Website Uptime and Site Speed Service Level Agreement
This agreement describes the standard level of service customers can expect from Karman Digital regarding their website performance.
99.5% Server Environment Uptime
All Karman Digital hosted websites are located within a dedicated server environment provided by WP Engine server hosting. WP Engine hosting ensure a 99.5% Network and Power Availability of service(s) for hosting which mean that we have a robust platform upon which to host your website. Please be aware that whilst the hosting server uptime is covered in this SLA your website may experience downtime even though the server itself is running correctly.
Karman Digital will carry out regular routine maintenance at website level as part of your hosting agreement but we also ask that our clients carry out regular checks of their website and advise us if it is not believed to be functioning correctly. Routine use, maintenance and software updates can affect website functions and so it is therefore the joint responsibility of the client and Karman Digital to ensure their website is operating as it should. We offer a website monitoring service on request which will alert us if a website becomes unresponsive and will allow us to investigate and bring the service back online as soon as possible. Full details of the web hosting service SLA can be found here.
Site Speed and Optimisation
Site speed, how quickly a site loads, is a very important factor in influencing the user experience. It is also known to influence Google search rankings and Facebook’s algorithms.
To benchmark a websites performance we use the Google Page Speed Insights tool. The benchmark for each site is set individually as site speed will vary depending on a range of factors such as the use of video and imagery but as a general rule we will aim to reach an optimisation score of 80/100 for desktop and mobile at site launch. This score will reduce over time and it is likely that further optimisation work will need to be carried out on a regular basis to achieve this level of optimisation. This work will be charged at our standard hourly rate in line with our rate card.
Please be aware that in some cases a website can be optimised to the required benchmark score within Google but still appear slow to load in terms of the number of seconds a page takes to display all of the content.
When we build sites we cannot guarantee the user’s experience in relation to site speed as often this will be affected by local factors outside our control. However, within a consistent testing environment, we will guarantee to deliver performance that matches or exceeds the benchmark for site speed at the point at which the site is launched.
Factors which affect website speed include but are not limited to:
- Too many widgets and plugins
- Use of large images and media content
- External embedded media
- Unsuitable browsers and apps
- Poor internet connection speeds
- Third-party online ad network
WordPress
For those websites hosted by Karman Digital which have been built (or part-built) upon the WordPress platform, please be aware that WordPress irregularly makes updates which means that Karman Digital may need to make updates to your site so that your website continues to work upon our servers. It is not known how many times per annum that WordPress makes updates, however, we estimate between 4 – 8 updates per year. The more functionality a WordPress site has the more time needed to make updates to that website.
Karman Digital works reactively for such updates – we respond should we be informed of a critical change (by WordPress) or should the client point out an error in functionality. Please note, Karman Digital cannot be held responsible for any functionality failure caused directly by an update to WordPress or a plug-in of which we were not made aware.
Plug-ins
On occasion, when budget, time or requested functionality limits the opportunity for a bespoke build, an off-the-shelf solution in the form of a third party plug-in may be implemented.
Premium plug-ins may in some cases, require a subscription based or one-off licensing fee. Whilst Karman Digital will make every effort to minimise ongoing maintenance costs, premium plug-ins will need to be updated outside of our update agreement, with any additional costs agreed by and passed onto the client.
Invoicing
Website hosting runs annually, paid in advance. An invoice will be sent automatically at the time of renewal. Should a client not wish for Karman Digital to renew the hosting service, we request a notice period of one month in advance of cessation along with details to where you would like the web files sent. If we do not hear such a request, it will be assumed that you do wish the web hosting to be renewed and are in agreement with the terms for the following year.
Should Karman Digital be informed after this months notice period, Karman Digital cannot be held liable for any delays caused in the transfer of hosting of your website to another server.
Definitions
- “Service” means any hosting or connectivity service offered by Karman Digital, including but not limited to Hosting Services or Dedicated Hosts, Support and Maintenance Agreements.
- “Customer”, “you”, “your” means you, the person or persons in whose name(s) a service is maintained by.
- “Technical contact” means a person or persons nominated by the Customer with whom Karman Digital can discuss all matters of a technical nature relating to the Service.
- “Working hours” means 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding English bank holidays.