Forum Moderators: mack
if you gonna sell existing sites,
then i think, there is a tool with which you can guess howmuch your site worths,
Hourly. Charging by the hour is fairest to both you and the client, because you're paid exactly for your effort. It avoids your getting screwed if the client wants a gazillion modifications and changes -- if they want that, they'll pay for it. If you do go with an hourly rate, then you need to give the client a *range* of how long it could take. That is, don't say, "about 5 hours", say, "3 to 10 hours, with 5 being typical -- it depends largely on how much you want me to change when I present things to you". As for how much to charge per hour, if you're starting out, anywhere from $20 to $50. As you gain more experience and skills you can charge more. As for how long it should take you to do the site -- only you know how fast you work. The fastest I've done a good page from scratch is half an hour. On the other end, I took 12 hours on a 2-page site where the client was very picky, and there was some programming to allow customers access to downloads.
Flat fee. Clients like this because there are no surprises about the cost. Webmasters like it less because unless they have a lengthy, specific contract, it can wind up being more work than they expected. As for how much to charge, figure how many hours you expect it to take, how much you want to make per hour, and then add 25 to 75% to allow for contingencies or room to negotiate.
Monthly. A website isn't like a box of envelopes, where the client doesn't need you again after you give them the site. Who's going to host the site? What happens when they need updates? Who's going to renew their domain? Who's going to set up new email addresses? You can sell your services as a package deal that includes everything -- design, registration, hosting, and monthly updates. You can charge a setup fee for the initial design and then a separate monthly maintenance fee, or just one single fee that includes everything. Give them some options, like, say $35/mo. for up to one hour/mo. of your time, or $60/mo. for up to 2 hours, hours don't roll over from month to month (use 'em or lose 'em). And throw it hosting and domain renewal.
Start high, and negotiation. No matter how you charge, you might consider asking for more than you want, because you can always come down. If a client balks, my favorite comeback is, "Okay, what do you think would be fair?" They're happy that I'll entertain their ideas, that I'm not so firm that I won't listen to them, and the way I ask indicates that I'm interested in fairness. If their counter is less money than I want, I won't just counter with a higher amount, I'll also throw in some other service to ease the pain. ("Okay, how about we split the different at $#*$! but I also do YYY?")
If you can't get as much as you want, then don't be afraid to charge peanuts as you build your business. Just work your way up. When I started I charged $10/mo. for all of the above with no setup fee. Yes, that includes building a small site, hosting, registration, updates, etc. As I got busier I kept raising my prices. Before I stopped taking new clients I was charging around $75/mo. or $200/hr.
