How Much Should You Charge for Website Design?
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
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How much should you charge when creating a website for a client? In today's video, we will discuss relevant topics about website price such as:
- Why you shouldn't charge by the hour
- Why you shouldn't list your prices on your website
- Why competing on the lowest price will bring you lower quality clients
- How to accurately quote a project
- How to determine the value of a website to your client depending on their type of business
- Why you will actually work harder and create a better end-product with premium pricing
- Whether it's best to build a website completely custom or use a pre-designed template
- Why productizing your website services is a great strategy
- How you can create a basic business website package at a premium price
- Why you should accept payments for a website project before doing any work up-front
- Why you want to broaden your skills outside of web design and offer other services that you can charge for
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This story is common - you learn web design by building your own website. A friend or family member notices. Eventually, they ask you to make a website for them. Your first thought is - how much do I charge for a website?
If they don’t expect you to work for free (which is common), their first thought is similar - how much does a website cost?
It’s natural to go one step further and wonder… how much money can I make by selling websites to local businesses? Is web design freelancing an option to generate a side-income?
The answer is YES - but what you charge depends on many factors!
You could find a number of people to create a website for you, anywhere from free (with upselling) to $10,000 depending on the project and complexity.
Having said that, I recommend two things:
DO NOT Charge Per Hour - Think about your hourly rate, but do everything you can to charge by project instead of per hour. The reason for that is simple. When a client hears our project price they know what they are going to pay in advance. It gives them a reference point that they can wrap their head around. On the other hand with an hourly rate, you may do the work upfront and then send an invoice, but if it wasn’t clear how long it would take, they may have “sticker shock”. And obviously over time, you’re going to get better at whatever you’re doing, so you shouldn’t get compensated less when you become more efficient per hour.
DO NOT List Your Prices - People will inevitably go on your website to see what they are in for. But don’t tell them. It could be a one-page brochure website, you might need to setup an e-mail signup form with an auto-responder sequence, you may need to do advanced tracking, you may be working on an e-commerce website selling physical products. Bottom line, it’s best to have a conversation with your potential client before giving them a price range. That way, you understand what work you have to perform before launching the website.
An exception to this is a fixed monthly service (for $99 or $149/month) where you standardize your offerings. In this case, you may want them to sign-up online instead of calling for a custom consultation. If you’re going down that route, be extremely specific with what comes in each monthly package.
Another quote that really does ring true is “cheap prices = cheap customers”.
The less you charge, the more your client will attempt to take advantage of you. Psychologically it is weird because the more you pay for something, the more you value it and the less you complain.
So if you have a cheap price, people are going to see how much they can squeeze out of you. Whereas if you price yourself at a premium level, you’ll have more leeway to over-deliver and provide the “wow” factor to please your client.
This can be a hard concept to really let sink in, and even harder to implement. You may need to tap into your personal network for the first couple jobs to build your portfolio before you feel comfortable asking for a higher rate or price.
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Love your down to earth approach on teaching about website building. I can tell you know your stuff and you're enjoyable to listen to!
Great video. I agree with everything you're saying. As far as dealing with the low paying clients, they're usually the worst ones to have around. They will expect you to make them a millionaire from their $500 "investment" on a website and then call you several times a day to help them with something else completely unrelated to the website, like setting up their email or removing viruses from their computer "real quick".
Lol, this is so accurate, have heard every word of this!
This is top quality thanks mate you've got a new sub!!
Thanks so much for this video Ray. You cover this difficult topic in a very real and easy to understand way. I’m now a subscriber.
Much appreciated, Russ. Thank you for watching!
you deliver huge value man. love it!
Ray, you have good insight. I say on my videos that the price depends on the web design proposal and some clients will pay more than others for the same service. It all depends on what they are will to pay as you mentioned in this video.
One of the best videos about freelancing in wordpress, great video and your blog post about the topic!
hope you can continue creating more videos
I bought your book on amazon by the way.
Thank you for the kind words and reaching out. I'm preparing to do another long tutorial building a full website. Hopefully will have it uploaded within a few weeks!
thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! :)
100% right excellent, I have a construction business these same rules of pricing apply,
even if clients receiving estimates dont understand why prices are different
Excellent video, very well put together and informative. Thanks Ray!
Appreciate it - thank you for watching!
Great video! This helped me with getting the business side of web design. Suggestion: Help talk about fair pricing with non-profit organizations such as HOAs for neighborhoods and churches, as well as the importance of SEO.
+1 subscriber!!!
I just watched a youtuber that said it was so easy to do websites for 500 a day lol. umm.. listening to your video is so refreshing. You are extremely correct on all points. It takes time and effort and businesses are not going to sit there and let you build a 500 dollar website and not have a ton of changes that will drive you crazy...I know this because I stopped doing them for that reason lol and couldn't take client frustration and the design aspect. Now I've started back up after some years and realize why I stopped.
