(Damn it, I just wrote a huge long reply to this thread, and then accidentally closed off the window halfway! Dontcha just hate that?! Anyways, take two then...)
Kiko,
Pay rates for internet services, whatever area you're looking into, vary drastically depending on countless factors, from the person's skills and qualifications and the complexity of work required, right down to seemingly trivial things like how the client gets in touch with the contractor, and how big their ego is. Quality/quantity of work aside, the rates can vary so dramatically for the exact same piece of work between two different contractors that it's almost impossible to gauge what an "industry standard" rate of pay would be for any given task.
That said, one of the most important parts of trying to sell any service on the internet, is being able to provide an example of your work in a portfolio that prospective clients can see. Ideally, you really should be able to show at least one or two examples of each seperate type of service you intend to offer, ie. web logos, rendered graphics, webpage design, programming, etc. If you haven't got any formal contracts to your name yet, it's okay to create these things purely for the sake of your portfolio - most prospective clients are going to want to see that you're capable of doing the work, not how many big name companies you've done it for in the past. When you're freelancing, it's your talents and skills that count, not your education and work history like in the rat race.
Also, it should be noted that especially if one of your services is going to be basic web design, your website itself will be your biggest selling point - it really won't matter how many brilliant looking web pages you have in your portfolio if the actual site you're showcasing them on looks like something you banged together in five minutes in MS Frontpage! =) Obviously your main site will be the first thing a visiting potential client will see, so you have to grab them right from the get-go.
Now, back to the pricing issue. I've worked on all sides of the private contracting game in my time - I've contracted out my own skills to clients, I've worked as a liason/escrow between contractors and clients, and I've hired contractors for my own jobs. I can say with authority that there really is no way to ascertain how much you should charge (or pay), because, like most anything in life, design work is only worth as much as somebody is willing to pay for it. I can tell you though, what I currently pay for various outsourced services, which may help give you an idea of what some of your competition is charging:-
Complex graphic design/digital art: USD$22.50 / CAD$27.00 / GBP£13.00 per hour
Web programming (PHP, PERL, Java, etc.): USD$16.00 / CAD$19.00 / GBP£9.00 per hour
Simple website logos: USD$25.00 / CAD$30.00 / GBP£14.00 flat rate per logo
Basic web design (HTML, Javascript): I currently do my basic web design work myself rather than outsourcing, but would not pay much more than about USD$12.00 / CAD$14.50 / GBP£7.00 per hour for it if I did.
These figures are rounded off for convenience, since I pay my contractors in varying currencies depending on their geographic location, but that gives you some idea. It should be noted though that because I have agreements/negotations of ongoing work with most of my contractors, I pay slightly cheaper than what they'd normally charge, because they have an assurance on my loyalty to them for ongoing work. This is quite common in the industry - many contractors have one rate for once-off jobs, and a discounted rate for their "regular clients".
Mind you, it should be known that I have several associates who are freelance web designers/coders, and some of them are charging up to USD$55.00 / CAD$65.00 / GBP£31.00 per hour for web design, regardless of whether the job is a three-page HTML website, or a hugely complex PHP/ASP/ColdFusion dynamic database driven web project - and they don't have any shortage of work, even at those insane prices. I also have colleagues who only hire Indian or Asian designers/coders for their work, as these people often charge as little as USD$3.50 / CAD$4.00 / GBP£2.00 per hour, and while I personally would never use these kinds of services, the people I know that do are usually fairly happy with the quality of work. So it just goes to show how starkly contrasting the pay rates can be - there's really no set system to it whatsoever.
My advice to you though? If you're just starting out, keep your prices as low as you can comfortable justify to yourself for the level of effort you're putting into your work. As you start building up a stronger portfolio, a bigger clientele base, and can put more money into marketing/promoting your services, you can then start raising your prices, and keep raising them until you find your workload decreasing as a result. Then find a happy medium somewhere in the middle where you find people are willing to pay that price for your work, but you're still making a comfortable profit on your effort, and stick with that price. Like anything you sell, a little trial and error is truly the best way to find your perfect sale price. =)
Hope this info has been of some use to you. Best of luck entering the big world of freelance web entrepreneurs, and I look forward to seeing your portfolio - I'm always keeping an eye out for new talent! =)
