Most problems in website projects come not from bad intentions but from uncertainty. The agency thinks something isn't included in the quote, while the business owner assumes it is. These gaps seem small while the project is running, but they can turn into a big problem when you want to change companies or grow the site. A contract is the easiest way to clear up this uncertainty from the start. You should see the headings below in the contract, or in the quote attached to it, before you sign. The agency usually prepares the contract, but knowing what to look for helps you notice a missing clause. A well-meaning agency won't mind these clauses being written down.
Whose name will the domain name be registered in?
The domain name is your site's address on the internet and part of your brand. Even if the agency handles the registration, your name or your company's name should appear as the registrant. A domain name registered in the agency's name can make it hard to get your address back when the working relationship ends. The contract should state whose name the domain name will be registered in, who will pay the renewal fee and whether you will get access to the domain name management panel. Ask the same question for the hosting (the server your site lives on) account and your business email. Because your business email runs on your domain name, losing control of the domain name also puts your emails at risk. If the hosting account can't be opened in your name, at least ask for administrator access and regular backups to be given to you. It should also be clear who will keep track of the renewal date, because a domain name that expires can end up in someone else's hands.
Who will own the source code and the content?
The site's design, software and content are each the product of creative work. In Turkey, rights over such works are assessed under the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (Turkey's copyright law). That is why the contract should clearly state which rights are transferred to you or which usage license you are granted. In practice, look for answers to these questions: Will you be able to take the site's files and database whenever you want? Will you be able to move the site to another company and have it developed further? Who will own the texts the agency writes and the visuals it prepares for you? If ready-made themes, plugins or stock photos are used, whose name are the licenses bought in, and who renews them? The code of ready-made components may belong to their maker; in that case, what matters is that your right to use them continues without interruption. If the site was custom built for you from scratch, the contract should also state whether the source code will be handed over to you and in what form. Whether the agency can show your site among its own references can also be discussed in this section.
How should delivery and revisions be defined?
- Scope: How many pages will be built and which features are included, such as a contact form, a booking system, online payments or multilingual support. The more detail the scope has, the fewer "Was this included?" debates there will be in the middle of the project.
- Content responsibility: Who will prepare the texts, the photos and any translations.
- Revisions: How many rounds of corrections are included in the design and development stages, and how extra rounds will be handled. The difference between a correction and new work should also be defined: changing a color in the design is a correction, while adding a new section is new work.
- Definition of delivery: Which checks the site must pass before it counts as delivered, and which access details will be given at delivery. You can also add the period during which errors found after delivery will be fixed free of charge.
- Timeline and payment: The project stages, the expected length of each stage and which stages the payments are tied to. If the contract also states how content you deliver late will affect the timeline, neither side is treated unfairly.
- Extra requests: How work outside the scope will be quoted and added to the timeline.
- Training: Whether you will get training on using the admin panel, and whether the training will be backed by a short user guide.
Why do the maintenance and exit clauses matter?
The period after launch is the part most often skipped in contracts. What maintenance covers (updates, backups, security monitoring, small content changes) and how, and how quickly, problems will be responded to should be in writing. If maintenance is offered as a separate service, it should also be clear whether your site stays online when that service ends. How often backups are taken and where they are stored should also be part of the maintenance clause. If the forms on your site collect personal data, where that data is stored and who can access it also matters under KVKK (Turkey's personal data protection law). Finally, have it written down how all files, backups and access details will be handed over to you when the working relationship ends. This clause puts both sides at ease, because the rules for parting ways are set from the start. The contract's term, how it is renewed and under which circumstances it can be terminated should also be in the same section.
What to do before signing is simple: write the headings in this article on a sheet of paper and find where each one is covered in the contract or the quote. Ask the agency about any item you can't find and have it added in writing. This check takes half an hour but can prevent a long dispute later. Keep a copy of the contract, together with your domain name and hosting access details, somewhere easy to reach in your business. When you work with Adorb, the domain name, the site and the content belong entirely to you; access and handover are yours whenever you want them.