Yes, those challenges are real and it's inevitable that if you work with 10 people, you will have 5 average ones, 2 great clients and 3 pain-in-the-asses haha. The goal is to refine your strategy - both the types of clients you go after, and also your boundaries/processes to eliminate as much of the BS as possible. For a certain personality, dealing with people isn't that bad. I'm an introvert, so I keep it to a minimum, but I always want to help so my rule of thumb is if it's a quick 10-15 minute fix, I'll do it. Anything more and I'll think about how to deal with the situation and how to communicate. Another reason why I prefer email over phone, because my first draft is usually aggressive, and I tone it done with each pass, lol. Most of the time, there is no need to bring anger or tension into the equation because enough of it will come from the client.
Your video is very helpful. your voice is clear and easy to understand. Hope you can make a video of ideas on how to reach customer. thanks :)
Very nice video, thanks.
Excellent video
This is great advice.
Nicely explained video. 50% upfront and 50% after launch is a good pricing method. Also I think, 50-25-25 can also be tried since that would make things more safe.
Awesome!
Thank you for the advice. I'm more on the web development side, but still good information.
Nice, I still enjoy getting involved with code. The business side is so different, much less straightforward than development or design for sure!
The list of deliverables is extremely important like Ray says. I have had clients do exactly what he said stating that they need a "Forgot Password" page or "About Us" page and they will say "Oh, we thought it was included since some users will forget their password." I agree with them that users will forget their password, but explain that they did not want that page when offered and it will cost more. I always refer back to my deliverable list. Another thing they will try to sneak into your requirements is changes to pages they asked for. For example, they may say they want to store a User Name and Password for users upon registration, so you will quote a price on that. Then they will come in later and ask for several other fields and even split registration into sub-categories with drop-downs and different options that you just did not quote them for. So, your say 2 hour page you quoted for 4 hours (double the time) now took 40 hours. Clients can be very tricky, they will ask for minor alterations bit by bit that may take you 30 minutes or so to do that you just give in and agree to add it for free, but they will keep asking until all of a sudden you spent 10+ hours on this page designing it over and over to make them happy. You need to not be afraid to tell clients no, or yes, but that will cost extra. Clients will typically abandon the idea if you tell them it will increase the cost and will revert back to their original deliverable they asked for.
Totally agree! You both need to have a clear set of expectations, say "no" when something is completely out of the scope of those expectations. This is why I've enjoyed working with business owners who are far away from the online/computer world - they don't have these absurd requests because they literally don't think about them. The bottom line is that dealing with clients is more art than science because humans are complicated creatures! The balance is saying "yes" to things that aren't time-consuming to build the relationship (and long-term value), and saying "no" when you know they are overstepping their bounds on a minor task that wasn't previously agreed upon.
Why would a "Forgot Password" or "About Us" page cost any more? That just sounds like bad business. Every site I make includes an "About Us". Do I fill it in for them? No, but I definitely add it. Are you expecting your customers to have an account? Okay, let's build the entire structure for that.
I take the approach that you should NEVER assume what the client wants. Clients sometimes get pissed if you put in things they didn't ask for and feel you charged them for it.
Good point. I'm working in digital agency and clients additional request are a frequent case.
Explaining that it will cost more without fearing client's reaction is something we all should learn. In alternative, try charging per hour ;)
Hi Ray, its a very interesting video and so down to basics, thank you for sharing ;)
Thank You.
Hi, love the content your putting out, keep up the great work. But I notice when I went to your site and entered my email to download the “ 15 tools to start a web design business” and “web design client questions”, I never received a link to download, I’ve checked my junk mail.
Great points Ray, but if you list out what is included and say something anything else that is requested that isn't included will be billed as an extra at say $60 per hour? should cover all bases and just mention this every time they want to sneak something else in?
This is the best website charging video I have seen out of 10 so far! Please tell me more about charging people monthly or yearly for hosting or even paying for their domain. How does that work?
Please check out my website - websiteprofitcourse.com/plan/
Your video is so helpful. Thank you so much for uploading this video for us morons. I want to shake your hand sir
Clients that don't answer their mails anymore after delivery, i could kill them LOL!
You can tell a lot about a client based on how long it takes them to respond. There is a "sweet spot"... many are busy but there is no excuse to not get back to you within 48 hours!
Awesome video, so much details. thanks
well, me getting around $2 per hour. Although 99% client praise the work but when i ask more. I don't get that project
almost 6 years now, tried everything than decided to go for $2/hour and sometimes $1 also
Don't know how others find such clients that pay nicer. Are there really these kind of clients Or its just the stories ?
A little more of the price, than i don't get the job.
Thanks
Great article , when dealing with a client do you include copy in the price or is this based on just putting the site together
I usually include very simple copy if it's a small websites (< 6 pages). That means
@@RayDelVecchio Thanks for that.
