Hosting Responsibilities

Client-Owned Hosting & Domain Accounts

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, all website hosting accounts, domain registrations, email services, and third-party subscriptions should be purchased and owned directly by the client.

This includes, but is not limited to:

Website hosting plans
Domain name registration
Business email services
Premium plugins or applications
E-commerce subscriptions
Third-party integrations
Marketing platform subscriptions

The client is responsible for maintaining active billing and renewal payments for all services associated with their website.

Recommended Ownership Structure

For security and long-term control, clients are strongly encouraged to maintain ownership of:

Hosting accounts
Domain names
DNS records
Email platforms
Website platform subscriptions

The Designer/Developer may request temporary administrative access to complete website setup, development, or maintenance services.

Hosting Fees & Renewals

Hosting, domain registration, and third-party subscription fees are separate from website design and development fees unless otherwise stated in writing.

Clients are solely responsible for:

Renewing hosting plans
Renewing domain names
Paying platform subscription fees
Monitoring account expiration notices
Maintaining valid payment methods on hosting accounts

Failure to renew hosting or domain services may result in:

Website downtime
Lost website files
Email interruptions
Permanent domain loss
Suspension of website services

The Designer/Developer is not responsible for any losses caused by expired or unpaid hosting-related services.

Third-Party Hosting Providers

Websites may be developed on third-party platforms including, but not limited to:

Wix
WordPress
Shopify
Other approved hosting or website platforms

The Designer/Developer is not responsible for:

Third-party platform outages
Server downtime
Hosting provider errors
Platform policy changes
Platform pricing increases
Plugin or software conflicts
Platform security breaches
Service interruptions caused by external providers

Any issues originating from third-party providers must be resolved through the respective hosting or platform support teams.

Website Security Responsibility

While reasonable security measures may be implemented during development, ongoing website security ultimately depends on proper hosting management and account protection.

Clients are responsible for:

Maintaining secure passwords
Restricting unauthorized user access
Updating login credentials when necessary
Protecting hosting account information
Managing employee or contractor access

The Designer/Developer is not liable for damages caused by:

Weak passwords
Unauthorized account access
Malware introduced by third parties
Client-installed software or plugins
Client modifications after launch
Failure to maintain hosting security practices

Hosting Support Limitations

Basic hosting-related assistance may be provided during the website launch process; however, ongoing hosting support is not included unless the client is enrolled in an active maintenance or support plan.

Services not included without a maintenance agreement may include:

Server troubleshooting
Email configuration support
DNS management
Hosting migrations
Website recovery
Emergency downtime assistance
Platform troubleshooting
Plugin conflict resolution

Additional support requests outside of an active maintenance plan may be billed at the current hourly support rate.

Website Backups

Unless specifically included in a maintenance agreement, the client is responsible for ensuring proper website backups are maintained through their hosting provider or backup service.

The Designer/Developer is not responsible for:

Lost website data
Corrupted files
Hosting failures
Deleted content
Failed updates
Restoration of websites without available backups

Clients are encouraged to verify that automatic backups are enabled through their hosting provider.

Access & Administrative Permissions

The client agrees to provide all necessary access credentials required to complete website setup and development including:

Hosting access
Domain registrar access
Platform login credentials
DNS management access
Third-party integration access

Delays in providing access credentials may delay project completion timelines.

Suspension of Services

The Designer/Developer reserves the right to suspend services if:

Hosting access is not provided
Required subscriptions expire
Website accounts become inaccessible
Hosting services violate platform policies
Outstanding invoices remain unpaid

Project timelines may be adjusted accordingly.

Platform & Hosting Compatibility

The Designer/Developer is not responsible for limitations imposed by hosting providers, website platforms, or third-party applications.

Some requested functionality may require:

upgraded hosting plans
premium applications
paid integrations
custom development
third-party software subscriptions

Additional costs associated with these services are the responsibility of the client unless otherwise stated in writing.

Email Hosting Disclaimer

Unless specifically included in the service agreement, email hosting and email troubleshooting services are not included with website design services.

The Designer/Developer is not responsible for:

email deliverability issues
spam filtering problems
lost emails
email configuration errors
third-party email outages

Clients should contact their email hosting provider directly for email-related support.

Limitation of Liability

The Designer/Developer shall not be held liable for any loss, damages, downtime, data breaches, loss of revenue, or business interruptions resulting from:

hosting provider failures
expired domains
client negligence
third-party software conflicts
cyberattacks
server outages
unauthorized access
platform disruptions
failed renewals

By purchasing website services, the client acknowledges and accepts responsibility for maintaining all active hosting, domain, and related third-party services necessary for website operation.

Hosting & Domain Responsibility Policy

To ensure transparency and avoid service interruptions, clients are responsible for understanding and maintaining all hosting, domain, and third-party platform services associated with their website.

Please review the following hosting responsibilities carefully before purchasing website services.