These are our plain English contract terms. If you do not understand something, please ask. First, let’s start with an important philosophical statement:
We have a “no assholes” policy. This goes both ways. First, we will not tolerate intolerant behavior or language toward our company, employees, contractors, or representatives. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason (or no reason at all), at any time. In practice, however, we will exercise this in the case of a belligerent customer – so don’t be that guy.
Furthermore, as we develop relationships with not only WooCommerce Store Owners but their WooCommerce / Web Developers as well, we will not poach, steal, or woo our mutual client away from their original developer. You have our word.
Finally, we will only stretch the aforementioned rule if it is our opinion that the Developer in question is not working in the best interests of their client. In such a case we apply the “no assholes policy” from the point of view that we will not help another Developer mistreat their client. Clients are most important.
INTRODUCTION
Websites are deceivingly complex. You might be lulled into thinking that because your site is live and healthy today that it will remain so just as long as you don’t touch or break anything. The hard truth is, your site can fail “on it’s own” any number of different ways whether or not you break it.
We have developed this process from lessons learned since 2011 when we first started proactively maintaining websites for our clients. This maintenance process ensures that your site is alive and healthy today and will remain so. Furthermore, if something were to happen, contingency plans are in place to quickly remedy a wide variety of the most likely “trauma”s a site might endure.
Our approach to keeping your site healthy can be thought of in 8 categories:
- Backups
- SSL & Payments
- Updates
- Hosting
- Support
- Monitoring
- Security
I will explain each phase in detail in the following pages. Take your time reading this. It is critical that you understand the purpose, importance, and scope of what we do – and what we do not do. I have made an effort to clearly call out anything we explicitly do not do so there are no surprises down the road when you find yourself saying “I thought you took care of that.”
The better you understand the process, the more efficiently and effectively we can be a long-term team.
WHAT WE DO NOT DO (GENERAL)
Content Management. Updating the content on your site is expressly outside the scope of what we do. However, if this is a service you would like, consider contacting our sister company, Copper Leaf Creative and asking about monthly retainer options.
Feature Development. We do not do custom development including installing & configuring new plugins. Again, if this is a service you would like, consider contacting our sister company, Copper Leaf Creative.
Guarantee ongoing suitability of plugins or themes. As the WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystems continue to evolve, new plugins come along and other plugins fall by the wayside. It is foreseeable that eventually a plugin your site relies on may no longer do its job, may cause a conflict, or may need to be replaced for another reason. As stewards of your site, we will diagnose the problem and recommend replacement. Actually performing that upgrade, including studying suitability of possible replacement plugins or themes, is considered “Feature Development” as described above.
WORKING TOGETHER
WOO STORE CHECK UP
First we have each client complete our Woo Store Check Up form. This identifies any areas of vulnerability across the sections listed above.
ONBOARDING
Now that we’re working together, we have a bunch to get done up-front.
Best Hosting Analysis. First we are going to look at your site’s needs and determine where it would best be hosted. Specifically this means choosing between our preferred Managed WordPress Hosting vendors including WP Engine, Liquid Web, and others. Each hosting environment has it’s pros and cons. We will use our expertise to select where your site will perform best.
Backup Schedule Strategy. Next we will build a schedule for your automatic backups. It is our goal to limit the potential loss between backups to only 5-10 orders. Therefore in a “worst case” scenario, you would have only 5-10 customers to contact if data were catastrophically lost. This strategy includes both the schedule at which backups are taken, as well as the schedule for when backups are deleted over time.
Post Update Functionality Checklist. Of course visitors need to be able to check out and complete a purchase. But what else does your site do along the way? Together we will go through your site with a fine-tooth comb and identify all the little things it does. We will create a comprehensive list of items to be checked each time we run updates.
Site Migration. We will run a full round of updates on your site before migrating it to the chosen preferred Managed WordPress Hosting vendor. You are never responsible for the hosting (unless you are on a Beyond Plan and we decide that is the strategy best suited for your business). You don’t need to manage the account, nor do you pay for it (again, see previous note about Beyond Plans). We take care of it for you.
Test Product Creation. We will create a virtual product in your store for $0.01 titled “woobetter Checkout Tested”.
Setup Monitoring. Finally, we will setup uptime and/or speed monitoring (and possibly other tools) to keep an automated eye on your site 24/7.
BASICS: WHAT WE DO
Managed Updates for WordPress Core, WooCommerce, and all Plugins. We will run all your updates. For feature releases, we will often perform these updates 2-4 weeks after the feature release to say off the “bleeding edge” where more bugs are experienced. Security releases, however, will be pushed out as soon as possible, typically within hours. If problems are identified, we will immediately restore the previous version, troubleshoot problems in a staging environment, and then implement updates with any adjustments we discovered in staging in your live environment.
