Designing a website - help with rates!

[Juliette]

Okay, so I was offered this awesome gig. I was asked to design the website of someone, who's name I can't say here just yet, that is currently an actor/athlete/stunt man who has alot of new projects and a show coming up in the new year. I was asked to take on building his website and designing and updating it. I currently have been working as a professional graphic/web designer for the past six years. This is the first time I was offered this type of side job/freelance work where it's actually a HUGE deal to me - career wise most definitely. I really would love some help and advice from someone who has the experience of doing this type of work for outside contracters.....I'm in need of what I would charge, rates, ect.....I have some ideas, but I want to go about this the right way - and approach it professionally as I can.

Does anyone mind helping me out? I would greatly appreciate it. Any ideas of rates? The basic concept of the website is a personal website for him and his fans. Very simple, no flash.....ect....

[vwebworld]

The rates charged for web design vary greatly. Just look at any of the freelance sites and it seems prices range from $15 to $15,000.

There are a few ways to look at pricing this job... what the client can afford, what it is worth to you (based upon your current wage $/hour + benefits and taxes), and what a typical market price may be for a similar website. Some designers work on a rate per page.

Of course, the price depends upon the features and functions needed for the site and how much graphics and programing time is required. Sometimes a deadline - need to be finished fast - is a factor.

A price for site maintenance/updates is a little different, but you can estimate how many hours you may need to work over a period of time and charge accordingly.... or charge a per hour rate for actual work done.

If you're looking for a price range... you may need to be more specific as to the number of pages, what features (forums, form, blog, ecommerce...etc) are needed, and amount of graphics work needed.

~Roland

[meinking22]

First thing you need to do, and since you have done professional work previously I probably don't need to mention this, but : Define The Scope Of The Project. This is the most important step. Don't take on a project that is nebulous and open-ended. Find out what your client's needs and goals are. Outline a design strategy that will meet these needs and goals.

You want to look professional? Put the project IN WRITING. Write a contract that lists everything you will do to meet the goals and needs of your client. Be very detailed about what the website content is going to be. Will it be static? dynamic? both? What will be the site architecture? What will be the layout? How many pages? What content on what pages? etc. Be sure you address all of your client's expectations at this time.

If a client is going to be responsible for supplying site content (images, vidoes, bios, etc.), be sure to clearly state a deadline for when this content must be delivered. If the content is not delivered in time, write in a proviso that permits you to make an editorial decision to substitute your own default content so that the project can be completed.

Once you have a contract drafted, state the price of the project. My company always collects half of a custom project cost up front. We then collect the other half on the back end when the project is finished. There is no tried and true measure for determining a project cost. We make the evaluation based on an hourly rate of $150/hour. We then multiply that cost by the number of hours we think the project will take. You may do it differently.

Be sure to differentiate between the design and hosting of the site. Are you going to host and manage the hosting for the client's website? If so, this is an additional cost and warrants its own contract. If not, be sure the client is clear on their responsibilities for hosting a website.

Also be sure to differentiate between website maintenance and design. After you have delivered the project as stated in the contract, make sure your client is clear on what it will cost to make changes to the site. We create a separate maintenance agreement for this as well. If the project changes as defined in the contract, be sure to use an addendum.

Hope that helps.

Steve

[jtracking]

These days I charge .50 cents per minute and if i need to outsourse some aspect of the project I try to get that person to charge at the same rate in order to keep the cost consistant.

In your case you might want to charge more than .50 cents per minute (which turns out to me $30.00 per hour - obviously) - let's say maybe .55 or .58 cents per minute.

This works best for me. Just keep a little log or something so you can show what work and how long different parts of the work took - no one really knows the hurdles we have to overcome during development and design and the time involved.

: )

[RawFunk]

You want to look professional? Put the project IN WRITING.

That is one of the best pieces of advice anyone can give!

I'd also add that once your proposal has been accepted, make sure you also provide a contract to the client and get him/her to sign it (preferably with a witness signature too).

I for one have been caught up in the moment of things and due to this I got slack, slackness (or un-professionalism) can be your worst enemy. So please make sure all the i's are dotted and the t's crossed.

In so far as costing. For instance you have to make sure that your not burning yourself if you cost the project too low. These days I tend to over budget because as we all know Murphy's Law; if a project can have hurdles it probably will.
Clients tend to be happy when they're told at the final sign off that the last payment will be cheaper due to overall production time saving protocols, (or something like that).

Although in so far as costing, I tend to work on a structured basis for certain projects.