Newbie here.
firstly thanks for the video.
Question: I go for the wordpress, i know css and can customise, but I find wordpress quite limiting. Can it be customised to match the client's needs. Ie: they go, ok good theme, but I want one starter blog on top of the slider in the twenty-four theme, what do you do?
Free themes can be limiting. Sometimes to make edits to the layout vs. the design, you need to understand how to edit the PHP theme files on top of CSS. I use a paid, premium theme framework (iThemes Builder) for all clients that allows "HTML" blocks to be placed into the layout where I can custom code something if needed, or re-arrange the layout of "widgets" which can be created w/o code. If you learn enough PHP (don't need to master it), WordPress is actually incredibly flexible. However, if you have a client that doesn't intend to update the website much after it's launched, and they require a custom design, HTML/CSS may be fine.
I don't ever use premium off-the-shelf themes, they generally suck or look generic, or are hard to customise.
Much prefer a bare-bones starter theme like sage / roots... basic wp structure, but starts with 0 css - I get get a wireframe outlining the concept and employ a freelance designer to design the homepage / a couple of page templates... then start building the ideal website! I much prefer full customisation and starting from scratch to build a bespoke and unique looking site.
I know this costs more but I charge accordingly... and who wants to be generic anyway!?
I would like to know how you create a website for a client, then hand it over to them. For instance, I will be using WordPress Desktop Server. Once I complete the project, then how do I proceed? Yes, I am a newbie, and even taking WordPress in school, they did not teach us this part of being a Website Designer.
Hi Ray, thank you for this handy video! What about pricing for maintenance of the websites for small business? I guess some require periodic updates so one could charge monthly for it. Some need one off updates. If Client does not want maintenance, do you deliver all files inc code to Clients so they can pick it up by themselves or bring it to other developer?
Also, is it better to include web hosting in the price or let Client pay for web hosting?
Cheers!
Katarzyna, ultimately this depends on the type of person running the small business. I include domain and hosting with all my clients. Only a few of them have had their own hosting packages which they specifically wanted to stay on. Right now, I don't really work with clients who don't want monthly management. If they were to cancel, I would do as you said... create a WordPress backup of everything, send it to them along with domain registration details, then cancel their hosting on my account. Up to them or next manager to figure out the rest. I've also got involved with online advertising/marketing for my clients because that's another way to charge monthly if website maintenance isn't worth it to them. Most small business owners will only value a maintenance package if they plan to update their website frequently. Those that create it and only update 3-4x per year will be looking for results to justify a higher monthly cost.
Ray DelVecchio thx Ray. Makes sense! :)
How to add suggestion box in a newly constructed website? Can anybody help please !!!
I have really bad experience working with cheap price clients.
Hi Ray,
I'm new to designing (for others) and have my first client. My question is, i understand and love coding HTML/CSS. But i want to know is there is a CMS that will allow me to use a template but STILL customize and design the layout in the way that i want it done?
That is what WordPress is good for - and that's exactly what I do! My theme of choice is iThemes Builder because they let you create layouts with either widgets or HTML/PHP sections. For many websites, I will custom code the header using this method. I make CSS adjustments on all websites, too. There are many other themes that give you this option - just gotta do your research.
Watch my tutorial to see how to customize WordPress with HTML/CSS - czcams.com/video/oZnzc0c8VB0/video.html
Do you send them an invoice when they make the 50% downpayment and another invoice after the final payment? If so, what does be your invoice number for both invoices, for eg is the first invoice sent #001 and the second invoice #002 or do you approach it differently.
If they specifically ask for receipt on first payment you can send invoice before remaining 50%. I don't think the invoice numbers matter at all (it can be one single invoice with balance due). The accounting software takes care of that stuff for you most of the time. Just make sure you log the payments with dates for future tax purposes!
Ray ... I watch your video on How much should I charge for a website. I enjoyed the video and learned a few things from it. But I was disappointed when I clicked the link below to get the pdf -client questionnaire because I did not receive it. I notice a few others are having the same issue.
Bruce - once you sign up it should be sent immediately (within 5 minutes) to your e-mail address. Please check your spam folder because it's possible it was flagged. I manually send this to anyone who has any issues, just reply to one of my e-mails! My address is ray *at* websiteprofitcourse *dot* com
ok thanks Ray. I take a look at the spam folder first
what you think I should charge for a dealership website?
Hello great video. I have a question though. How to find national cients but also make them trust you? Thank you!!
Nearly all of my clients are local, but the best way to do this is to focus on ONE industry because when you get results for a business, you can then use that case study to sell to other business types. Plus it makes it easier for you to repeat your results instead of jumping around between all types of businesses. For more info, check out my other video going into these details... czcams.com/video/cY_zMMjuxps/video.html
I meant to use the case study to sell to other *similar* business types!
