Website Warranty: What It Covers and What It Doesn’t

Website Warranty: What It Should Cover and What It Usually Doesn’t

A website is more than an online presence for a business. It is a sales channel, a source of customer inquiries, a platform for building trust, and an important part of daily business operations. Whether you run a small company in Dhaka, manage an e-commerce store, or operate a growing corporate organization, your website needs to work properly after launch.

However, one question often gets overlooked when hiring a web design and development company: What happens if something goes wrong after the website is delivered?

This is where a website warranty becomes important.

A website warranty provides a level of protection against specific technical problems that arise after a website has been completed. It helps business owners understand which issues their development agency will fix without additional charges and which problems may require paid maintenance or separate development work.

Unfortunately, many business owners misunderstand website warranties. Some expect unlimited technical support, free updates, and permanent protection against every possible website issue. Others assume that once the warranty expires, the development company has no further responsibility.

Neither assumption is entirely correct.

In this guide, we explain what a website warranty means, what it should cover, what it usually excludes, how long it should last, and what Bangladeshi businesses should check before signing a website development agreement.

What Is a Website Warranty?

A website warranty is a written commitment from a web design or development company to fix certain defects or technical problems within an agreed period after project delivery.

The primary purpose is to ensure that the website performs according to the agreed specifications and functions correctly when handed over to the client.

For example, suppose a Dhaka-based company hires a web development agency to build a corporate website. After launch, the contact form stops sending inquiries because of a coding error introduced during development.

If the issue falls under the warranty terms, the development company should investigate and fix it without charging additional development fees.

A website warranty generally focuses on defects in the original work rather than ongoing website management.

It is important to understand that a warranty is not the same as a maintenance contract, hosting service, or technical support subscription. Each provides a different level of service.

Why Does a Website Warranty Matter for Businesses?

A website may look perfect during the final presentation, but problems can sometimes appear after real visitors start using it.

A customer might encounter a broken form, a navigation problem, or a feature that does not work as described. Even a small technical issue can affect customer confidence and business opportunities.

A clear website warranty helps businesses manage these situations.

Here are several reasons why it matters.

1. Protection Against Development Errors

No development project is completely free from the possibility of technical defects. A coding mistake, incorrect configuration, or overlooked functionality may become visible after launch.

A warranty gives the client a defined process for requesting corrections to covered defects.

2. Reduced Unexpected Expenses

Without a written warranty, a business might need to pay separately to fix problems caused by the original development work.

A reasonable warranty helps reduce these unexpected expenses during the agreed coverage period.

3. Better Accountability

A professional development agency should stand behind the work it delivers.

Written warranty conditions establish responsibility between the client and the development company. Both parties know what is included and what falls outside the agreement.

4. Greater Confidence After Launch

Launching a website can be stressful, particularly for businesses that depend on online inquiries or sales.

Knowing that covered technical defects can be reported and corrected provides additional confidence during the initial operating period.

5. Better Project Transparency

A proper warranty forces both parties to discuss important details before development begins.

These include:

• What qualifies as a technical defect?
• How should problems be reported?
• How quickly will the agency respond?
• What is the warranty duration?
• Which changes require additional payment?

Clear answers help prevent disagreements later.

What Should a Website Warranty Cover?

A useful website warranty should clearly identify the technical defects covered by the development company.

The exact coverage depends on the project scope, technology, contract, and agency policy. However, several areas are commonly included in a reasonable website development warranty.

1. Coding and Development Errors

This is one of the most important parts of a website warranty.

If the original development team introduces a coding error that prevents an agreed feature from working correctly, the agency should correct that defect within the warranty period.

Examples include

• Incorrect website functionality caused by faulty code.
• Broken navigation links within the delivered website.
• Buttons that do not perform their specified actions.
• Errors in custom-developed features.
• Incorrect calculations in an agreed pricing or quotation tool.
• Problems with website forms caused by development mistakes.

For example, an online service company may have a quotation form that calculates project costs based on selected services. If the calculation produces incorrect results because of a coding error, this should generally qualify as a warranty issue.

