The verdict in three sentences
For an accounting and tax firm in London, the website contract matters more than the design brief, because it decides who owns the domain, hosting account, code and content when the relationship ends. Insist on payment milestones tied to acceptance tests, a written page list, a capped number of revision rounds and a UK GDPR Article 28 data processing agreement covering enquiry and upload forms. A good contract can be read in twenty minutes and leaves no grey zone about handover, warranty or what a change request costs.
Which clauses should a London accounting firm insist on?
Chartered accountants and tax advisers handle sensitive financial data, and their marketing is subject to the professional conduct expectations of bodies such as ICAEW, ACCA or ICAS. The website contract should reflect that. Here is a clause by clause view of what a typical London agency contract says, what you should ask for, and what Kolonell's fixed terms provide.
| Clause | Typical London agency contract | What to ask for | Kolonell fixed terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope and page list | General description, page count vague | Named pages: bookkeeping, payroll, tax returns, advisory, expat tax, company formation | Page list annexed to the quote |
| Domain and hosting | Sometimes registered in the agency's name | Registered in the firm's name, agency given delegated access | In the client's name |
| Code and content ownership | Licence to use, ownership retained | Full assignment of code and copy on final payment | Assigned to the client on final payment |
| Payment milestones | 50% upfront, 50% at launch | 30% / 40% / 30% tied to signed acceptance | Milestones tied to acceptance |
| Revision rounds | Unlimited in theory, disputed in practice | 2 rounds per milestone, then hourly rate stated | Rounds stated in the quote |
| Timeline | 8 to 14 weeks, no penalty | Dated milestones, delay rules both ways | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Support period | 30 days bug fixing | 3 months minimum, response times stated | 3 months included |
| Data processing | Often missing | Article 28 DPA, sub-processors listed | DPA on request |
How should milestones and acceptance testing work?
Acceptance is where most disputes start. Without written criteria, launch day becomes a negotiation. Tie each payment to a signed acceptance note and define the tests in advance.
| Milestone | Deliverable | Acceptance criteria | Share of fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kick-off | Sitemap, page list, wireframes | Signed page list, copy brief approved | 30% |
| 2. Design and copy | Desktop and mobile mock-ups, draft copy | 2 revision rounds closed, partner sign-off on service pages | 40% (with milestone 3) |
| 3. Build | Staging site with forms and integrations | Forms deliver to the right inbox, portal link works, cookie banner tested | Included above |
| 4. Pre-launch checks | Performance, accessibility, redirects | Mobile score of 90 or more, WCAG 2.1 AA checks passed, 301 map applied | 30% |
| 5. Launch | Live site, credentials handed over | Domain, hosting and CMS logins in the firm's name | Released |
| 6. Support | Bug fixing and small edits | Response within 2 working days | Included 3 months |
The 2026 ballpark for a London agency building a 10 to 20 page accounting site sits around £8,000 to £25,000, based on typical agency quotes and public rate pages; small studios and freelancers often quote £3,000 to £7,000. Kolonell's international grid is fixed: £2,300 (Starter), £3,900 (Growth) and £6,900 (Premium), with a project manager reachable on UK hours and native English copywriting. The plans are compared on the international website offer.
What the local compliance frame adds to the contract
Stay factual and let your compliance partner make the final call. Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, your web provider acts as a processor when it hosts or receives form data, which is why an Article 28 agreement is expected. Cookie consent falls under PECR: non-essential cookies such as analytics need prior consent, without pre-ticked boxes. Professional bodies expect marketing to be accurate and not misleading, so the contract should give your firm final approval on any claim about credentials, fees or results. Secure document upload should go through your existing client portal; a link from the website is part of the build, while a custom portal is on quote. This is not legal advice.
Clauses worth adding for a tax practice:
- a confidentiality clause covering any client names seen during the project;
- a ban on uploading real client documents to staging environments;
- a tax season freeze, for example no deployments between mid January and 31 January self assessment deadline week;
- an exit clause listing every file, login and export handed over within 10 working days.
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Illustrative example. Priya, managing partner of a six-person chartered accountancy in Shoreditch, receives a £14,500 agency quote with 50% upfront, no DPA and the domain registered by the agency. She renegotiates nothing and instead compares it with a fixed Growth plan at £3,900 plus £120 per month of maintenance after the three included months. Over three years: agency 14,500 + 36 × £180 maintenance = £20,980; fixed plan 3,900 + 33 × 120 = £7,860. The difference, £13,120, roughly equals 26 personal tax returns billed at £500 each, and her firm keeps the domain and code from day one.
FAQ
Who should own the domain name of an accounting firm?
Always the firm itself, with the agency given delegated access. Transferring a domain held by a former supplier can take 5 to 10 working days and sometimes a dispute.
Is a data processing agreement really needed for a simple website?
If the site collects enquiries or links to uploads, the provider processes personal data on your behalf, so an Article 28 agreement is expected under UK GDPR. It usually adds 2 to 4 pages to the contract.
How many revision rounds are reasonable?
Two rounds per milestone is the common standard. Beyond that, ask for a written hourly rate, often £60 to £120 in London.
What warranty should we expect after launch?
At least 3 months of bug fixing on delivered features, with a stated response time. Kolonell includes 3 months of support on every plan.
Can we launch during tax season?
It is possible but risky; most firms avoid deployments in the 3 weeks before the 31 January deadline. Plan the 3 to 4 week build to finish by early December or after February.
Let's scope your project. A London accounting site with a clear page list, milestone payments and a handover clause, from £2,300 to £6,900, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
