How To Charge For Creating a Website
At this time in the semester, some of my students are asked to create a quote for a fictitious client.
I receive many emails asking “I don’t know how much to charge”.
Never tell someone that you charge $10/hour. Even if you make an ugly page that only the client likes, $10/hour is a slap in the face.
I have found that in the beginning, it is better to charge per page and page elements rather than per hour. You can later charge per hour when the client requests updates.
If you are building a static HTML, 5 page site with no Flash - it may be fair to charge $300. You are trying to build a portfolio and gain a little experience and a little extra cash at the same time.
In the beginning, it may take you 5 hours to figure out one little problem with your CSS - obviously, you cannot pass that charge to the client.
It is always a good idea to search and find out what others are charging for similar websites - and to see current salaries.
You can visit:
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/web-work-should-charge
Filed under: General
More important than how much to charge, is to make sure you use a contract. Especially if you’re starting out doing small, cheap $300ish websites.
If a client is not willing to pay much (or looking for a site on the cheap), it’s been my experience they have little regard for what it is you do (but not always). This is where you run into the “my nephew has Photoshop, why don’t I just pay him” stuff, and it’s very important to protect yourself with a written agreement you can go back to if the scope of project starts to make it more time than it’s worth.
When you explicity state what exactly it is you are providing for $300 (or whatever, my first website for a “client” was done for two cases of beer :)), and have your client sign off and accept your progress at verious stages during the processs, you have something to fall back on if the client becomes too demanding with unreasonable changes, or that they want something different. Or “we also just need a shopping cart and a photo gallery, but that’s pretty easy for you to just plug in right?”
Everyone gets burned, and most of us (myself included) learn this the hard way. And sadly even with contracts, you’ll still get burned. But at least you’ll have proof that you completed what was in the original agreement.
Being able to go back and ‘remind’ the client that for $300, we agreed on a home, about us, services and contact page with form. Additional pages are $75, and your signature is right here next to the design comp which you approved on Jan 18 of 2008. Changes to that approved design are $20/hour, you agreed to that right here (hey look, there’s your signature again!).
A good contract definately helps keep things from boiling over if they start to go south.
Brendan, Thank you very much. Would you ever consider coming in to speak to a group of students? I know it is a far drive.
Brendan will come in and speak. For a case of beer. he.
Don’t encourage her Nate, she clearly isn’t aware of my near-pants-wetting fear of public speaking.
And it’s two cases of beer.
Another good resource for finding out how much a website should cost:
http://wavestatic.com/blog/how-much-should-a-website-cost