2. Website Functionality Problems

Every website is developed with specific functional requirements.

A warranty should cover defects that prevent those agreed functions from working as intended.

Depending on the project, this may include:

• User registration and login problems.
• Search functionality errors.
• Shopping cart issues.
• Product filtering problems.
• Checkout functionality defects.
• Incorrect form submissions.
• Admin dashboard errors.
• Broken internal navigation.

However, there is an important distinction between a defective feature and a request for a new feature.

If a client originally requested a product search system and it does not work correctly, fixing it may fall under the warranty. Adding advanced product recommendations later would normally be a separate development task.

3. Responsive Design Defects

Modern websites must work across different screen sizes.

A corporate website should provide a usable experience on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. An e-commerce website must also allow mobile visitors to browse products and complete purchases comfortably.

A website warranty may cover responsive design defects that violate the agreed design specifications.

Examples include

• Text overlapping other website elements.
• Navigation menus not opening correctly.
• Buttons becoming inaccessible on mobile screens.
• Images extending beyond their containers.
• Layout elements breaking on supported screen sizes.
• Important sections becoming unusable on agreed browsers.

Keep in mind that responsive design does not mean identical appearance on every device. Different screen sizes naturally require different layouts.

The warranty should focus on correcting defects rather than guaranteeing pixel-perfect visual consistency across every possible device.

4. Browser Compatibility Issues

Visitors may access a website through different browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.

If the agency agreed to support specific modern browsers, the website warranty should cover development defects that prevent the website from working correctly in those environments.

For example, a dropdown menu may work in Chrome but fail in Safari because of an implementation error.

If Safari support was included in the original project scope, correcting that defect should generally be covered.

However, the agency may exclude problems caused by outdated browsers, unsupported browser versions, or unusual third-party extensions.

5. Contact Form and Enquiry System Errors

Contact forms are particularly important for service-based businesses.

A web design company, digital marketing agency, consultancy firm, or software development business may depend on website forms to generate leads.

A warranty may cover problems such as:

• Forms failing to submit because of faulty code.
• Required fields not validating correctly.
• Form submissions not reaching the configured destination because of the original integration.
• Incorrect success or error messages.
• Broken file-upload functionality included in the project.

However, email delivery can also depend on external systems.

If an email provider changes its security requirements, hosting restrictions affect email delivery, or an external service becomes unavailable, the problem may fall outside the original development warranty.

The agency should explain this distinction clearly.

6. Original Design and Layout Defects

A website warranty should also address significant differences between the approved design and the delivered website.

For example, if the client approves a homepage design with a particular header, navigation system, banner, and content layout, the final website should reflect those agreed specifications.

Covered defects may include:

• Missing design elements.
• Incorrectly implemented layouts.
• Broken visual components.
• Unexpected spacing or alignment problems.
• Elements that fail to display correctly because of development errors.

A warranty does not normally provide unlimited design revisions.

Changing the entire homepage design after approval is a new design request, not necessarily a warranty correction.

7. Custom Integration Errors

Many business websites connect with external services.

These may include:

• Payment gateways.
• CRM platforms.
• Email marketing systems.
• Booking applications.
• Inventory management software.
• Third-party APIs.
• Customer support tools.

If an integration was included in the original development scope and fails because of an implementation defect, the agency should generally investigate and correct that defect.

However, third-party providers control their own services. Their outages, API changes, account restrictions, and pricing updates are not automatically covered by the website warranty.

What a Website Warranty Usually Does Not Cover

Understanding exclusions is just as important as understanding coverage.

A website warranty is not an unlimited promise to handle every technical issue or business requirement without payment.

The following areas are commonly excluded unless the contract specifically includes them.

1. New Features and Additional Functionality

A warranty covers defects in agreed functionality. It does not automatically cover requests for new features.

For example, a business may initially order a basic corporate website with five pages.

Three months after launch, the owner decides to add:

• An online appointment booking system.
• A customer login dashboard.
• A live chat application.
• An advanced product filtering system.
• A multi-vendor marketplace.

These additions require new development work and are generally billed separately.

