Legal

Terms of Service

Website-as-a-Service (WaaS) Agreement — Effective upon use of services.

Legal Agreement Effective upon use
Summary: CriticalWP provides a managed Website-as-a-Service (WaaS) platform — not a self-hosted product or transferable asset. Access is subscription-based and conditional. Clients control their content; CriticalWP controls the infrastructure, plugins, themes, and system architecture.

1. Service Model

CriticalWP provides a Website-as-a-Service (WaaS) platform. The service delivers a managed website system accessed via subscription only. This is not a product, license, or self-hosted software delivery. Access is conditional and revocable based on active subscription status.

2. Managed System Definition

Your website operates exclusively within the CriticalWP managed environment. Accordingly:

  • The website is not a standalone or transferable asset
  • The system is not portable, exportable as a functional environment, or self-hostable
  • All infrastructure, configuration, and runtime operations are managed by CriticalWP
  • Access is terminated when the subscription ends

Subscription plans are DIY (do-it-yourself) in nature. CriticalWP provides the managed infrastructure, licensed tools, and access to premium starter templates sufficient to build a complete professional website. The client is responsible for all website building, design customization, and content. No design, page building, or site construction services are included in any subscription plan.

3. Domain Names

Domain name registration is not included in any CriticalWP subscription plan. Clients are responsible for purchasing and maintaining their own domain name through a registrar of their choice (e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains).

To connect a domain to your CriticalWP-managed site, CriticalWP will provide the required DNS settings (nameservers or DNS records). The client has two options:

  • Self-implementation: The client logs into their domain registrar and updates the DNS settings using the records provided by CriticalWP. Instructions are provided; implementation is the client's responsibility.
  • Assisted implementation: The client opens a support ticket requesting DNS setup assistance. CriticalWP will coordinate with the client to complete the DNS configuration on their behalf. Response times follow standard support SLAs.

CriticalWP is not responsible for domain registration costs, renewal fees, domain expiration, or any downtime resulting from domain misconfiguration, expiration, or registrar-level issues outside the managed environment.

4. Email Services

Email hosting and email address provisioning are not included in any CriticalWP subscription plan. CriticalWP does not provide, manage, or support email accounts, inboxes, or email routing of any kind.

Clients requiring business email are responsible for selecting and subscribing to a third-party email provider. CriticalWP does not recommend or endorse specific email providers; however, commonly used options include Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

Once a client has established an email service independently, CriticalWP can assist with connecting that service to the client's domain by configuring the required DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC). To request this assistance, open a support ticket with your provider's DNS configuration details and CriticalWP will coordinate the setup on your behalf.

CriticalWP is not responsible for email deliverability, provider outages, account configuration, or any issues arising from third-party email platforms.

5. Platform Access Restrictions

CriticalWP does not provide access to underlying infrastructure. Clients are not provided:

  • FTP, SFTP, SSH, or any file-level server access
  • Hosting dashboards or infrastructure control panels
  • Database access or direct backend system access
  • Server configuration or deployment-level controls

All system operations occur within CriticalWP-managed interfaces only.

6. System Control & Changes

All plugins, themes, and system components are controlled by CriticalWP. Accordingly:

  • Clients may not install, activate, modify, or remove plugins or themes
  • Clients may not alter system architecture or design framework behavior
  • Clients may not introduce migration, cloning, or export mechanisms

All change requests must be submitted through support. CriticalWP has sole discretion to determine whether requested changes are implemented, modified, or declined to preserve system integrity, performance, and security. No entitlement exists to any specific tool, feature, plugin, or configuration.

7. Additional Tools & Plugin Offerings

CriticalWP may expand its managed platform over time by introducing new tools, plugins, or features to the standard stack. When new plugin offerings are made available:

  • Implementation is by request only. New tools are not automatically activated on existing sites. Clients must open a support ticket to request implementation.
  • CriticalWP does not migrate, convert, or restructure existing site data, content, or configurations to accommodate a newly available plugin. Any integration of new tools with existing content is the client's responsibility.
  • CriticalWP does not guarantee that new plugin offerings will be compatible with every existing site configuration. Compatibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
  • CriticalWP reserves the right to add, modify, or discontinue any tool or plugin offering at any time without prior notice.

