Charge by the hour or by the page?

[JakeFrederick]

Just wondering how you all are charging, hourly or by the page. Seems that most people in my area are charging by the page, so I'm assuming that's the way I should go...

[Marcia]

Jake, some people also charge by the total project, which can be handy in some cases. To a degree, it can depend on whether you're talking about straight design, SEO only, or a combination or integration of the two.

With design it's "page or hourly" or by project, and with SEO it can also be by page, hourly or total project, or by keyword.

Or content development in some cases. There's a whole different can of worms that gets opened in the case of writing content for a site - several issues come into play in this area.

The problem I've come across with charging by site size or by page when optimization was also done is that I may contract for a certain number of pages, but then, during the site construction process, decide that a product (or subject) is very worthy of a page of its own, for optimization purposes. It takes a volume of time to explain this to a client, which we may not want to do, neither may we want to hit them with an additional charge at a particular time. Do we leave it alone, request additional funds and take the time to explain it all, or give them the extra page(s) as a gift?

I have, as a matter of fact, given extra pages, and most of them ranked quite nicely for the individual keywords. But I can tell you honestly that my efforts were not *appreciated* and were a lot of extra work. I'm not about to make a habit of that, because it's not only the additional pages, it can be a hassle to set up all the proper in-site linkage, as well as doing more keyword research and writing. It's great for getting the site rankings, but not so good for me if I'm not charging or being compensated for it.

There's a lot more to the issue you've raised, particularly when it comes to SEO and content development as opposed to straight design, but my thinking at this point is that it's best to charge by the page or the project, for the design alone, and do the SEO for the site as a separate value-added service, with a different pricing structure.

Jake, are you talking about straight design work, SEO, or doing both on the same site? That makes a big difference.

[txbakers]

I need to ask: what is SEO?

I prefer to charge by the project. That way I get free rein over the final design. If I need an extra page I just do it.

I also charge for maintenance of a site. Generally it's a flat fee $50 - $75 month to update a schedule, add a banner link, etc.

Now I'm starting a web hosting service, and pricing that will be easier for sure.

[grnidone]

SEO = Search Engine Optimization or optimizing pages to rank well with search engines.

;)

The problem with charging by the page is that you'll have people who won't want to pay for more pages even if more, smaller pages are a better idea.

-G

[Marshall]

Jake,

I have to agree with Marcia on this one. My background is in technical theater - over 20 years as a scenic designer and builder. I've been designing webs for about three years. I charge the same way I charge for designing a set: a flat fee for the "artistic" aspect; either a per page and/or per hour fee for the building of the site; and an hourly fee for the SEO. However, I adjust my fees depending if the organization is commercial, educational, non-profit and so on.

One thing I strongly suggest is get some money up front as well as have an iron-clad contract. I designed a site for a company and when I put it up for them to look at, they swiped it. Fortunately, I had filed for a copyright on the design, but am still waiting for the certificate. When I get it, hello lawsuit, both civil and criminal as they changed my copyright information. Shame, shame. And if possible, try to put an invisible watermark on your graphics and print a hard copy with the date you created it just in case someone does swipe it. Can't be too careful.

[Marcia]

>get some money up front

Well, let me ask something else that's pertinent. Most people do expect to put up an initial deposit and pay in full when work is done. But it seems the "norm" for updates and provisional type work is generally - do the work, and then bill for it.

This billing after the fact involves a considerable amount of risk on the part of the service provider. What's the best way to go about receiving payment (at least partial) in advance with site updates, or for services that will strictly be by the hour, like what I consider provisional work, that's only a certain amount to be done, generally charged hourly or stricly by the page. Is it best to have a specific, separate contract for updates and continued maintenance (and provisional work), or to write the terms into the original contract?

[dwedeking]

We usually do a deposit before work starts and then full payment upon completion. The monthly work and minor updates we bill on a monthly basis. Yes there is risk involved in billing these services but since they will probably want services next month you have some leverage. This is where screening your clients pays off.

[Marshall]

Billing for services when rendered can be tricky especially when this business is so global. Yes, if they want your service next month, that does provide you with some leverage. I found that reminding them that you have access to their root directory is also good leverage. My contracts include a provision that if payment is not received with 15 days of the due date, I can go and delete the work as well as complain to the ISP or Hosting service that they stole my work and would include them in any lawsuit if they don't shut them down. Granted, this is extreme, but it is effective. And don't forget to include the jurisdiction where all legal matters will be dealt with - your own local courts - so you don't have to chase around the world.