Terms & Conditions: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

(Last updated June 2023)

Definitions:

The client:
Company or individual(s) requesting the services of M35 Web Design.
M35 Web Design: Primary designer/site owner and employees or affiliates.

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Prior to search engine promotion work being undertaken by M35 Web Design, we need assurances from the client that:

 

  • The client is not employing the services of another search engine optimisation (SEO) or promotion company to work on the web site at the same time without our express written consent. If this proves to be the case it will violate our terms of service and no refunds, or further work for free will be offered.
  • The client has not requested or exchanged links with ‘link farms’, or undertaken any spamming techniques which may harm the web site’s ranking with search engines. No link exchanges must take place without prior consultation from M35 Web Design.
  • The client has not created any duplicate sites, redirects or ‘doorway’ pages. If duplicate sites have been previously published, the client must inform M35 Web Design before work commences allowing appropriate recommendations to be carried out.
  • The search engines targeted will, in M35 Web Design’s sole discretion, be those search engines that we consider to be the most important with regards to popularity, language, content, location, coverage or any other criteria that M35 Web Design, in its sole discretion, considers suitable.
  • M35 Web Design will, in consultation with the client, choose suitable sets of words to search for in the search engines and the position in the results obtained using these words will be used for assessing search engine listings. A listing is where a search engine is queried with the words chosen by M35 Web Design and the Client’s website address (or a link to that address) appears in the search results returned.
  • M35 Web Design will optimise pages on the client’s website for search engines which, where appropriate, may include adding, deleting and/or altering text, images, pages, meta-tags, titles, mark-ups, style sheets, scripts, internal and external links and website structure. Such changes generally have a minimal visual impact. M35 Web Design will work directly with the client in order to maintain the original look and feel of the website.
  • The client must provide M35 Web Design with appropriate login information (FTP username and password) to allow M35 Web Design to gain access to the website. M35 Web Design will maintain confidentiality of such login information. The client must inform their webmaster (or anyone else who has access to the website) that M35 Web Design will be performing search engine optimisation services on the website.
  • Where any changes to the website made by M35 Web Design or on the recommendation of M35 Web Design are altered, reverted or deleted by the client or his agent, then the client must notify M35 Web Design immediately. M35 Web Design may apply an additional charge in respect of restoration and remedial work.
  • M35 Web Design reserves the right to terminate the client’s service at any time if it is suspected that the target web site (i.e. the web address optimised during the campaign) or web pages linked to, are involved in any search engine promotion technique deemed to be unethical by M35 Web Design.

THE CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES:-

  • Search engine algorithms will change from time-to-time, which may affect the client’s website rankings in search engine results pages (SERPS), and M35 Web Design has no control over such changes.
  • It can take many months for SEO Services to have any significant effect upon the ranking of a website in the search engine results pages.
  • SEO site promotion is an ongoing task and, should the client terminate the Agreement and/or stop promoting the website, that would be likely to have a negative impact upon the effects of the Services.
  • M35 Web Design will not be responsible for any alterations to the website made by the client or any third party hired by the client that reverses or affects changes made to the website by M35 Web Design as part of the Services.
  • The promotion of the website may lead to higher traffic levels and bandwidth requirements for the website. The client will be responsible for arranging and paying for such requirements.
  • Notwithstanding the Services, the website’s search engine results page rankings and traffic levels may decrease as well as increase.
  • It is not possible to give any guarantees for any specific result on any search engine, nor can M35 Web Design quantify the level of increased traffic or sales or give any guaranteed positioning as a result of the Services.
  • M35 Web Design does not own or control any search engines or directories to which the website may be submitted, and no refunds will be given in the event of any refusal to include the website in a search engine or directory database.The client accepts that search engines are independent companies who select and rank sites using their own criteria, which M35 Web Design has no control over.
  • To obtain the best chance of a high ranking in search engines the client must follow M35 Web esign’s recommendations for optimising the website. If the client fails to follow M35 Web Design’s recommendations, then the results achieved by the client may have considerably less success in search engine listings than would otherwise be achieved.
  • This service (SEO) does not include any Pay Per Click programs, web design, advertising, or other specialised services mentioned or not mentioned in this agreement.
  • M35 Web Design is not liable for any content on the client’s site, nor any third party issues that arise from any content on the client’s site.
  • M35 Web Design is not liable for any loss of ranking due to practices that we have not added to your site, whether pre-existing or added after, or at any time during this Service agreement and without our knowledge or consent.
  • Anything the client does not disclose about other prior search engine optimisation services prior to, or during this service agreement, M35 Web Design cannot and will not be held accountable for.

GOOGLE ADWORDS/FTP ACCESS

Should a client wish to move away from M35 Web Design, login details for Google Adwords, Bing/Yahoo! pay per click accounts etc. will not be handed over until all outstanding invoices have been paid, in full. This also applies to FTP access to a client’s site – all invoices must be paid in full before we hand over access codes. There are no exceptions to this.


OUR LIABILITY

M35 Web Design aims to achieve, wherever possible, a Top 10 ranking in the major search engines for all mutually agreed key phrases. M35 Web Design would expect to achieve the desired position for the client’s chosen search term within 6 months of the optimised pages going live. However, new sites can take up to 12 months before results become apparent, and for these M35 Web Design targets Top 30 rankings, or better for some but not all keywords.

Clients have the option to set up a full search engine optimisation and marketing contract with M35 Web Design to monitor and maintain their search engine positioning. Please ask for details.

If M35 Web Design does not produce results based on the client’s desired ranking in any of the Major Search Engines after twelve months of a search engine optimisation service contract with us, then we will offer a further three months free of charge for this service. If, after a further three months of service there is no improvement in the client’s rankings and there had never been an improvement in any of the search engines from the start of the campaign, at our discretion we will either provide a monetary reimbursement of 50%, or continue working for free and improve the client’s desired keywords until Top Rankings are achieved to the satisfaction of M35 Web Design.


OUR PROMISE

M35 Web Design offers risk-free services and our methods will never put you in any situation that goes against any and all search engines’ best practice policies.


COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Informal

Anyone who experiences a problem with their web service provided by M35 Web Design should raise the matter directly using our online contact form, giving sufficient information to locate the material (such as an url) and clearly outlining the grounds for complaint.

M35 Web Design will respond with a view to resolving the matter to the satisfaction of the complainant.

Formal

The formal complaints procedure should only be used where the complainant feels that the nature of the complaint is too serious to be dealt with informally, or where a satisfactory conclusion has not been reached after following the informal procedure.

A formal complaint should be made in writing to M35 Web Design. We will acknowledge receipt and ensure that the matter is looked into as soon as possible.

An initial response to any complaint can be expected within seven days of its receipt; a full and considered response to the complaint should be completed within 30 days and any subsequent remedy implemented with the minimum of delay.


GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION

This Contract shall be governed by English law and the parties shall submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

By accepting a quotation or making a payment of invoice to use the services supplied, The Client acknowledges to have read, understand, and accept the Terms and Conditions of this Agreement, and agrees to be legally bound by these Terms and Conditions.

M35 Web Design reserves the right to amend these Terms & Conditions without any prior notice.

 

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