8. Freelancer Directory

CriticalWP operates a Verified Freelancer Directory available to active subscribers who meet eligibility requirements. The following terms govern directory listings:

  • Listings are available exclusively to active CriticalWP subscribers. An active subscription is required to apply for and maintain a directory listing.
  • All applications are reviewed and approved at CriticalWP's sole discretion. Submission of an application does not guarantee listing approval.
  • If a subscriber's account is deactivated, cancelled, suspended, or terminated for any reason, their freelancer directory listing will be removed immediately without prior notice.
  • Reinstatement of a listing following account reactivation requires a new application and is subject to re-review and approval.
  • CriticalWP reserves the right to remove any listing at any time for violation of these Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, or at CriticalWP's discretion.
  • Directory listings are provided as a free benefit of an active subscription and confer no ownership rights, guaranteed visibility, or lead generation outcomes.

9. WooCommerce & Ecommerce Sites

CriticalWP offers a dedicated managed WooCommerce hosting environment for WordPress stores. The following terms apply specifically to clients on the managed WooCommerce plan:

  • Dedicated infrastructure: The managed WooCommerce plan includes a dedicated container environment and Cloudflare Enterprise CDN. Plan pricing is available on the managed WooCommerce page and is subject to change.
  • Scope of service: CriticalWP manages the hosting infrastructure and WordPress platform layer only. CriticalWP is not responsible for transactions, payment processing, order data, revenue outcomes, cart behavior, tax configuration, or payment gateway performance of any kind.
  • Store operations: The client is solely responsible for their store's legal compliance, payment gateway accounts, product listings, pricing, tax settings, and order fulfillment. CriticalWP has no visibility into or liability for store-level operations.
  • Migration: Migration of an existing WooCommerce store to the CriticalWP managed environment requires a separate flat-fee migration engagement. This fee is not included in the monthly plan rate. Migration pricing is provided at time of request. Because WooCommerce migrations require careful coordination to avoid missed transactions during cutover, clients must not initiate a migration without first contacting CriticalWP and receiving a confirmed migration plan.
  • Plugin compatibility: CriticalWP does not guarantee compatibility between the managed environment and all WooCommerce extensions, payment gateway plugins, or third-party integrations. Compatibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
  • Revenue and downtime: CriticalWP is not liable for revenue loss, missed transactions, or business interruption of any kind, including interruptions resulting from platform maintenance, infrastructure issues, or third-party service failures.

10. Prohibited System Actions

The following actions are strictly prohibited:

  • Attempting to replicate, clone, or export the website system
  • Using migration tools, backup tools, or extraction utilities for external deployment
  • Circumventing platform controls or managed restrictions
  • Attempting to reconstruct the system outside CriticalWP infrastructure

Any violation may result in immediate suspension or termination.

11. Hosting & Infrastructure Isolation

All hosting and infrastructure services are fully managed by CriticalWP. Clients are not provided and may not request:

  • Server-level access
  • File transfer protocols (FTP/SFTP)
  • Shell or command-line access (SSH)
  • Database-level access

The system is accessed only through approved managed interfaces.

12. Cancellation & Data Export

Upon cancellation, suspension, or termination:

  • Access to the managed system is immediately revoked
  • The website environment is deactivated
  • All managed services cease

Clients may request a data export consisting of raw files and database content only. Data exports are not functional websites, do not include configuration, design system, or operational setup, are not supported for deployment, reconstruction, or migration, and remain the sole responsibility of the client once delivered. CriticalWP has no obligation to support, rebuild, or validate exported data in external environments.

13. Data Retention & Deletion

CriticalWP retains system backups for 30 days following suspension or termination. After this period, all data, backups, and system files are permanently deleted and recovery is not possible under any circumstances.

