webmaster wages

MSpringer said: "I am a student and I want to start a small website development firm and I am wondering...how much do I charge people and in what ratios/ways. I mean, like is it monthly? hourly? weekly? because I would mostly only be updating whenever my client would need to so I don't know what to charge."

tracepeople said: "fixed price. people won't buy thinking it could be $15/hr for ever. You'd need to come up with how much you expect to earn an hour and any resources that would need to be bought, and how long you expect to work on a standard project. i.e. $15/hr x 10 hours plus $50 expenses plus $30 advertsing per case (e.g. google adwords) = $230 per project. You have to be competitive in your pricing but don't go down too low. You'll still have advertising expenses ontop of that before you make a profit. do the same with how much it would cost you to update the website (no advertising costs to add on this time) $15/hr x 2hrs a month = $360/year. That was just a suggestion."

JamieSki said: "Good suggestions! Or you could also do as I do and charge for different packages... 1 page site: $xxxx 3 page site: $xxxx 8..... and so on. Maintenance fees of course will apply if you clients so desire. More detailed description for pricing on my website. Feel free to check it out and maybe get some ideas..."

F15.Com said: "You need to set different pricing for creating designs/sites and updating existing content . Dont' sell your services too cheap. Establish yourself a portfolio where people can see your previous work. Good Luck !"

MSpringer said: "see this link. Are these prices outrageous? [url]www.societyofhumanefriends.com/WEBSITE[/url] SPECIFICATIONS.doc thanks"

bytech said: "Competitive prices could kill your webdesign business. There is always someone willing to do it cheaper, and starting a bidding war is not wise. People are willing to pay good money for good value. Asking for $1,000 for some web work may sound like a lot, but just think how much so many companies already spend on something like employees. $1,000 is a drop in the bucket in such cases. Remember about perceived value. If something doesn't cost much, it probably isn't any good... most people believe that, and they are often right. Provide a timely service, and don't sell yourself short. If you have some skills that most other "webmasters" do not poses, You can easily get $50-75/hr. Judge how much a project will take timewise, multiply by your desired hourly wage. That is your low end price. Add 25% to that for the high end of the price. Give a price bracket. You'll find that many people conveniently forget to list all the tasks that need doing at the beginning of a project. Give yourself some room, and if you are being asked to do something not part of the original agreement be sure to remind the client that since this was not part of the original price estimate, the final cost will go up by $xx to $yy. Get some sort of written okay, even if it just Email. Pricing is probably more complex than much of the webdesign you'll do. Build some basic guidelines, and let each individual case determine the final details."

dillony said: "Send me their email address and I'll negoiate for you... ;) Like the suggestions mentioned above, you need to sit down with them and get an idea of exactly what they are wanting. Custom graphics, database driven, counter, how many pages, advertising, etc."

Neutron2k said: "personally i always just charge them what i feel like depending on what they want done. Sites that are dynamic and involve server scripting carry a lot more cost. I dont charge for individual pages, i charge just for the site template and the work that goes into. I keep hold of the copyright so the site has to have my name on it. If they want that gone and to own the entire thing instead of just leasing it they have to pay a lot more. at least thats how i would work if i was self employed."

JustArticles said: "I usually charge a design fee and then a monthly fee for maintenance and content. Since I also provide web content I usually work out a deal to provide web content on a regular basis on post to my client's blog on a regular basis. By selling them an SEO package including blog management you can ensure their success through good Internet marketing and when they start seeing results they will spread the news of your service."