@@RayDelVecchio Yeah absolutely understandable. i will look in this video. actually i was also reffering hot to find national clients that trust you in terms of how to aproach them especially when you dont speak english well. actually have you try fiverr cold calling gigs? have you find any good one there?
Thank you!
Outsourcing sales is tough. You can give it a shot, but unless you have a script that works, it may take time to develop a strategy. I personally use cold emails targeting specific business types, and these templates are included within the paid membership area through my website. Feel free to check that out (closes tomorrow) websiteprofitcourse.com/plan/
Is it advisable to build a website with site builders like elementor and other site builders
Yea, you can use whatever theme or site builder you want. I have tutorials for both Elementor and Divi which is probably slightly more advanced. I just recommend sticking to one theme so you learn it and know the ins-and-outs of how to customize.
So how would a website coder with a thing for nomadic lifestyle make sure he gets paid for his work if he never gets to meet the client? Does Upwork help in this regard?
I'm not a big advocate of websites like Upwork. Mainly because you are competing with people globally, and projects get multiple bids, therefore it's likely your price is going to be driven down based on the large talent pool around the world. You don't have to start locally. You can find clients through e-mail or phone. It's just going to take a little more communication to build trust vs. face-to-face. You might want to try Skype or a similar app. This is going to depend on the type of client you target. Personally, my best clients don't use computers for anything except the basics - e-mail, news, and online shopping!
Contracts are very important. I
For large jobs (especially with bigger companies), a written contract is absolutely necessary because the risks are higher for both parties and there may be legal ramifications. All I can speak from is experience, and the only 2 local small business clients I have ever had issues with were those who signed a contract and didn't abide by it. For small jobs and/or month-to-month work, a contract is often unnecessary, especially if you build a relationship with clients who pay on-time each month. This is not a black & white issue, you can decide which is best for you or create a unique solution between the two. My "contract" is a clear, simple bullet list email of deliverables which the client approves.
When doing these sites, do you have the clients provide their own copy or is copywriting a service you include?
I've had both situations where a client already has a ton of copy from a previous website, or maybe even copy used on written materials (brochures/flyers) that you can transfer to the website. Otherwise, I will write something quick for the Home/About/Services pages, usually shortened with bullet points.... this is mainly to get paid faster, because otherwise, they'll drag it along!
Make sure you have no spelling mistakes!
Nevermind, found it.
i am starting now but scared not because i cant do it but because i don not know how to start. ?help?
The best way to start is jump right in with WordPress! After you purchase domain and hosting, you can test with free WordPress themes and plugins to get a feel for how the system works.
do you have a website yet roche? have you built any real sites already?
Why does your website look so Basic with nothing on. The about page has lorem ipsom text??🤨.
The website you looked at has only been used for WordPress video tutorials up to this point. Did you see the site linked to my channel websiteprofitcourse.com/ - that's where I publish most frequently. At some point I plan to write on my other website.
I give them a homework or a list of items they want on there a website and I estimate them the time and my hourly rate is 47.74
how'd you come to that number?
do you have any book to suggest about this kind of staff?
Yes, I wrote one! Check it out, it's available on Amazon for Kindle and paperback. The title is "Create Your Freedom". I go into details about both the technical side and dealing with clients. Tried to make it easy to read even if you aren't experienced with websites. In terms of learning how to build websites, I recommend jumping right in with WordPress since you can test for free (besides domain and web hosting costs).
Thanks a lot, I'm a developer but sometimes I find it hard to find the correct price for the project that I'm developing, event if it is wordpress or a framework. Is it this one " www.amazon.de/Create-Your-Freedom-Become-English-ebook/dp/B00XDBO65I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484057314&sr=8-1&keywords=Create+Your+Freedom " ?
Yea pricing is not cut and dry. What one business owner or company is willing to pay, another thinks it's too expensive. Dealing with people is a whole other skill set once you master the website creation/development side! I still don't feel 100% comfortable when discussing money issues with clients, haha.
I agree but at least, know that you are not overpriced or very cheep for your things you do
This is great advice for any freelancing service. I had found a greater commitment and engagement from clients (not web design) when they paid a sizeable deposit in advance and had filled out an online questionnaire so I was clear about what they needed and could more easily personalise the work especially for them. This definitely works. Plus, they pay more attention and value the service when they pay more for it. But this also means we really have to deliver!, so it's a good incentive for all parties. Thanks, Ray. Even after 30 years in my industry, I never stop learning, and the business world keeps changing, so I'll check out your book! Cheers!
Hi there loved your video! Very informative and we'll considered. Is it possible I can contact you via phone for a conversation?
$2,000 for a 10 page website? Out of your mind.
I've seen too many people to count who charge close to this. And I've made more than that over time with 1 client on monthly plan.
We build professional website in around 500 usd,if u r interested contact me