Web Design Pricing

[jim_genius5]

Hey guys!
I design static pages using HTML and CSS. My clients should be small business owners. I'm still not sure of how to charge my clients. I researched a little and found that the main way is charging an hourly rate. I found that the professional designer has an hourly rate of at least $50, but since I'm still starting off, I think my hourly rate should be somewhere between $10 and $15. I'd like to know how will I evaluate the hours needed for a specific project. Should I charge for extras (e.g. flash) separately? Will I have to take a payment in advance in order to start the project?

 

[ahk2chan]

I find that one good way to do that kind of research is to look at elance or rentacoder... at least you know what people are charging / agreeing on.

 

[CT-Matt]

I've experimented with several methods of pricing for my design over the years, and I've found that customers generally find one single price more comforting than an indefinite hourly rate. I have three different sticker prices at my website, with the option of requesting custom packages if the sticker packages are not suitable.

Working by using Quotes seems to work best. Put a "Request a quote" form on your website - people will send you an overview of their project, you evaluate the time you will invest and give them a set price. Sign the contract, design, and if the final profit comes out more or less than expected, adjust accordingly for the next job. In the web design business, you will learn the most through your mistakes / faulty judgments (I have).

 

[DesignMachine]

I've experimented with several methods of pricing for my design over the years, and I've found that customers generally find one single price more comforting than an indefinite hourly rate. I have three different sticker prices at my website, with the option of requesting custom packages if the sticker packages are not suitable.

What he said!
Its also a good idea to get at least 40% upfront in my experience.

 

[CotswoldD]

Hi
This is a hard subject that i am still struggling with. I have 3 sites for web design 2 in the UK and 1 in Spain. Now the pound is doing so poorly against the euro they are pretty much the same now. My sites do quite well on search engines. I only offer CMS website design. I grab any work i can get and i offer this.
10 page site, domain, 12 months hosting, all pages and images optimised, i guarentee at least a page 1 ranking on google for 1 search term on the site and will continue to optimise until i reach that rank. I will give 1 or 2 hours telephone tutorial on how to use the cms site, making changes etc. the site can be ecommerce, property, portfolio what ever. I would design a logo if needed, submit to search engines and start a link campaign. I charge £400 no hidden extras, then £50 per year there after for hosting

I wish i had more work, i will be looking at this, this new year and perhaps then i could increase my pricing.

regards pete