14. Support Services

Subscription plans are DIY in nature. CriticalWP provides managed infrastructure, licensed tools, and premium starter templates sufficient to build a complete professional website. The client is responsible for all website building, design customization, and content.

Support is provided via support ticket and covers platform-related questions, technical guidance, and infrastructure issues. Our team is available to guide you through questions or issues you encounter while building and managing your site.

Support does not include:

  • Hands-on website building, design customization, or content creation
  • General development or custom feature expansion outside system scope
  • Third-party debugging beyond managed integrations
  • Reconstruction of external or exported environments

Premium starter template installation is available as a one-time add-on. Custom design services are available as a separate engagement outside the subscription. All support decisions are made at CriticalWP's discretion.

14a. Managed + Growth Plan — Content Updates & SEO

The Managed + Growth plan includes one (1) content update per month and local SEO setup. The following terms apply specifically to these inclusions:

Content Updates

Monthly content updates are limited in scope to simple text changes and image replacements. Specifically:

  • All content — text, copy, and information — must be provided by the client in final, ready-to-publish form. CriticalWP does not write, edit, or create content on the client's behalf.
  • All images must be provided by the client. The client is solely responsible for ensuring all images are properly licensed for commercial use and that no copyright or intellectual property rights are infringed.
  • CriticalWP does not recommend using images sourced from free stock image websites. Many free stock image platforms have terms of service that restrict or prohibit commercial use. The client assumes all liability for image licensing decisions.
  • Content updates that fall outside simple text or image changes — including layout modifications, new page builds, custom design work, or structural changes — are not included and will be scoped and quoted separately.
  • Unused monthly content updates do not roll over to subsequent months.

Local SEO Setup

Local SEO setup is a one-time configuration service performed using RankMath, a WordPress SEO plugin. This includes proper on-page SEO configuration — meta titles, meta descriptions, schema markup, and sitemap setup — within the managed WordPress environment.

  • SEO setup is limited to technical on-page configuration. It does not include content strategy, keyword research, link building, or ongoing SEO management unless separately agreed in writing.
  • No search ranking outcomes, traffic results, or business performance outcomes are guaranteed. Search engine rankings are determined by third-party platforms outside CriticalWP's control.
  • CriticalWP is not responsible for changes to search engine algorithms, ranking fluctuations, or any business impact resulting from SEO configuration.

15. Third-Party Services

The platform may rely on third-party providers. CriticalWP is not responsible for:

  • Third-party outages or service disruptions
  • Changes to third-party tools, pricing, or availability
  • Failures or limitations of external integrations

16. Performance & Outcomes

CriticalWP provides a managed technical environment focused on stability, performance, and foundational SEO. No guarantees are made regarding:

  • Search rankings
  • Traffic, conversions, or revenue outcomes
  • Uninterrupted or error-free operation

All services are provided on a managed best-effort basis.

17. Billing & Access

Subscription fees are required to maintain access to the platform. Failure to maintain payment may result in suspension or termination of services.

18. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, CriticalWP's total liability is limited to fees paid in the preceding 90 days. CriticalWP is not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages, including but not limited to:

  • Loss of revenue or profits
  • Loss of data
  • Business interruption
  • Reputational harm
  • Issues caused by third-party systems or client actions

Services are provided "as is" within a managed system framework.

19. Termination

CriticalWP may suspend or terminate access immediately for:

  • Non-payment
  • Misuse or abuse of the system
  • Violation of these Terms
  • Illegal or harmful activity

Clients may cancel at any time, with access continuing until the end of the billing period.

20. Legal Framework

These Terms are governed by the laws of Texas, United States. Disputes are resolved via binding arbitration in Austin, Texas. Where applicable, parties agree to attempt mediation prior to arbitration.

21. Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between the Client and CriticalWP and supersede any prior communications or representations.

22. Contact

CriticalWP
Austin, TX
https://criticalwp.com/
(512) 522-9008