Terms and Conditions

PROCESS DESCRIPTION:

It is in our ability to complete the website within 14 working days as long as The Client supplies us with all the relevant information within 7 working days after the deposit payment, unless otherwise arranged.

A mutually agreed upon date should be established, in advance, on which the website will go live.

– As soon as Vertycal Boost has received the 50% deposit, the agency will open The Client’s task on Vertycal Boost Workflow System.

– A Branding Questionnaire should be completed and a short brief/strat meeting is required before commencing with the project.

– Vertycal Boost as a team will start brainstorming with regards to the concept and layout of the project, according to the Branding Questionnaire received from The Client.

The design process will then start, with regards to the layout, the look & feel and the styling.

During this period of time The Client should start compiling all relevant information (in word format) and high-res photos/images which must be supplied to Vertycal Boost. – 7 days after deposit and Branding Questionnaire has been received by Vertycal Boost, the website layout visuals (in jpeg. digital format), will be presented to The Client (nothing live as yet), to give The Client an idea of the look and feel of the website template.

If two design strategies are presented, each will represent different design directions/ideas, but each will be consistent with the overall objectives of the project as outlined in the strategy brief and Branding Questionnaire.

– The Client should be prepared to offer some initial feedback as to how closely the suggested designs meet with their general needs and expectations.

The Client should select the design strategy that best suits their needs and assemble and deliver a list of any desired discussion points for revision (if necessary) to Vertycal Boost. The Client is more than welcome to combine elements from the different looks to create a FINAL look within two revision rounds.

The Client will then approve/sign_off on the final design strategy. – As soon as the final look is approved and signed off, Vertycal Boost will start building the website live.

Because changes to the template and look after final sign-off requires extra time and money, Vertycal Boost is requesting The Client to be 100% satisfied, prior to building the website template live.

– As soon as Vertycal Boost has completed the uploading and styling of all info (as supplied), The agency will send The Client a temporary link to view their site online.

– Client’s feedback and final approval are required prior to the website going live. – Receiving The Clients’ final payment of the outstanding 50% will ensure the task to be completed.

Vertycal Boost will then finalize the basic SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) in order for the website to go live and Google to index and rank the website.

– Online Marketing (SEO & SEM) can only happen after the website has been indexed by Google. A personalized online marketing strategy will be quoted accordingly if requested by The Client.

LAYOUT DEVELOPMENT:

The CMS system used to build websites is WordPress. Some of the components used are bought Modules from WordPress Component Developers, which have been pre-designed for this specific system purposes, thus certain restrictions in programming and layout may be applicable.

HOSTING SERVICES:

– Vertycal Boost is not responsible for the website hosting or any other services related to the hosted server. Vertycal Boost prefers to host websites with Bluehost (www.bluehost.com) and Hostgator (www.hostgator.com). The Hosting Company where the domain is registered, must be contacted for any hosting-related problems. Vertycal Boost cannot be held responsible for any hosting related speed-or-downtime issues.

– Should The Client require assistance with Domain registration or transfers, Vertycal Boost should be informed in advance. Domain transfer/new domain registration forms will then be supplied on request.

Vertycal Boost reserves the right to bill The Client for any Domain Administration tasks. – Monthly domain hosting fees are directly payable to Hosting Company of choice. If Client decides to make use of our hosting, the monthly hosting fee of R150/month will be directly payable through debit order to Vertycal Boost.

BACKUP:

The completed website, including SQL database, will be backed up as soon as the website is ready to go live. This backup will be supplied to The Client. No monthly backup will be made by Vertycal Boost unless requested by The Client and a fee of R500 per month will be applicable.

ONLINE MARKETING SERVICES (SEO & SEM):

– Only BASIC SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is included in the standard website packages. Basic SEO does not include 1st page rankings with Google or any other search engines.

In order to reach 1st page rankings with Google, an ADVANCED SEO strategy should be agreed upon which includes SEO & SEM services on a monthly contract and will be quoted separately. – SEO results may vary and could take 4-8 weeks for the website to be indexed by Google, after the website has been completed.

– Basic SEO includes:

• Sitemap uploaded to Google.
• Website Indexed with Google
• Basic Keywords built into pages
• Website description built into the header
• Search Engine Friendly (SEF) URL’s used

– A Google Analytics account in The Clients name will be created to measure a website’s performance and statistics. Only reading rights to this account will be supplied to the client. Full admin rights to this account will be retained by Vertycal Boost, to ensure that the SEM strategy cannot be altered by a third party. The full admin rights will be moved to The Client when the SEO & SEM monthly contract has been terminated and fully paid for.

– A Google Webmaster account in The Clients name will be created to liaise with Google, concerning website performance, indexing, errors, malware, etc. Full admin rights to this account will be retained by Vertycal Boost, to ensure that the SEM strategy cannot be altered by a third party. The full admin rights will be moved to The Client when the SEO & SEM monthly contract has been terminated and fully paid for.

PAYMENTS:

Because a lot of time, effort and dedication go into providing The Client with the perfect website, The Client is required to pay a 50% deposit prior to work commencing.

The project will only be scheduled and uploaded to the workflow system once the down payment is received by Vertycal Boost, from where the team of designers will be briefed to commence with the website.