Corporate Clients
You'll generally find that these require the largest amount of resources and time devoted to red tape and meetings. I'm also seeing a high demand for disability protocols, that is changeable text (css) sizes, vision impaired options and so forth. Also they tend to not pay as quickly either. Hence money is time, time is money theory.

Small Business
Generally you'll be meeting with the Director or at least the person that approves purchasing. Nine times out of ten they have a very clear path of what they want to achieve. Although it may take a few meetings to iron out exact functionality requirements and overall site aesthetics.

Individuals & Sole Traders
I've found this to be the fastest track to implementation of a project. The only down side is what most people expect to pay. I've found that more than a few are initially overwhelmed with our overall project fee. However, I think the key to winning a job in this sector is that everything is explained in layman terms (probably effective for any project really).

In some instances, depending on the volume of the project, we may also enter into a monthly retainer option.

We've also reduced costings by using an out of the box script (if the client requires a generic shop cart or dynamic CMS functionality). Obviously we'd still implement custom bells and whistles, however, this can greatly reduce a custom project under these circumstances.

OK I've probably babbled too long now, so I'll give it a rest.

Just make sure you've got your #ss guarded and that you don't get burnt.



Cheers

Dave (Raw Funk)

[meadrose]

There are several considerations for web design rates. It helps to have some idea what the intent of the site is and what you can promise...and then there is the notion that no matter how well you do a site, the party requesting your services will probably increase their understanding and therefore their requirements shortly after you are "done."

I generally take the time to interview/educate the prospect before starting. I make them aware of the tradeoffs:

Impressive graphics vs searchable text
Tight Design vs Expandable Design
Online Brochure vs Monetized Site

etc.

It is my experience that most of the time, people re-think their business model based on what they learn in the interview process.

I rate my time spent as an expert at approx $60/hr
For ongoing business such as site maintenance I drop it to $120/mo for around 1 hour of work per week. I will do an hour-long phone consult for $60. It pays the bills, but it is still bound to the clock.

For this reason, I set up service packages and/or negotiate a profit percentage from site monetization.

For example:
$500 for a feasibility study which includes keyword research for example.
or
I get to use MY Google Adsense on THEIR site
or
I market THEIR book for a percentage of sale.

In this way I get to underbid my competitors on the front end and still make money on the back end.

I also view any design job as the start of a long-term business relationship. The customer may not be thinking of it that way, but you and I know better.

[NetLinksCorp]

If a business as a Web Designer is what you are seeking, your success in part is base on your portfolio. That said you are only as good as your last job! Meaning always do your best job regardless of the budge.

…on the other hand if this is a one off

There are some things to consider…!

Is this a strait flat HTML site or fully dynamic with news page, news letter – if dynamic you have to think about the time you are going to employ designing and admin console…

*If strait static HTML then the customer need to be aware of updating fees!

As a base consider this:

$100.00 Hosting
$300.00 for PSD template
$50 / Page
$25/ for Page update

If you are interested in licensing a hosted a turn key complete website admin let me know … we don’t sub but we’ll considered

Best to all & Happy New Year

Web Master

[shamarkaleo]

Juliette,
Huge congrats on this opportunity, and what it will mean for your business in 2008.

Some great advice has already been posted on this, so I'm not going to reiterate much of what's already been said.

What I will say is be very savvy about this.

RESEARCH the web sites of this actor's peers. Who created those web sites? What standards are they using? Research these design firms and find out what they offer. If possible, contact them for rates or estimates. This will help you get a picture of the going rate for design in the acting industry.

ESTIMATE the time you'll spend on this project. Is the client going to expect/need/want multiple mock ups before you finalize on a design they're happy about? How much time will that mean for you?

EXPLORE the basic functionality as well as technology/add-ons the client will need for their site. Do they need hosting and domain name registration? Will you handle that for them, or will they set that up themselves? Are they going to need a forum to keep in touch with their fans? Do they want a built-in chat function? Do they want a customized blog built in to the site? Determine what technology they'll need, and how much time and money it will cost to set it up.

OUTLINE all this in a CONTRACT. And don't start work until you've got a signed contract and a deposit in hand. This is crucial. This client may be a 'big name', but they need to respect you as a professional in your field as well. You generate that respect with clear boundaries, clear expectations, solid deadlines, and a clear contract.

That's my five cents on all this. Hope it helps!

Best of luck and congratulations on the job,

Kelli

[AussieWebmaster]

The quality of your skills is important in the mix. The level of sophisitication of the site is important.

Are you integrating an ecommerce solution.... is there built in SEO in the mix... are you using a CMS...

Simple site... simple pricing... etc.

[incrediblehelp]

Julliette simply charge what your time is worth comparable to other work and projects your doing.