KA_Curtis - 8:50 pm on Mar 16, 2003 (gmt 0)

about a week ago I stopped by to read some new posts here, and I have to say that I went away angry with the assumption by a few of the people's comments about "any designer that charges by the page is "ripping off" their clients."

I've worked with what I consider a lot of clients, some paying and some pro bono, and there is one constant; no means to estimate the creation of a website is perfect. Maybe those who create a template for the index page, and then paste copy into subsequent pages without tweaking, creating graphics, modifying a dozen pages when the client decides that they "want to go with a lighter blue" are ripping off the client, but if the designer treats each page as a separate element then as far as I can tell there is need of a constant, understandable pricing guide. Pricing by page is the way that is the fairest, and the most understood by the client.

Do you charge by the hour? If you are new to designing, then charging by the hour is ripping off the client. Do you expect them to pay for your lack of experience? Do you require an estimate? How many times do potential clients leave your site and go to a competitor's site because they don't want to e-mail you for a quote? Have you ever had a client that decides, they want a "history", and an "about us" page when they originally decided on just the "about us?" Do you renegotiate the whole contract to include the extra amount, or do you say, "that will be an extra $xx per the contract? If you believe that a per page price is "criminal" then do you say. "Okay, it's $3.00 since it will only take me 10 minutes?" Probably not. But if you do, I'd like to out-source some of my work to you. "I'd like 10 pages at $3 a piece." Or is it free because it's part of the site you bid on? It's obvious to me that if it's spelled out, that each page costs "x" then they know up front that adding an extra page will cost them "x."

When I price, I charge on a sliding downward scale starting with the index (x), pages 2-4(y), pages 5-10 (z), and 11-? (requires estimate). I also include packages that save the client even more. Each package is spelled out with the amount of scripting included and length of upkeep for their new site. I believe this is the fairest method. It compensates me for smaller sites that require the same amount of time to construct the general layout, It compensates the client who may have more pages. But most of all it is understandable, and verifiable to everyone involved.

I apologize if this post turned out to be a rant, but there are some on this board that should think before they start typing. I charge per page, and I don't consider myself "ripping off" my clients.