Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By using Smart Stuff Studios' website building and SEO services ("Services"), you ("Client", "you") agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use our Services.

2. Description of Services

Smart Stuff Studios provides the following services for local service businesses:

• SEO-optimized website development — We build a custom website designed to perform well in local Google search results.
• Website hosting — Your website is hosted on Cloudflare Pages for fast, secure, globally distributed delivery.
• SEO optimization — On-page SEO elements including title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure, local schema markup, and image optimization.
• Ongoing maintenance and support — We handle updates, security patches, and technical issues for as long as you maintain an active subscription.

3. Free Build Period

We offer a free website build to qualifying local businesses. During this period:

• You receive a fully functional SEO-optimized website at no cost
• The website remains active during the evaluation period
• You have no payment obligation during the free build period
• After the free period, you may choose to continue for $49/month or we will take the website down at your request

We reserve the right to determine which businesses qualify for the free build based on business type, location, and our current capacity.

4. Subscription & Payment Terms

If you choose to continue after the free build:

• Monthly subscription: $49/month (Starter tier). Prices are subject to change with 30 days' written notice.
• Payment: Processed monthly via Stripe. All payments are non-refundable for the current billing period.
• Billing cycle: Subscriptions renew monthly on the date of initial signup.
• Late payments: Accounts more than 14 days overdue may have the website suspended. A $10 late fee applies to balances overdue more than 30 days.

5. Cancellation Policy

You may cancel your subscription at any time:

• How to cancel: Email smartstuffstudios@gmail.com or call (404) 825-1118 with your cancellation request.
• Effect of cancellation: Your website will remain active until the end of the current billing period. After that, the website will be taken down unless you request a transfer.
• No refunds: Monthly subscription fees are non-refundable once charged.
• Data export: Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of your website content within 7 business days of cancellation.

6. Website Ownership & Intellectual Property

This is an area of common confusion — we want to be clear:

• During active subscription: You have full use of your website as part of your subscription.
• After cancellation: We will provide you with the website files (HTML, CSS, JS) at no additional charge within 7 business days of your request.
• Domain names: Domain names registered through or for you remain your property. We will transfer them to you upon cancellation within 48 hours of your request.
• Our templates and frameworks: We retain ownership of our underlying templates, code frameworks, and design systems. These are licensed to you for use during your subscription only.

7. Client Responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• Providing accurate business information for your website
• Ensuring you have the right to use any content, images, or materials you provide
• Promptly responding to requests for information needed to build your website
• Maintaining your own business licenses, permits, and insurance as required by law
• Reviewing and approving website content before it goes live

8. Performance & SEO Disclaimer

We do not guarantee specific search engine rankings or results. SEO is a long-term, ongoing effort and results depend on many factors beyond our control, including:

• Competition in your industry and location
• Google algorithm updates and changes
• Your business's age and existing online authority
• Quality and quantity of content on your site
• External factors including backlinks, local citations, and reviews

We commit to using industry-standard SEO practices and will make reasonable efforts to optimize your website for local search. We will never use "black hat" or deceptive SEO techniques that violate Google guidelines.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Smart Stuff Studios and its owners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from:

• Your use of or inability to use our Services
• Any changes we make to the Services
• Any unauthorized access to or use of our servers or your data
• Any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from our Services
• Any bugs, viruses, or the like that may be transmitted through our Services

Our total liability for any claim arising from our Services shall not exceed the total amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Smart Stuff Studios and its owners from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to your use of our Services, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of a third party.

11. Service Availability

We strive for maximum uptime but do not guarantee 100% availability. Scheduled maintenance will be communicated in advance when possible. We are not liable for downtime or service interruptions beyond our reasonable control.

12. Modifications to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes via email at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of our Services after the changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina, USA, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of North Carolina.

14. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, contact us: