Pricing?

hey there guys, new here so sorry if this is in the wrong section but thought it'd get more views here than the general chat thread.

anyway.
I'm a student from Australia currently studying interactive multimedia (websites and stuff)
and as a result i have been referred to a company who wish for me to build their website.

this is all fine and I'm quite comfortable with the design/coding part of the process however the client has asked me for a quote.
this is where I'm having trouble.
with no prior experience in actual paid work i have no idea how much to charge?

do i base it on an hourly rate and estimate how long it will take me or do i charge on a page by page basis?

i would have asked my teachers however I've just entered into a long month holidays.

any help you guys could provide would be truly appreciated.
and by the looks of this forum i think ill probably stick around

thanks again.

Hello and welcome to the forum,

Pricing may take a bit to get used to. My prices vary depending on the client's needs, but here is what I generally do (3 different options).

1. I gather all of the information first, and the features that they would want on the site. When making the quote, I'll put something like "Navigation Bar: 1 hour, Contact form: 2.5 hours. etc." I then add up all of the hours and charge $50 per hour. If they have a design or logo ready for you to get going, then that has to be factored in as well.

2. Since I've done so many sites, I can sometimes just recall how long similar sites have taken in the past, and I'll just charge a fee (I generally don't like going over $600 unless I have to because I hate 1099s).

3. If it's just a little static site, then I'd charge $150 for the general design of it, and $100 per page.


Since this is your first paid project, you will probably be putting in more hours than you think -- even though you might have already gave them a quote. There are learning curves to consider.

By the way, 9/10 times they will want to haggle you down a bit. Just tell them that you can't afford to provide your services for any less. They will likely come back to you once they realize that other design firms are charging a lot more.

I'd also recommend this book "How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul" It's all about how to be successful without having to charge minimum wage just to get business.
http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Designer-Without-Losing-Your/dp/1568985592

Hope this helps,

-Lou

thanks a lot for the help Lou really appreciate it.

i might have to pick myself up a copy of that book too looks quite interesting.
thanks again!
Michael.

Funny title, "without losing your soul", but its true. Clients always try to haggle because they don't know the work involved with putting something up on the internet. It's a long process of learning and you deserve every penny you charge.

Be confident, talk with authority and experience in the prices you give. Trust me, if you didn't have something valuable they wouldnt be going to you.

Take care

how about a site like this?

How much would a site like this cost?

https://doctorshcgdiet.com/

OSCommerce Store with Customized Template, Flash Header, Custom Navigation, 20+ Extra Pages, Modules install and setup, ect..

can anyone help me pls? I need to know how much a site like this would cost
https://doctorshcgdiet.com/

I rough estimate will work I just need a ballpark figure.

If you want to know how much a site costs, why don't you contact the company whose site it is and ask them.

In terms of pricing, firstly make sure you know exactly what they're after and then work out how long you think it will take. Then decide what you want to charge an hour and base the total price on how long your think you can complete it in.

I'd definitely contact as many companies with a detailed spec of what you want...

Get them to break down their costs to you so that you know exactly what you are paying for.

Just get a quote from other web design company. Then you can quote your price accordingly.

Charge what you think you deserve. If a site is going to take you a week to create then its no use charging £200, unless it helps you build up a portfolio or learn. Once you've done a few then you will get a better feel for what to charge. I don't focus on price but rather what can I offer and what is it worth to them. I find sole traders will spend between £300 and £800 generally but it all depends on what your offering. Be careful also not to agree to something that they end up calling you up everyday for weeks on end. £500 may have sounded good at the time but it won't when it takes over your life with a persistant client calling you everyday to 'quickly change something'