I've recently hired a new employee that will be helping me with design work as well as developing web pages. I didn't really want to go this way...however, my customers are requesting the "whole" package. So we are expanding into printing and now web page design as well. The new employee has this experience...however, I know nothing about it or how to price it. For those of you who are offering web page design....how do you begin your pricing etc. Your help would be appreciated.
Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
Here, the company that hosts my web site charges $65 per hour to build a site.. I don't know how much business they get, this town is "out in the boonies" as far as what a sign shop usually gets ($40 per hour).
Does your employee write source code, use software, or both? I'm making my own website right now, there's certainly some learning, but "if I can do it..." I'm just thinking that it might not hurt to know this stuff yourself.
Posted by Dan Antonelli (Member # 86) on :
Its hard to say what the work is worth without seeing concrete examples of what the employee has done.
We only charge per hour after a site is built, and our rates are: $85/hr for non-design changes (text, html edits) and $125/hr for design work, flash, etc.
Per page rates, in my opinion, are pointless and arbitrary way to price sites.
Posted by Jonathan Androsky (Member # 2806) on :
To expand a bit on what has already been said
I would think that you would charge your hourly rate plus a FAIR mark up. This assumes of course that you have an accurate idea of what your hourly rate NEEDS to be.
Mark Smith wrote a great article on determining hourly rates which can be found on the EstiMate web site. There is some neato-mosquito freeware that goes with it too.
Your fair mark up should include your intended profit as well as a bit of a cushion in case of unforeseen troubles.
Am I of any help?
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
Brenda,
Web Design is quite a tedious and time consuming venture. I don't think folks realize that going in. There will be a lot of time spent "discussing" (often to death) all the variables (and there are many) with the customer.
It's like brochure design, only more extensive usually.
We charge hourly on any revisions and changes also like Dan does, after a site is done.
I think the best ways to convey to your customer an idea on price, are as follows. Tell them your minimum up front, list some websites you've done for others and include the costs, as this will give them samples to see for the money they will be spending.(this you can do once you have some under your belt) and remember to tell them about upcharges for different things. Xtras include, flash, secure pages, sound, and larger amounts of photos, and any design charges you will have into graphics etc. Much will also depend on what they are giving you. Are they writing the copy, or are you? Will you be taking photos for them, or supplying stock photography, or will they supply those? If so, how will your recieve those photos? ... will you be scanning stuff in for them? Etc.
Like I said, lots of variables.
Our minimum when we first started doing webdesign was 1500.00, ... that quickly got upped to 2500. once I found out the time involved, and I've gone up again on that to 3200.00. This would be for a very basic 5 page site.
A web page is different than a web site. I call this a one page "web presence", and that can be priced according to time involved.
The brunt of the cost in a website or webpage is in the initial building of it's foundation ... Designing the "look" and the navigation, functionality... etc.
Good luck! It's not as easy as it seems. hahahaa.... even if Dan makes it look that way.
~nettie
Posted by Brenda Daley (Beaupit) (Member # 37) on :
Thanks guys! Some great advice! Your comments and info gives me a lot to think about. Do any of you include basic "changes" after the site is done in the original cost...or is this added on as they make the changes?
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Brenda
Also remember the style of language you are about to use. Html is one that is old programming. CSS "Cascading Style Sheets" is easier to read as well as finding your errors to make the Web Page run properly.
Pricing here is around the same $1500.00...5 pages with no artwork design (Cut and Paste and copy only)
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
Checkers
Posted by Brenda Daley (Beaupit) (Member # 37) on :
great resource website Checkers...thank you.
Posted by Joseph Diaz (Member # 5913) on :
What Janette said. After I show future clients other sites that I have done and an approximate price for those sites I also ask what their budget will be. Then I discuss with them what they can get with that budget. The more sites you do the more you will be able to really gauge how much the time and resources that you need to bill for web sites. I’m still trying to gauge my self. I get faster and better as I go but I still fear that my pricing isn’t right on, especially when it come to the time consuming full flash web sites. I would recommend having your employee develop your own site and keep track of the time and rescores involved. Use that information with your hourly web design rate and you can get a pretty decent starting point. And like Dan said don’t price web sites out by page it just doesn’t work that way. The time needed to develop a photo gallery is much greater than the time building lets say an about us page.
Good Luck
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
And once you have your own site built you get to field the "How much for a site like yours?" question, to which you will wince knowing that your own site has much more put into it than they could ever afford. Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
And don't start any web page with
"Welcome to our site"
Its just like starting a novel with "Once upon a time"
And don't forget that there are place from which you can wholesale sites. Yes there are website suppliers too. I stopped doing sites myself a few years ago after I found that resource.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)