Terms of Service – Next Step Marketing Smart Website


Last Updated: May 22, 2025

This Smart Websites Service Terms Addendum ("Addendum") governs your subscription to and use of the Next Step Smart Website platform and associated services (collectively, the "Smart Websites Service" or "Service") provided by NEXT STEP SITES LLC dba Next Step Marketing ("Next Step Sites," "Next Step Marketing," "NSS," "NSM," "we," "us," or "our").

This Addendum supplements the general Next Step Marketing Terms of Service (available at https://nextstepmarketing.net/terms-of-service/) ("General Terms"). By subscribing to or using the Smart Websites Service, you agree to be bound by both the General Terms and this Addendum. In the event of any conflict between the General Terms and this Addendum with respect to the Smart Websites Service, the terms of this Addendum shall prevail.

  1. Definitions
  2. "Service" or "Smart Websites Service": Refers to the "Next Step Smart Website" platform, also permissibly referred to as "Next Step CRM," including all features, tools, website templates, AI capabilities, automation, and support offered through our Pro and Ultimate subscription plans, as distinct from the general "Website" (https://nextstepmarketing.net/).
  3. "Platform": The underlying software and infrastructure, including white-labeled elements from third-party providers, used to deliver the Smart Websites Service.
  4. "Subscription": Your chosen plan for the Smart Websites Service.
  5. "User Content": Any content, data, information, or materials created, uploaded, submitted, or displayed by you or your end-users through the Smart Websites Service.
  6. "NSS Content": Any content, data, information, website templates (licensed by NSM), pre-built automation workflows, or materials provided by Next Step Marketing as part of the Smart Websites Service.
  7. Service Scope & User Responsibilities for Smart Websites Service
  8. DIY Setup: The Smart Websites Service is designed for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) setup by you, the User. NSS provides walkthroughs and guides to assist you. You acknowledge that these Platform processes may change over time, and while we strive to keep walkthroughs current, they may not always reflect the latest Platform updates. You are responsible for following the setup steps and configuring the Platform to meet your needs.
  9. Compliance: You are solely responsible for ensuring your use of the Smart Websites Service, including any User Content and communications (e.g., email and text messages), complies with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws and regulations, including but not limited to anti-spam laws (e.g., CAN-SPAM, TCPA), data privacy laws, and industry-specific regulations.
  10. Template Licensing: You are granted a license to use the website templates and associated media provided within the Smart Websites Service solely in connection with your use of the Service on our Platform. You may not extract, copy, transfer, or use these templates, designs, or media on any other platform or for any other purpose.
  11. User Obligations & Acceptable Use for Smart Websites Service
  12. In addition to the "Prohibited Uses" outlined in the General Terms, when using the Smart Websites Service, you specifically agree:
  13. To comply with all applicable local laws and regulations in your jurisdiction and the jurisdictions of your clients.
  14. Not to sell, trade, or misuse our proprietary information or the personal information of your clients or leads obtained through the Service, except as permitted by applicable law and your own privacy policy.
  15. That all information provided to NSS for your account and subscription is accurate and that you are authorized to represent the business entity under which you subscribe.
  16. Unacceptable Use: You shall not use the Smart Websites Service to create, store, or transmit:
  17. Any illegal content, pornographic material, or content to which you do not own the necessary rights.
  18. Content related to illegal drugs or substances. Content related to legal drugs or substances (e.g., cannabis where legal) requires a prior written exemption from NSS.
  19. You shall not resell or sublicense the Smart Websites Service without explicit written permission, attempt to reverse engineer any part of the Platform, or use the system to abuse, harass, or bully others.
  20. User Content Ownership: You own the User Content and custom workflows you create and input into the system. Next Step Marketing owns any NSM Content and pre-built workflows that we provide within the system.
  21. Data Backup: You are responsible for maintaining backups of User Content that can be exported from the Platform (e.g., client contact information, media). Certain Platform-specific configurations, websites built within the Platform's native builder, and automation workflows may not be independently backable by you. If you purchase a custom WordPress website upsell hosted by a third party, backups for that site are governed by that host's terms.
  22. Subscription Fees, Payments, Renewals, and Cancellation for Smart Websites Service
  23. Auto-Renewal: Your Smart Websites Subscription will automatically renew monthly on or about the same day of the month you initiated the Subscription, as per the General Terms, until cancelled.
