need an idea of how much to charge

[LBmtb]

I've gone through about 15 pages of threads looking and read a lot of good information.

I'm a college student who has a part time job and does the occasional website on the side. I've only had three paying website jobs so far and I'm not sure what to charge this next client.

I want to do by the hour, because last time I ended up doing a lot of extra revision work.

Should I go with 20/hour? 30/hour? Should I figure out how much I want to get paid in the end, then figure out how long it'll take me and figure out a per hour charge from that?

How do you present your offer or contract to the client in the beginning? Do you keep a log of when and for how long you work and present that to the client with the bill at the end?

[stuntdubl]

Great question that we've all been through...there have been some good insights in a few past threads:

Quick, what should I charge [webmasterworld.com]
For those charging less than $57 per hour [webmasterworld.com]

[LBmtb]

Thanks! :)

[johntabita]

Another option is what's known as value-based pricing, where the project's value is determined by what it's worth to the client. Suppose that a site will save or make the client $20,000 in the next year. Then say, $5,000 would be a good value, even if it only took you a few days to produce it.

Price is not necessarily a function of how much an item costs to produce. It's really a function of value to the buyer. To sell this way, you have to change your thinking from that of a contractor (someone who's paid to perform a task) to that of a consultant (someone who's paid to produce a result). Selling this way can be difficult to master (I'm still learning), but ultimately more rewarding, in my opinion.