Section 09.
09
Domain
Registration & Renewal
While the client is on an active monthly plan, the Company registers and renews the client's domain at its own cost as part of that plan. The client is not invoiced separately for it and does not need to remember to renew it. This covers standard registrations such as .co.uk and .com. Premium, aftermarket, or unusually priced domains are quoted and charged at cost.
Existing Domains
If the client already owns a domain, the Company will connect it at no extra charge. The client may either keep it at their own registrar and continue paying for it themselves, or transfer it to the Company's registrar account to be covered by the plan.
Ownership
The domain is the client's property at all times, whoever registered it and whoever pays for it. The Company will transfer it to the client or to a registrar of the client's choosing on request, once all outstanding fees are paid.
If the Plan Ends
When a monthly plan ends, responsibility for the domain returns to the client. The Company will transfer it to the client's own registrar account and will tell the client when the next renewal is due. From that point the Company does not renew it, and the domain will lapse if the client does not.
10
Ownership of Assets
Upon full payment, the client owns all content and design assets created for their project. The Company retains ownership of all proprietary frameworks, templates, and systems.
11
Content Written by the Company
Where the client instructs the Company to write website copy, blog posts, or other content, that content is produced from information the client provides. The Company may use AI-assisted tools as part of its process. All content is reviewed by a person before it is sent to the client for approval.
The client is responsible for checking that all copy is factually accurate about their own business, including services, prices, qualifications, insurance, accreditations, and any claim made about results. The Company cannot verify these and does not warrant them.
Copy approved at sign-off becomes the client's responsibility from the date of go-live. Ownership passes to the client on full payment as set out in Section 10. This section is to be read alongside the AI Disclaimer.
12
Portfolio & Promotional Use
Unless the client notifies the Company otherwise in writing, the Company may:
- Display the finished website, including screenshots, screen recordings, and the live address, in its portfolio, on its own website, and on its social media channels
- Use the client's trading name and logo to identify the work
- Describe the work in case studies, including performance data such as search rankings, enquiry volume, or website traffic
The Company will not disclose the client's confidential business information, the fees agreed between the parties, or any personal data belonging to the client's own customers.
The client may withdraw this permission at any time by writing to contact@aitakesaxion.com. The Company will remove the work from its own website and channels within 30 days. Material already published to third-party platforms cannot always be recovered.
Credit Link
The Company may include a small credit and link in the website footer. The client may ask for this to be removed at any time at no charge.
13
Ecommerce
Small product catalogues are supported natively. Complex catalogue or advanced ecommerce requirements may require a third-party platform such as Shopify, costs of which are the client's responsibility.
14
Termination of Hosting
30 days written notice is required to terminate hosting. Upon termination, the Company will provide the client's site files on request. As sites are custom-coded, the client's files are portable and can be hosted elsewhere. The Company will also point the client's domain to a host of the client's choosing on request.
Where the Company holds administrative access to the client's Google Business Profile, analytics, or other third-party accounts, that access is removed within 14 days of termination and full ownership is returned to the client.
15
Site Access & Changes After Go-Live
Websites built by the Company are custom-coded. There is no content management system and no client login. This is deliberate: it is what keeps the sites fast, secure, and free of the plugin vulnerabilities that affect template platforms. It also means every change is made by the Company on the client's behalf.
Changes Included in a Monthly Plan
Clients on any monthly plan may request unlimited content changes, subject to fair use. This covers text, prices, opening hours, photo swaps, testimonials, typos, links, and small styling fixes. Requests are batched and typically completed within two to three working days.
Not Included
The following are new work, scoped and quoted separately: new pages, new features such as booking systems, blogs, shops, or galleries, full redesigns, and brand or logo changes. The rule is that tweaks are included and new builds are quoted.
Fair Use
Unlimited is offered in good faith and reflects normal use by a small business. Where requests become sustained enough to amount to a separate ongoing project, the Company will say so in writing and agree a quote before continuing.
Clients Without a Monthly Plan
Where a client is not on a monthly plan, changes after go-live are treated as additional work and charged at £85/hour, agreed in writing before work proceeds.
Liability
The Company is not liable for damage to the website or its functionality caused by the client, or by anyone acting on the client's behalf, making changes to the site files, domain settings, or connected third-party accounts outside of the Company's control.
17
Governing Law
This Agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales.
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