Almost every website dispute traces back to two words: “up to.” “Up to 5 pages” means whatever the vendor decides at the time. Fill in the sheet below — fifteen minutes — and there’s nothing left to disagree about later.
The scope sheet
WEBSITE SCOPE — __________ (business name) Prepared ________ · Developer ________ · Agreed by both on ________ ### 1. Pages — every one, by name | # | Page | What goes on it | Content from | |—|—|—|—| | 1 | Home | | Me / Them | | 2 | About | | Me / Them | | 3 | Services | | Me / Them | | 4 | | | Me / Them | | 5 | Contact | | Me / Them | Extra pages beyond this list: ₹______ each, adding ____ days to the date. ### 2. On every page ☐ Works properly on a phone ☐ My phone number, tappable, visible without scrolling ☐ WhatsApp button — number ________ including country code ☐ My full postal address in the footer ☐ Loads in about 3 seconds on mobile data ### 3. Specific features ☐ Contact form, delivering to ________ (name the inbox) ☐ Google Map embed at ________ ☐ Gallery / portfolio — ____ images ☐ Prices or ranges shown on ________ ☐ Business email on my domain: ________ ☐ Analytics + Search Console under my Google account ☐ Other: ________ ### 4. Explicitly NOT included (list it, so nobody assumes) ☐ Content writing ☐ Photography ☐ Product entry ☐ SEO / ranking work ☐ Advertising ☐ Logo design ☐ Other: ________ ### 5. What I supply, and by when Text for all pages · photographs · logo file · prices · exact contact details — by ________ If I’m late, the dates below extend by the length of my delay. ### 6. Dates Design for approval: ________ All pages viewable on a staging link: ________ Live: ________ “Live” means: published on my own domain · contact form tested and confirmed delivering · WhatsApp and call buttons tested · registrar, hosting and admin logins handed to me ### 7. Revisions ____ rounds included, each sent by me as one numbered list. Extra rounds ₹______ each. ### 8. Money ₹______ + 18% GST = ₹______ payable 30% now · 30% on design approval · 30% when all pages are viewable · 10% on go-live Year two onward: domain ₹____ + hosting ₹____ + maintenance ₹____ per year ### 9. Ownership Domain ________ registered in my name, in my own account, with my email. Nothing else is registered under the developer’s account for my business, except: ________ ### 10. After launch Small changes ₹______ each · response within ____ working day(s) · monthly plan ₹______ covering ________
The six lines that prevent almost every dispute
If you fill in nothing else, fill in these:
| Line | Prevents |
|---|---|
| §1 — pages by name | “Up to 5 pages,” the single most common dispute |
| §4 — explicitly NOT included | “I thought content was part of it” |
| §6 — “live” defined | A project sitting at 90% indefinitely |
| §7 — revision rounds as a number | The revision spiral, then the stall |
| §8 — year-two cost | Renewal shock, the commonest complaint |
| §9 — domain in your name | Everything else. This is the one that decides whether you can leave |
Why §4 is the clever one
Most scope documents list what’s included. Almost none list what isn’t — and that’s where every “yeh toh included hona chahiye tha” argument comes from.
Writing the exclusions down feels negative. It’s the opposite: it protects you from a mid-project charge and protects the vendor from an expectation they never agreed to. Both sides are safer, which is exactly why a good vendor will happily fill it in.
Why §5 is fair to them
The line saying your late content extends the dates is deliberately included.
Content delay is the largest cause of overrun, and putting it in writing makes the whole sheet much easier to get agreed. It also removes their best excuse when your content was on time — you can point at the date.
A one-sided document doesn’t get signed, and you want this signed.
The WhatsApp version
If a formal sheet will stall the project — and often it will — this covers §1, §4, §6, §7, §8 and §9 in one message:
Confirming scope: pages — Home, About, Services, [X], Contact. I supply text, photos and logo by [date]. Not included: content writing, photography, SEO. [Number] revision rounds. Live by [date], where live means on my domain with the contact form tested and all three logins handed to me. ₹[total] plus GST; 30% now, 30% on design approval, 30% when all pages are viewable, 10% on go-live. Year-two cost for domain and hosting: ₹[amount]. Domain registered in my name and account. Please confirm.
Get a “yes” in reply, then export the chat — screenshots lose timestamps. That exchange is a written agreement in substance.
For a store, add four lines
☐ Number of products at launch: ____ (launch with your best 30, not everything)
☐ Product entry: included / ₹____ per product / bulk import from spreadsheet
☐ Payment gateway: ________ — who submits the application
☐ Backup frequency and storage location (order data can’t be recreated by rebuilding)
What to do this week
- Fill in §1 — every page by name. This takes longest and matters most.
- Fill in §4 — what is explicitly not included.
- Define “live” in §6, including the logins.
- Register the domain in your own account before agreeing anything.
- If a formal sheet will stall it, send the WhatsApp version and get a “yes”.
If you want it done the certain way
We’ll fill in this sheet before you pay anything — every page named, exclusions listed, “live” defined, year-two cost stated, domain in your name. Use ours or use yours; the point is that something exists in writing. WhatsApp us; we reply in about five minutes between 9am and 7pm.
Related reading
- Free website development agreement template
- When the WhatsApp chat becomes your only contract
- Who pays for scope creep?
- What silently disappeared from what you were promised?
- What should “all-inclusive” actually include?
FAQ
What should a website scope document include?
Every page by name, what goes on each, who supplies the content, what is explicitly not included, your content deadline, dates with “live” defined, revision rounds as a number, the price with GST and the year-two cost, and the domain registered in your name.
Why is “up to 5 pages” a problem?
Because it means whatever the vendor decides at the time. Almost every scope dispute in this market traces back to those two words. List the pages by name instead.
Should the scope list what’s NOT included?
Yes — it’s the most useful section. It protects you from a mid-project charge and the vendor from an expectation they never agreed to, which is why a good vendor will fill it in willingly.
Is a WhatsApp message enough instead of a scope document?
For a straightforward brochure site, yes in substance — one message covering pages, exclusions, dates, revisions, money, and domain ownership, with a “yes” in reply. Export the chat so timestamps survive.
