Pricing Guidelines

[scribble]

Hello,

Does anyone know of a reputable site that gives reference information on how much web designers should charge per page?

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[choster]

I don't, but what's more I don't think such a list would be available unless it were a study undertaken by a business consultancy, for a fee. You need to establish certain assumptions about what makes a web designer "reputable" and how to survey their fees, otherwise there are simply too many variables that factor into the cost:

- cost of living and cost of doing business in the designer's and the client's locales
- total amount and overall quality of work done
- types of technology required for the site, such as database integration or credit card processing
- types of skills utilized in building a site, such as graphic design or programming
- skill level of the designer
- experience level of the designer in web technologies
- experience level of the designer in designing sites specific to the industry niche
- client's size and business needs
- client's level of sophistication in his/her industry, in the web industry, and with technology
- client's preferences with regard to industry or social background, geographic location, or other marginal considerations
- business model, e.g. site template packages or hourly rate
- costs passed through to the client, such as a preferred hosting or shopping cart provider
- etc.

More than a few sites are built for free; any high school intern can build a simple business card site in a few days. On the other hand, high-end design shops may charge hundreds of dollars an hour.

[puppetmaster]

There are to many factors to figure out a set price. Your best bet is to look on the net for (website prices). Look at what others are charging and factor in your skills and come up with your own price (it's a learning process). You can also do a search on this site on past post, but I don't think you will find much of an answer.

[scribble]

Thank you both for your replies. I understand the variables but I was hoping there were some guidelines out there. We have the Graphic Artists Guild handbook, but that information is a bit dated.

I just spent the last hour or so searching for information on the web but no luck.

Thanks anyway.

[ShepMode]

Charge per page? That sounds ridiculous to me. I charge per hour of my time and it works out great.

[Travoli]

Agreed that time per hour sounds more fair to yourself.

[southarkwright]

Go with the per hour. It’s fairest not only to you, but the client also.

[rossH]

Make your estimates and billing by the hour, and set different hourly rates per function. Break the scope of the job into its various tasks. This makes it all tangible to you and the client, and it allows you to bring other people in (or to act as if you have a team on it)

e.g.

coding 10 hours at (perhaps, let's say) 60.00 per hour
scripting 4 hours at (ditto) 90.00 p.h.
graphic design 8 hours at (ditto) 85.00 p.h
scanning 6 hours at (ditto) 40.00 p.h

This way, when the client changes the specs, or wants additional afterwards, or the job becomes smaller, it's simpler to point out "you can have it, but it will take another 4 hours of studio time", or "reducing the pages reduces the coding, but it requires more design work"

etc... use your own numbers