I'm a software engineer, and an acquaintance asked me to build a simple four- or five-page static website for his construction business. It probably won't need a backend. I'm trying to decide how to handle the code repository, hosting, domain registration, and ongoing access. Should the client create and own those accounts, or should I use my personal accounts and transfer everything later? I'm concerned that using my own accounts could leave the client without access if we stop working together or they hire another developer. I'd also appreciate guidance on setting a fair project price and whether a short contract is worthwhile for such a small job.
3 Answers
There are two reasonable arrangements: you can manage the infrastructure and charge a recurring maintenance or hosting fee, or the client can own everything and you simply build and deploy the site. For a small one-time project, the second option is usually cleaner and avoids leaving you responsible indefinitely. A low-cost static hosting provider and a straightforward deployment from the code repository should be enough for four or five pages.
Even for a small site, write a brief contract. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but it should define the pages and features included, the number of revision rounds, the delivery date, who owns the code and accounts, payment milestones, and what additional work will cost. There isn’t one universal fair price, so estimate the hours for design, development, testing, deployment, and communication, then add room for reasonable project overhead.
Have the client own the important accounts from the beginning. The domain, hosting, and any business email should be registered with their email and payment details, while you’re added as a collaborator or administrator. You can either have the code in an organization they control or transfer the repository when the project is complete. That way, handing the site to another developer later won’t be a problem.
That makes sense. I mainly want to deliver a working first version without accidentally agreeing to unlimited future maintenance or revisions.