2. Content Updates and Website Editing

Most website warranties do not include unlimited content management.

Updating text, replacing images, publishing blog posts, changing product descriptions, or uploading new service information may require a separate maintenance arrangement.

For example, a company may want to update its service pricing every month. Unless content updates are included in the original agreement, these changes are not normally warranty repairs.

3. Third-Party Software and Plugin Problems

Many websites depend on external plugins, themes, libraries, and software platforms.

A third-party developer may release an update that introduces compatibility problems or stops supporting an older version.

The original website development company is not automatically responsible for every issue caused by external software.

However, if the agency installed or configured a component incorrectly during the original project, the resulting defect may still qualify for warranty coverage.

4. Hosting and Server Problems

Website hosting is a separate service from website development.

A website may become unavailable because of:

• Hosting server outages.
• Data centre problems.
• Server resource limitations.
• DNS configuration changes.
• Expired hosting services.
• Network connectivity issues.
• Hosting provider restrictions.

These issues are generally handled by the hosting provider or covered under a separate hosting agreement.

If the original development company also provides hosting, its responsibilities should be clearly defined in the service contract.

5. Domain Name and SSL Certificate Renewal

A domain name and SSL certificate are important parts of website operations, but their renewal is not automatically included in a development warranty.

For example, if a business forgets to renew its domain name, visitors may no longer be able to access the website.

Similarly, an expired SSL certificate may trigger browser security warnings.

These situations generally require renewal or configuration services rather than warranty repairs.

6. Security Attacks and Malware

A website warranty should not be confused with a cybersecurity guarantee.

Websites may face threats such as:

• Malware infections.
• Brute-force login attempts.
• Phishing attacks.
• DDoS attacks.
• Database exposure.
• Server compromise.
• Unauthorized administrator access.

An agency may be responsible for correcting a security weakness caused by its own defective implementation, depending on the contract.

However, protection against every cyberattack requires ongoing security measures, monitoring, backups, updates, and incident response services.

These are usually separate services.

7. Client-Made Changes

One common source of warranty disputes is unauthorized modification.

Suppose a business owner hires another developer to modify the website’s theme or core files. Shortly afterward, the website stops working.

The original development company may reasonably exclude problems caused by those external modifications.

The same applies when clients install incompatible plugins, modify database settings, or change important configurations without technical guidance.

8. Major Software and Platform Updates

Websites built with platforms such as WordPress, Laravel, or other content management systems depend on software components that change over time.

Major platform upgrades can affect themes, plugins, custom code, and integrations.

A development warranty does not normally include unlimited compatibility work for future software releases.

The agency should explain whether minor updates, compatibility fixes, and major version upgrades are included or billed separately.

Website Warranty vs Website Maintenance: What Is the Difference?

Many business owners use these terms interchangeably, but they serve different purposes.

A website warranty focuses on correcting covered defects in the original development work. Website maintenance focuses on keeping the website updated, secure, and operational over time.

Area	Website Warranty	Website Maintenance
Coding defects	Usually covered	May be covered
Original functionality errors	Usually covered	May be covered
Content updates	Usually excluded	Often available
Plugin updates	Usually excluded	Commonly included
Security monitoring	Not automatic	Can be included
Regular backups	Not automatic	Can be included
New features	Usually excluded	Usually charged separately
Performance monitoring	Not automatic	Can be included
Ongoing technical support	Limited to agreed terms	Based on service plan

Consider a Bangladeshi e-commerce business selling electronics online.

During the warranty period, the checkout button stops working because of an error in the original development code. The agency corrects the defect.

Six months later, the business wants to add a new payment method, update its product catalogue, and improve website loading speed.

Those tasks are more likely to fall under maintenance or additional development services.

Both services are valuable, but they should not be confused.

How Long Should a Website Warranty Last?

There is no single warranty duration that applies to every website development project.

The period depends on the development company, project complexity, technology, and contractual agreement.

Some agencies offer shorter coverage periods, while others provide longer post-launch support.

For a business website, a warranty period of 30 to 90 days is a common commercial arrangement to consider when comparing agency proposals. However, this is not a universal industry standard or legal requirement.