Post-Update Functionality Check. Each time we run updates, we will do a full live purchase of the Test Product to ensure checkout is working using the default Payment Method. Additional functionality checks (the Post-Update Functionality Checklist) are your responsibility. See below. If you catch anything misbehaving, tell us right away! Fixing it is our job.
Setup Automatic Backups. We will configure automatic backups. It is our goal to limit the potential loss between backups to only 5-10 orders.
Backup Restoration. We will restore backups for you at no-charge upon request or as needed.
Setup Off-Site Storage of Backups. We will configure the backups to store off-site. In the case the web host has a major hardware failure or other unforeseen catastrophic event, your backups will be safely elsewhere as well.
Setup Backup Deletion Schedule. The goal is have reasonable coverage with historic backups, while not becoming a digital hoarder. Here’s an example of how we model our “half-life” backup decay schedule: For backups older than 14 days, store one full backup per day. Store those daily backups for another 14-30 days. Beyond that, store 1 full backup per week for the next 2-6 months. Finally, store 1 monthly backup indefinitely. We will restore backups for you at no-charge upon request or as needed.
Site-wide SSL. We will install an SSL Certificate from Let’s Encrypt and enforce all traffic to run over https:// throughout the site.
Pre-Hosting Security & Performance (and DNS Hosting). We will host your DNS in CloudFlare. We will create a stand-alone account to which we will both have access. You can also share access to this account with your IT company, for example. You do not need to access this account for any reason, but you have access if you need.
Hosting. We will parcel out a portion of our hosting account with the selected preferred Managed WordPress Hosting vendor. Charges for this service are included in your monthly plan price. Hosting is limited to 15,000 unique visits per month. If you regularly exceed your hosting quota, consider upgrading to the BETTER plan, or paying for hosting overages @ $2.00 per 1,000 visits over the limit.
Security. In conjunction with our preferred Managed WordPress Hosting vendors, we will perform a wide array of proactive security measures. We’re not going to list them all here. Ultimately, we are responsible for your site’s security. It is your job simply to not circumvent our security measures (by bypassing strong password requirements or uploading infected files, for example).
Monitoring. We will configure an uptime monitor to notify us if your site is down for more than 5 minutes.
BASICS: WHAT WE DO NOT DO
Post-Update Functionality Checklist Completion. At The Basics plan level, we will notify you before updates are performed (typically 24 hours in advance) and again when updates are completed. It is your responsibility to complete the Post-Update Functionality Checklist. This service requires the BETTER plan level.
Third Party SSL. If a higher level of SSL Certificate is needed, this service requires the BETTER plan level.
After Hours Support. We are available 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Mountain Time.
BETTER: WHAT WE DO
Everything included in BASICS above. Additionally:
Post-Update Functionality Checklist Completion. Each time we run updates, we will do live purchases of the Test Product with each available Payment Method. Next we will complete the Post-Update Functionality Checklist.
Updates Performed in Staging Environment. All updates will be run in a private staging environment and tested before going live.
Extended Validation (EV) SSL. We will provide an Extended Validation SSL for your site. Alternatively, you can provide an SSL from a third-party to be installed. This can allow you to obtain an SSL with higher rates of coverage.
Hosting. Hosting is limited to 30,000 unique visits per month. If you regularly exceed your hosting quota, consider upgrading to the BEYOND plan, or paying for hosting overages @ $2.00 per 1,000 visits over the limit.
Speed Monitoring. We will configure regular speed monitoring of your site. We will review this monitoring at least with each round of updates to look for anything slowing your site down.
After Hours Support by Email. For after-hours support requests, log into your customer panel on woobetter.com. Here you will find an After Hours Support Request form that will email us upon submission. We do not guarantee response at all hours, however, we will review your message as soon as we receive it and be in touch soonest.
BETTER: WHAT WE DO NOT DO
After Hours Support by Text. For after-hours support requests, log into your customer panel on woobetter.com. Here you will find an After Hours Support Request form that will text us upon submission. We do not guarantee response at all hours, however, we will review your message as soon as we receive it and be in touch soonest. This service requires the Beyond Plan level.
BEYOND: WHAT WE DO
Everything included in BASICS and BETTER above. Additionally:
Annual Hosting Review. Once per year, typically around your anniversary of working with woobetter, we will do a proactive review of your site’s needs and its current hosting environment. If a change is warranted, we will present our recommendation to you. If approved, we will migrate your site at no extra charge.