  24. Failed Payments: If a recurring payment for your Smart Websites Subscription fails, your access to the Service may be suspended 48 hours after the failed payment. NSM reserves the right, upon such suspension, to post a publicly visible notice on any website hosted for you through the Service, indicating the suspension due to non-payment.
  25. Cancellation by User: You may cancel your Smart Websites Subscription by managing your account in the Stripe payment gateway or by emailing support@th9zthzw7v-staging.onrocket.site. The subscription will be set to not renew at the end of the current paid billing cycle. No refunds or credits will be issued for partial months of service, except as provided under the Money-Back Guarantee (Section 5). Access to the Service and your website will terminate on what would have been your next renewal date. You are responsible for exporting any desired User Content before this date. NSS will retain a copy of your account data for a minimum of 30 days post-termination, after which it may be deleted.
  26. 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
  27. NSS offers a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee applicable only to your first month's subscription fee for a new Smart Websites plan.
  28. To exercise this guarantee, you must email support@nextstepmarketing.net before your second month's subscription payment is charged, with sufficient notice for manual action, stating your intent. You should also cancel your subscription in the Stripe payment gateway to prevent subsequent charges.
  29. This guarantee does not apply to any usage charges incurred during the initial 30-day period beyond any nominal introductory amount of usage credits provided by NSS, nor to fees for any separate upsell services (e.g., custom design).
  30. Usage Fees for Metered Services
  31. While AI features within your Smart Websites plan are generally offered with unlimited use (Ultimate Plan only), certain services (e.g., SMS messaging, email marketing, telephony minutes) may include a standard monthly allowance of credits or sends ("Included Allowance").
  32. Your Included Allowance is added to your account wallet monthly but does not roll over if unused. You can view your wallet balance and charges in the Billing section of the Platform.
  33. Additional usage beyond your Included Allowance will be billed against your wallet. To cover this, your wallet may be automatically reloaded in increments (starting at $10) when your balance is low and usage occurs. Funds you pay to reload your wallet do roll over month-to-month.
  34. Upon cancellation, any remaining user-funded wallet balances under $10 may be refunded at NSS's discretion. User-funded wallet balances of $10 or more will be refunded upon request, less any outstanding charges.
  35. Current rates for additional usage are displayed as they are billed against your wallet. You can find indicative rates at nextstepmarketing.net/usage-rates (which may not always be perfectly up-to-date) or by requesting current rates from support@th9zthzw7v-staging.onrocket.site.
  36. Intellectual Property for Smart Websites Service
  37. Platform Ownership: The Smart Websites Service, the Platform, NSS Content, and all underlying technology (much of which is white-labeled and licensed by NSS from third-party providers) remain the exclusive property of Next Step Marketing and its licensors.
  38. User Content License: You grant NSS a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and display your User Content solely to the extent necessary to provide, maintain, and improve the Smart Websites Service for you.
  39. NSS Use of User Content for Marketing: NSS may use anonymized or aggregated data derived from your use of the Service for its own analytics and service improvement. NSS may also use generic examples or visual representations of your User Content (e.g., screenshots of your website design, examples of automation flows) to advertise NSS services in private or semi-private settings (e.g., one-on-one sales calls, webinars, internal training), provided no confidential information is disclosed. NSS may request your explicit permission to use your business logo in association with a review or testimonial you provide for publication on the NSS website or other public marketing materials.
  40. Custom Website Design: Ownership and licensing for any separately purchased Custom Website Design will be governed by a distinct written agreement.
  41. AI Features
  42. Your use of AI-powered features is subject to the terms of our underlying AI service providers (including GoHighLevel). Copyright and ownership of AI-generated content may be subject to these third-party terms, and you are responsible for compliance.
  43. Disclaimers: Standard disclaimers regarding the accuracy, uniqueness, or suitability of AI-generated content apply. You are responsible for reviewing and verifying all AI output.
  44. Acceptable Use: You shall not use AI features to generate harmful, misleading, or infringing content. Acceptable use is further governed by the policies of our third-party AI providers and Section 3 of these Terms.
  45. Support for Smart Websites Service
  46. Support for the Smart Websites Service will be provided by NSS "as able." While we strive to offer timely assistance, specific response times are not guaranteed unless outlined in a separate Service Level Agreement or as a defined feature of your specific subscription plan.