A practical approach is to evaluate the warranty based on the website’s complexity.

Factors That Influence Warranty Duration

Website complexity: A simple five-page corporate website may require less testing and troubleshooting than a custom e-commerce platform.

Custom functionality: Websites with booking systems, customer dashboards, payment integrations, and custom applications may need a more detailed defect-resolution arrangement.

Project delivery process: Agencies that conduct proper testing, client reviews, and pre-launch checks may have clearer warranty procedures.

Business requirements: A website that handles customer inquiries or online transactions may justify a longer initial defect-correction period.

Before signing an agreement, ask the agency to confirm the exact warranty start date, end date, and coverage conditions in writing.

How to Check a Website Warranty Before Hiring a Development Agency

Choosing a web development partner should involve more than comparing quotations.

A lower price may appear attractive initially, but unclear warranty conditions can create unexpected costs later.

Use the following checklist when evaluating a website development company in Bangladesh.

1. Request Written Warranty Terms

Never rely entirely on verbal promises.

Ask for a document that explains the warranty duration, covered defects, exclusions, and reporting process.

2. Check What Counts as a Bug

The agreement should distinguish between a development defect and a new feature request.

Ask the agency to provide practical examples of both.

3. Understand the Response Time

A warranty should explain how quickly the agency acknowledges reported problems.

For example, an agency might agree to acknowledge a reported issue within one business day and provide an estimated resolution timeline after investigating it.

Response time and resolution time are different. Make sure both are addressed.

4. Confirm Whether Support Is Free

Ask whether fixing covered technical defects is free throughout the warranty period.

Also clarify whether there are any charges for investigation, deployment, server access, or third-party services.

5. Check Third-Party Dependencies

If your website uses a payment gateway, CRM, external API, or premium plugin, ask who handles problems involving those services.

This is particularly important for e-commerce businesses and organizations using custom business software.

6. Ask About Website Ownership

Make sure you understand who owns the website’s source code, design files, database, domain, and other project assets.

You should also know whether you will receive administrator access and the credentials required to manage your website.

Ownership and warranty are separate contractual matters, but both are important.

7. Review the Handover Process

A proper website handover should include the agreed access details, basic usage instructions, and relevant technical documentation.

A clear handover makes it easier to manage the website after the warranty period expires.

What Should Businesses Do When a Website Warranty Expires?

A warranty expiry does not mean that a website immediately becomes unreliable.

It simply means that the original agreement’s defect-correction coverage has ended.

However, websites need ongoing attention to remain secure and functional.

Business owners should consider the following steps.

• Schedule regular backups: Keep website files and database backups in a secure location.
• Update software carefully: Maintain supported versions of the CMS, plugins, themes, and other components.
• Monitor website performance: Check loading speed, broken pages, and important user journeys.
• Review website security: Use strong passwords, appropriate access controls, and security monitoring.
• Test enquiry forms: Make sure customers can contact the business successfully.
• Renew essential services: Track domain, hosting, SSL, and premium software renewal dates.
• Arrange technical maintenance: Consider a monthly maintenance agreement if the website is important to daily operations.

For businesses that depend on online sales or customer inquiries, preventive maintenance is often more practical than waiting until something breaks.

Website Warranty for Different Types of Businesses in Bangladesh

Warranty requirements can vary depending on how a website is used.

Corporate Websites

Corporate websites generally need reliable navigation, contact forms, service pages, responsive layouts, and company information.

The warranty should focus on defects affecting these agreed functions.

E-Commerce Websites

Online stores require more detailed warranty conditions because they handle products, orders, payments, and customer information.

Important areas include:

• Shopping cart functionality.
• Checkout processes.
• Product display and filtering.
• Order confirmation systems.
• Payment gateway integration.
• Customer account functionality.

Businesses should also understand which payment gateway and hosting-related issues fall outside the development agency’s responsibility.

Educational Websites

Schools, training centers, and educational institutions may need student registration, course information, admission forms, and online payment features.

The warranty should clearly identify which of these functions are included.