The down payment is non-refundable. The remaining 50% is payable to Vertycal Boost upon completion of the project, before the original artwork and open file format will be supplied to The Client. Please note this is a strict Company policy but adhere to this to avoid any unpleasantness. No monies or deposits for projects will be paid back to client at any time during or after the project.

DELAYED PAYMENT:

If, after the project has commenced, proofs have been sent through and completed within 30 days, subsequent invoices are not paid within 30 days, a 5% “delayed payment” fee will be charged. This initial 5% figure will be added upon each recurring 30 day period until the full amount has been received by Vertycal Boost.

ERRORS AND OMISSIONS:

Vertycal Boost is not responsible for proofreading any website content. The Client is responsible to check proofs and other deliverables carefully for accuracy in all respects, ranging from spelling to technical illustrations. Vertycal Boost is not liable for errors or omissions, The Clients’ signature or go-ahead e-mail, or that of the authorized representative is required.

– Vertycal Boost does not take any responsibility for the loss of any information on your website.

– Vertycal Boost does not take any responsibility for any legal issues that may arise with regard to the content of your website. It’s The Client’s responsibility to ensure there are no copyright infringements.

– Vertycal Boost does not take any responsibility if your website security is compromised by either a hacker or malicious code. Websites hosted by Vertycal Boost are hosted on a secure server with antivirus protection. WordPress has built-in security and website back ends are protected with an Admin username and password.

REVISIONS:

All projects include Revision Rounds (specific amounts) as stated on quotations. Should extra revision rounds be required a separate quotation will be supplied accordingly. Vertycal Boost cannot and will never limit The Client to change their minds.

Though the price at the beginning of the contract is based on the length of time that Vertycal Boost estimates they’ll need to accomplish everything as requested to be achieved, additional estimates can be requested for any further or additional changes to be implemented.

The Client must assume that, after sign-off, all additions, alterations, changes in content, layout or process changes requested by The Client, will alter the time and cost.

ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS:

New work requested by The Client and performed by Vertycal Boost after ATP (agreement to proceed), is considered an addition or alteration (extra revision round). If the job changes to an extent that substantially alters the specifications described in the original estimate, Vertycal Boost will submit an additional quotation to The Client, and both parties must agree to the revised or additional fee before further work proceeds.

DEADLINES:

A Note on Deadlines: Vertycal Boost loves deadlines and we hit every single one of them every time. In order for us to do this for you, however, it is important that you hit every deadline, too. We will rely on you to keep the project flow going with your approvals and sign-offs, as well as getting us content for your website in a timely manner— typically before any design can begin.

Out-of-contact time and delays in approvals will directly affect the project schedule, necessitating moving deadlines and milestones forward accordingly, but note that payment milestones will remain as scheduled.

By signing this document, or paying your deposit, you acknowledge your responsibilities in keeping the project on schedule.

By the same token, in the unlikely event, we miss one of our deadlines, the payment milestones will be adjusted accordingly.

If The Client fails to deliver necessary content, resources, or feedback by the time Vertycal Boost deems crucial to any deadline, all deadlines and milestones (except payment milestones) will be adjusted accordingly.

The Client’s failure to meet timeline/milestone or content obligations for a period of 7 days or more will result in reallocation of The agencys’ resources and work on the project will be delayed or may cease.

CUSTOMER SERVICE:

As the result of the client not being satisfied (due to brief being misunderstood, process issues or reasonable expectation not met), client needs to call a meeting with assigned project planner from Vertycal Boost, and mediate a favorable solution for both parties.

CANCELLATION:

A cancellation fee for work commenced or completed shall be paid by The Client, with the fee based on the stage of project completion. The fee will not exceed 100% of the total project cost. This fee will be based on hours already spent on the project. If after project commencement, client communication (face-to-face, telephone, or email) stops for a period of 30 days, the project can be canceled by Vertycal Boost. Full amount paid for project will be allocated as a cancellation fee. Thereupon, Vertycal Boost can choose to cease further work on the project.

COMMUNICATION:

Vertycal Boost can be reached by telephone or email from Monday to Friday between 8:00am and 5:00pm or by a scheduled appointment agreed upon. A 1-on-1 sit-in meeting with designers will be billed at an hourly rate of R800/hour. All revisions to be supplied ONLY in written format (e-mail), no revisions will be commenced, based on telephonic requests/ discussions.

CONFIDENTIALITY:

The Client must inform the designer in writing before the project commences if any portion of any material or information provided by The Client is confidential. AND LASTLY THIS… In order for us to obtain a high-level of excellence, your commitment to this project is highly valued and will be directly reflected in the results. By hiring our agency you’ve enlisted our expertise at how best to accomplish the goals that your team and our team have defined.

In order to accomplish those goals we require your participation and cooperation – even if you don’t fully understand some of the elements or designer terms (which we’ll work hard to make clear). In the end, we can only accomplish what we are allowed to accomplish; the quality of the result will depend significantly on the quality of your participation.

*By paying the deposit, The Client agrees to Vertycal Boost Terms and Conditions as stipulated in this document, unless otherwise arranged.

**Hereby the Client understands that they will not sign a printed Trust Agreement Document unless requested, but by paying the deposit for the project, they agree to the above Terms and Conditions. (As also stated on all quotations and invoices)