Bi-Annual Post-Update Functionality Checklist Review. At least twice per year we proactively review the Post-Update Functionality Checklist, comparing it to the current site functionality and seek to identify anything missing. We will notify you of the review and any changes we make to the Post-Update Functionality Checklist.
Monthly Performance Tuning. Throughout each month we will review your speed monitoring reports and look for opportunities to increase performance. Minor change may be made on the fly. Major changes will be made in conjunction with updates and testing cycles.
Third Party Hosting. You may choose to host your site separate from woobetter and your plan with us. The cost of this hosting is your direct responsibility, while we will manage the account.
“No Limits” Hosting. If you prefer to pay just one bill each month, but still need exceptionally robust hosting, we will create a hosting strategy with you, then pass that cost directly onto you with no mark-up as part of your monthly plan with woobetter.
After Hours Support by Text. For after-hours support requests, log into your customer panel on woobetter.com. Here you will find an After Hours Support Request form that will text us upon submission. We do not guarantee response at all hours, however, we will review your message as soon as we receive it and be in touch soonest.
Priority Support. Just a little extra special treatment. As a BEYOND customer, we’ll reply to your support requests first (in most cases).
24/7 CRITICAL ACCESS
I will store you phone number in my personal cell phone and set “Submarine Alarm” as the custom ring tone. When you call, I’ll know it’s you. I will gracefully excuse myself from whatever I am doing and answer or immediately call back.
PAYMENT TERMS:
Upon signing up for the woobetter service, you hereby authorize us to charge your credit card on file monthly for the amount specified by your plan level, or as a result of subsequent negotiations. Any changes to the monthly billing amount must be documented in writing (an email would suffice.)
Payment is made for the month in advance.
Onboarding includes your first month’s fee.
Onboarding is included at no additional charge for plans pre-paid annually.
You hereby authorize us to run any credit card(s) we have on file to settle an invoice due over 60 days.
Payments are non-refundable.
There is no minimum contract length. This is why we have separate Onboarding fee. When we start with a new client, we do a lot of work up-front. If, however, you commit to a full year of service, we will waive the Onboarding fee.
OWNERSHIP:
We are a service provider and do not claim ownership of or liability for your website, domain, hosting account (if separate from our shared accounts), content, etc. woobetter may use your website in portfolio and other promotional materials.
CANCELLATION
30 days written notice is required for cancellation (an email would suffice). We will spend the remainder of the paid-for term coordinating with you and/or your new developer to assist in migrating the site out. Payments will be neither refunded nor pro-rated.
If your site is not 100% migrated out by the end of the last paid-for term, we will communicate directly with you regarding options. If the live site is still in our environment on the first day after the paid-for term we will keep your site live and automatically charge an additional month at the monthly rate of your plan level. We will only allow your site to go down at your express direction.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
All confidential information, provided by either you as our client or us as your service provider, shall remain the property of the disclosing party and neither party shall use confidential information for any purpose without permission of the disclosing party.
LIABILITY:
In no event will woobetter be liable for any loss of profit or revenue by you, the Client, or for any other consequential, incidental, indirect or economic damages incurred or suffered by the Client arising as a result of or related to the services, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, even if the Client has been advised of the possibility of such loss or damages. You further agrees that the total liability of the woobetter for all claims of any kind arising as a result of or related to this Agreement, or to any act or omission of woobetter, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, will not exceed an amount equal to the amount actually paid by the Client to woobetter for services during the six (6) month period preceding the date the claim arises. The Client will indemnify and hold woobetter harmless against any claims for infringement of intellectual property, including but not limited to infringement of any copyright, trademark, patent or trade secret made against woobetter by any third party.
URGENT FIX TERMS:
We will collect payment in advance of making efforts to revive your site. We will respond to your request within 24 hours. It is our goal to complete resolution within 24 hours as well. Resolution could mean fixing the problem – that’s the ideal case! In a less than ideal case, the problem with your site might exceed the feasibility of completion. At our discretion, if we diagnose the problem as too complex to be completed within the scope, we will contact you. We will inform you of the exact nature of the problem, as best we can diagnose it, and provide our expert opinion and advice regarding options for moving forward. In such a case, we will also refund half of the Urgent Fix fee.
DIY EMAIL CONTENT
The content of the DIY Email course was created in good faith to be maximally helpful to the broadest set of circumstances. Your specific case may require a different approach. Some techniques or specific instructions may change. We will make reasonable efforts to keep this content up to date and accurate.
woobetter accepts no risk, responsibility, or liability for changes you make to your website based on our advice.