Service-Based Businesses

IT companies, marketing agencies, consultancies, and professional service providers often depend on lead-generation forms and appointment inquiries.

Their warranty should prioritize the functionality of these important customer-facing features.

Why Choose an Experienced Web Development Company?

A website warranty is only as useful as the company responsible for delivering it.

When choosing an agency, consider its development experience, project portfolio, technical team, communication process, and ability to provide support after launch.

An experienced agency should be able to explain the difference between a development defect, a maintenance request, and a new project requirement.

This matters in Bangladesh, where businesses often need a long-term technology partner rather than a company that simply delivers a website and disappears.

Website Development and IT Services at Creative Tech Park

Creative Tech Park has been operating in the software and IT services industry since 2012, serving businesses with web design, software development, and technology solutions.

With 26 in-house team members, more than 5,000 clients, and over 7,000 completed projects, the company brings experience from working on a wide range of digital requirements.

For businesses in Dhaka and across Bangladesh, choosing a web development partner should involve looking beyond the initial project cost.

It is worth considering the quality of development, communication, project delivery, technical documentation, and post-launch support arrangements.

Before starting a project with any agency, discuss these important points:

• Your website’s required features and functionality.
• The technology and platform used for development.
• Website ownership and administrative access.
• The agreed delivery and testing process.
• Warranty duration and covered technical defects.
• Exclusions and additional service charges.
• Available website maintenance options.

Creative Tech Park provides a range of web design and IT services for businesses looking to establish, improve, or expand their digital presence.

Whether you need a corporate website, an e-commerce platform, or a custom software solution, define your requirements clearly and discuss the expected support arrangements before development begins.

A well-planned project should not end with the website launch. It should give your business a clear path for managing and maintaining its digital platform.

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Warranty

1. What is included in a website warranty?

A website warranty commonly covers defects in the original development work, including coding errors, broken agreed functionality, responsive design defects, and certain integration problems. Exact coverage depends on the written agreement.

2. How long does a website warranty last?

The duration depends on the development agency and project agreement. A period of 30 to 90 days is a common option to consider, although some agencies may offer different terms.

3. Does a website warranty include free maintenance?

No. A website warranty and maintenance service are different. Warranty coverage generally focuses on correcting specific development defects, while maintenance may include updates, backups, security checks, and content changes.

4. Does a website warranty cover hacking?

Not automatically. A warranty may cover a security defect caused by the original development work, depending on the agreement. General protection against hacking and malware requires separate security measures.

5. Are website content changes included in the warranty?

Usually not. Adding new pages, replacing images, updating text, changing product information, and publishing blog posts are generally considered content management tasks.

6. Does a website warranty cover hosting problems?

Usually not. Server outages, hosting limitations, DNS problems, and network failures are generally the responsibility of the hosting provider unless the development agreement specifically includes those services.

7. Can a website warranty be extended?

Some development agencies may offer extended warranty arrangements or ongoing maintenance packages. Ask about available options before the original coverage expires.

8. What happens if a website breaks after the warranty expires?

The business may need to pay for troubleshooting and repairs. An existing maintenance agreement may provide access to technical support and ongoing website management.

9. Should a website warranty be included in the development contract?

Yes. It is advisable to document the warranty period, coverage, exclusions, reporting procedure, and response expectations in the project agreement.

10. Is a website warranty important for small businesses?

Yes. Small businesses often have limited technical resources. A clear warranty can help them manage post-launch development defects without immediately arranging additional paid repairs.

Final Thoughts

A website warranty is an important part of a professional web development agreement. It protects businesses against certain defects in the original development work and establishes clear responsibilities between the client and the agency.

However, it should never be mistaken for unlimited technical support, permanent security protection, or free website maintenance.

Before hiring a web design company in Dhaka or anywhere in Bangladesh, take time to understand what its warranty actually covers. Ask questions, request written terms, and make sure you know what happens when the coverage period ends.

For business owners, the real objective is not simply to launch a website. It is to build a reliable digital platform that continues to support business operations, customer relationships, and long-term growth.