  47. Other Services & Separate Agreements
  48. Services such as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) management, human-driven ongoing SEO, comprehensive local business optimization services beyond standard Platform features, and fully custom website design projects are not included in standard Smart Websites Subscriptions and will be governed by separate agreements and their respective Terms of Service.
  49. Disclaimers and No Performance Guarantee for Smart Websites Service
  50. In addition to the "No Warranty on Purchases" and "No Warranty on Website" sections in the General Terms, NSS makes no guarantee regarding specific performance outcomes from using the Smart Websites Service. For example, AI-based SEO features may not directly or measurably improve search engine rankings, as these are influenced by numerous external factors beyond NSS's control.
  51. The Service may be subject to interruptions or downtime due to maintenance, updates, or issues with underlying third-party providers.
  52. Termination of Smart Websites Service by NSS
  53. NSS may suspend or terminate your Smart Websites Subscription and access to the Service for reasons including, but not limited to, breach of these Terms (including the General Terms and Acceptable Use Policies) or non-payment of fees. Termination for material breach or non-payment may occur without prior notice beyond the suspension period indicated for failed payments.
  54. Upon termination by NSS, your account will be suspended, and User Data will be kept in a frozen (inaccessible to you) state for a minimum of 30 days, after which it may be permanently deleted.
  55. Changes to Smart Websites Service Terms Addendum
  56. NSS reserves the right to modify this Addendum. Minor changes and clarifications may be made without direct notice by updating this Addendum webpage. For significant or material changes, NSS will endeavor to provide users with at least forty-five (45) days' notice via email or a prominent notice within the Platform. Your continued use of the Smart Websites Service after such modifications constitutes acceptance. This policy for changes to this Addendum may differ from the policy for changes to the General Terms.
  57. Dispute Resolution for Smart Websites Service
    For disputes arising specifically from your use of the Smart Websites Service or this Addendum:
  58. Informal Negotiation: The parties agree to first attempt to resolve any dispute informally.
  59. Mediation: If informal negotiation fails within thirty (30) days, mediation may be proposed.
  60. Binding Arbitration: If mediation is unsuccessful, any unresolved dispute shall be settled by binding arbitration in Texas, USA, with the costs of arbitration to be borne by the party initiating the complaint. This process will be used in lieu of court actions, including small claims court.
  61. This specific dispute resolution process for the Smart Websites Service may supplement or, where explicitly conflicting, take precedence over the dispute resolution clauses in the General Terms solely for matters pertaining to the Smart Websites Service.
  62. Privacy Policy Reference
    Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which can be found at         nextstepmarketing.net/privacy-policy/. The Privacy Policy details how we collect, use, and protect your personal information and is incorporated by reference into these Terms.
  63. Special Conditions (Account Transfers & NSM Service Cessation)
  64. Account Transfers:
  65. Transfer to Another Agency: A fee equal to twelve (12) times your then-current monthly Smart Websites Subscription fee applies.
  66. Transfer to Your Own Direct GoHighLevel Agency Account:
  67. If your GoHighLevel account was established under another agency's referral or without a referral code prior to NSS: a fee equal to twelve (12) times your then-current monthly fee applies prior to transfer.
  68. If you establish a new direct GoHighLevel agency account under NSS's referral code, or NSS creates and transfers your Smart Websites sub-account data to it for you: a fee equal to six (6) times your then-current monthly fee applies. This is subject to a claw-back provision: if this subaccount is transferred away and the new NSS referred agency account is cancelled within twelve (12) months, an additional fee equal to six (6) times your former NSS monthly fee becomes due.
  69. NSS Service Cessation or Mutual Parting: In the event NSS ceases its Smart Websites operations, or by mutual agreement to end the Service, NSS will facilitate the spin-off of your sub-account into a new, independent GoHighLevel account for you (or transfer to your existing direct agency account if applicable) without the above transfer fees, where technically feasible. You would then be responsible for direct GoHighLevel subscription fees.
  70. Contact Information
    For questions regarding this Smart Websites Service Terms Addendum, please contact:
    NEXT STEP SITES LLC
    Email:         support@nextstepmarketing.net
    Website:         nextstepmarketing.net