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Pricing for website


Guest James Wright

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Guest James Wright

Hello All,

 

Firstly, I believed this was probably the best place for my posting, but apoligies if i've posted this in a incorrect section & also sorry for the long post, but I figure more detail is better. In short I have two web projects and I would love some advice on what I should charge. I've checked the forum's and come across one or two posts which I looked at, but still I'm feeling a little in the dark...

 

As I believe experience is a big part of how much to charge this is where I'm at. I have just finished a film degree and to date I've worked on three websites and I would like to think that I've steadily made my coding abilities/use of wordpress plugins etc, has got better over time. In order of when they were made here are the sites; www.outofofficefilms.co.uk , www.jameswrightonline.co.uk , www.rushesmagazine.co.uk

 

Back to my problem; The first project I have been given is for a online website for a ba journalism course at the university I graduated from. As part of the site they will need roughly 25 pages set up with pre prepared content (supplied by them) and the majority of this is for various details on lecturers and showcasing past work etc. As well as this they want to employ a few other elements such as integrated videos/slideshows, newsletter signup, listenable radio broadcasts/ archive of older broadcasts and a forum for current and past alumni.

 

I've convinced them to go with a premium wordpress theme from Solostream, so hopefully the sites structure and layout should be relatively simple to manage. It was suggested by another lecturer on my course that I should charge roughly £10ph and I believe I can have the finished within 2 weeks. This would work out at roughly £900. Do people believe that given my experience and the job spec this is fair or am I under/overcharging myself? As someone with zero knowledge of web design as a career i'm a little in the dark to be honest.

 

 

The second project/problem is to do with the third site I have run and managed above (www.rushesmagazine.co.uk). Impressed with the site my course leader has asked me to keep the site running over summer so it don't go flat before the next year take over in October. Given I designed the site on top of writing my dissertation and other course projects I'm happy with it, but I concede their are many aspects which could be greatly improved, especially because i find the chosen theme waste's a lot of space. Therefore, I've again convinced them to go with another solostream theme to improve the sites overall structure.

 

With this project I'll be expected to not only redesign the site to the new theme, but also to continue my role as website editor, which means editing all incoming reviews/features/interviews content as well as putting it all online and liasing with film PR to receive DVD check discs etc. again I was thinking of charging the same £10ph rate. Again am I under or overselling myself?

 

While I understand that there is no exact science to this, it might be handy (assuming people can) if anyone could offer some ballpark figures of what they think the job is worth, so that when I meet to discuss how much I want for these roles I can say, 'well these people would charge this much, but I'm doing it for X'.

 

Again sorry for my longwinded post, Thankyou to anyone and everyone who've taken time to read my post and even more so to those who reply.

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Calculate what you are worth or what you think is fair based on your past experience with other projects.

 

'Project Cost' divide by 'Project Time' equals 'Your hourly worth'

 

If that number is too low and you are providing good work for clients then by all means charge what you think your time is worth that is fair especially if you are in demand.

 

Otherwise, it's really hard to put a number on it because every project is different and so some will charge hourly while others charge a based price for each project with additional cost for any whistles and bells the client would like to add. Also keep in mind the cost of living as well. A person living in Fort Worth will have less living expenses than those living in L.A or N.Y.

Edited by newseed
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As Newseed said, what you charge really depends on a huge number of factors:

 

-- budget of client

-- your own experience/skill with the things they are asking you to do (I usually charge more for things I am more experienced with, and less for things that I don't know so well or that require little experience like website maintenance)

-- difficulty/time involved in project

-- the project timeline. If it's a rush job and may impact your health/family life , charging more for it (though being upfront with the client about that) seems fair

-- how easy you think it may be to deal with the client (difficult clients mean more time spent on project management)

-- cost of living in your area

-- any past experience with underbidding/overbidding on a project

 

I would probably start by figuring out what is the least you can charge and still be happy with the project -- there's nothing worse than underbidding on a project and regretting it the entire time. Then work from there based on the other factors and the client's own expectations. My impression is that 10 an hour (I think that comes out to about $15 USD an hour) is a bit on the low side, but again, it's hard to tell since I don't live in your area.

 

You might consider posting this question on the Boagworld Forums (http://boagworld.com/forum/) since they are UK based and may be able to give you a bit more UK specific advice.

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As you hear, this is not easily answered.

 

First we can not discuss prices as we are all web developers... much like you do not want the oil companies sitting down and discussing the cost of gas and setting something up together.

 

Also from my experience you have to make it clear if they are paying for time or a finished product. I had a customer who ran a business renting apartments as well as a business refurbishing apartments and houses. I wanted to charge him for a finish custom made product. He wanted to pay my the hour, so he took my price and broke it in to hours and then cost per hour and found it outlandish. We never came to an agreement as I would not work for 25 Euro the hour.

 

So be sure what your selling, your product or your time. When you buy a car is the cost decided by the number of employees it takes to build it and how much they make an hour? Do you by art based on how many hours it took to paint it? A Framed photo based on how long the frame took and how long it took to push the shutter release?

 

I feel we sell a custom made service/product, so the pay should be accordingly set. If they just want a throw together, premade template on a CMS base, then charge per hour.

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'Project Cost' divide by 'Project Time' equals 'Your hourly worth'

Some tips on how ever you look at it, determining your price is a difficult task. Here are nine factors to take into consideration:

 

1. Your Costs

2. Your Profit

3. Market Demand

4. Industry Standards

5. Skill level

6. Experience

7. Your Business Strategy

8. Your Service

9. Who is Your Client

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