Salon Website Contract: Domain, Code and Access

First clarify what should remain with you after the project

Website projects often focus on appearance, content and the launch date. Less attention is paid to crucial questions: who will hold the domain, who will manage the accounts and exactly what will be handed over at completion. This is where unnecessary dependence on a single supplier can arise.

This article is not legal advice. It is a practical checklist for discussions before signing a website contract. The aim is simple: understand what is yours, what the supplier manages and how handover will work.

A quick matrix: owner, administrator, access

The simplest way to organise these details is to ask three questions about each item:

Who is the owner? Who should hold it over the long term.
Who is the administrator? Who configures and maintains it in day-to-day use.
Who has access? Who can reach it and with what permissions.

For a website, answer each question before the project begins. Otherwise, a business can pay for its own website while key parts remain under one supplier account.

Domain and DNS: whose name is the website address registered under?

The domain is your website's basic address. In practical terms, it should be registered to the business or a person demonstrably responsible for the project's assets. Registration to the supplier should be explicitly agreed and give you suitable safeguards.

Look at DNS alongside the domain. DNS controls where the domain points, affecting whether the website and email work correctly. Ask who will have access to the domain registrar and who can change DNS records.

The practical question before signing is: Will the domain be registered to us, and will we have full access? If not, request a clear explanation of why and how handover will work.

Hosting, backups and operation

Hosting is often underestimated as a technical item. Yet it determines where the website runs, who looks after the server and how a problem can be addressed. Clarify whose account will hold the hosting and who will have administrative access.

Backups matter just as much. Knowing they exist is not enough. Ask how often they are made, who can access them and what happens if the website needs restoring after an error or attack.

The contract or its appendix should also identify who handles operation after launch: updates, monitoring, repairs and routine support. In NezHost's public pricing, these follow-on services form separate ongoing care rather than an automatic part of the one-off build. See the price list.

Source code, licences and the content management system

Avoid vague wording about code. “The website will be handed over” is not enough. You need to know precisely what you receive: custom changes, a template, components or only access to the editing interface.

Pay particular attention to licences. If the project uses paid third-party elements, establish whether they are included or paid separately. For a content management system, clarify who can administer, modify and, where applicable, move the website elsewhere.

In practical terms, check whether you can hand the website to another developer after the collaboration ends without unnecessary obstacles. This is often more useful than a general statement about “ownership of the code”.

GA4, GTM, Search Console and other measurement

Measurement is often omitted from contracts, even though it matters for decisions. Ask who will control Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager and Google Search Console accounts. Ideally, they are held by your business or under an account to which you have full access.

The same applies to conversions, events and GTM tags. If the supplier configures tracking, they should describe what they will set up, where it is saved and how you will retain access after the collaboration ends.

Without this overview, you may have a functioning website but lack the data to understand what works. Our guide to measuring salon website visits and enquiries explains which steps that data should distinguish.

Advertising and social accounts

An advertising account is a sensitive point. If it is managed through the supplier's profile, dependency can develop even when the campaign uses your brand. Clarify in advance who controls the account, who is an administrator and what happens to campaign history when the collaboration ends.

The same applies to social media. Establish who controls the page or profile, who has administrator roles and how transfer works when you change agency. Smaller businesses can also overlook access to a Meta business account or the accounts used for paid promotion.

A well-defined website contract should cover these accounts when they are part of the project or associated marketing work.

Logo, design assets and original files

A website includes more than HTML and an editing interface. It may also include a logo, photographs, icons, illustrations, banners and other design assets. For each item, check whether you receive only the final export or also original files another designer can work with.

For original files, agree what is included, what remains with the supplier and what can be used after the collaboration ends. Without a written agreement, unnecessary disputes can arise during a redesign or handover to another team.

If the supplier prepares the visuals, request a list distinguishing editable source files from finished output files alongside the final deliverables.

Administrative access, documentation and training

Handover is not just about passwords. You also need an overview of where things are, how to sign in and what happens during a routine update. Without documentation, a simple change can turn into a lengthy search.

A useful approach is a list of access details, roles and contacts, supported by brief training. Someone should demonstrate how to edit content, manage forms or find important settings. NezHost's price list includes brief training and project handover as part of a well-prepared website. See the price list.

Ask for straightforward documentation that someone outside the technical team can use. The clearer the handover, the lower the risk of depending on one supplier.

Support, ending the collaboration and moving to another supplier

Agree from the beginning what happens after launch. Will there only be a handover, or a support period too? What is paid separately? How will the collaboration end if you decide to move elsewhere?

Think in practical tasks. Who supplies exports, changes access, hands over documentation and enables transfer to another developer or marketing team? NezHost describes post-launch care and technical support according to project scope, with price and scope based on the actual brief. See the price list.

If you expect to change suppliers later, address this in advance, rather than when you urgently need to transfer operations.

Questions to ask before signing

Before signing the contract, review these questions:

Who will hold the domain, and who will have DNS access?
Whose account will hold the hosting, and who manages backups?
What exactly will we receive as source code, a template or custom deliverables?
Who controls the GA4, GTM and Search Console accounts?
Who will control advertising accounts and social profiles?
Which design assets and original files will be handed over?
What documentation and training will follow launch?
What happens when collaboration ends, and how does handover to another supplier work?

What these decisions give you

A useful website contract does not depend on having the greatest number of clauses. It makes clear what is yours, what is managed on an ongoing basis and what you receive at handover. Clarifying these points early can prevent complications later.

Would you like to review what should be included and how handover should work before commissioning the website? Send us your brief or website link, and we can discuss which points should be agreed in advance. Our guide to what a salon website proposal should include can help prepare that discussion.

If you are planning a new project or comparing collaboration scopes, also review the price list and collaboration terms. The contact form can support the initial discussion.

FAQ

Who should hold the domain when a website is created?

In practical terms, the domain is best registered to the business or the person actually responsible for the project. Agree clearly who has access to the registrar and DNS.

Should I request access to the website and editing interface?

Yes. Access handover is essential to avoid dependence on a single supplier. Clarify who has administrative rights, who manages content and who handles technical configuration.

Who should control the advertising account?

Ideally, your business. The supplier can manage or administer it, but the account holder should be identified clearly at the start of the collaboration.

What should I check about website source code?

Ask precisely what you receive: custom changes, a template, components, exports or only access to the editing interface. Check third-party licences too.

How can I tell whether a website contract is specific enough?

It should describe the domain, hosting, backups, access, measurement, advertising accounts, design assets, documentation and post-launch handover. If one of these areas is missing, request clarification before signing.

Sources and further reading

See how we build websites for beauty salons and aesthetic clinics.

A salon website contract: who controls the domain, code and access?