Web Design and How to Price Your Services

Price… This is a major consideration for both web designers and their clients. Deciding how much you will charge for your services is very important because prices that are too high will likely discourage potential clients and prices that are too low will not give you sufficient repayment for your time and effort. If you work for a Web Design company, then this may not be a major problem for you because you are most likely not part of the department that decides the company’s pricing policy. If, however, you are a freelance web designer, then you must decide for yourself how much to charge for each project that you undertake. There are a few factors that need to be considered when attempting to decide how much your time is worth, a few of which are shown below.

Web Design Factor #1: Project requirements. In order to determine the value of the project that you will undertake, you have to know the requirements and details of the project, such as how much time it will take for you to complete the project and how much effort you will have to put into completing it. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
• What is the total number of web pages you will have to create?
• Do your clients require you to create original images or designs for them?
• Is the content for the project provided by your client or will you have to create your own content for them?
• Does the client require other services such as programming, Flash animations or other types of media?
The answers to these questions along with the total amount of effort you will have to spend on the project should provide you with a guide as to how to price your services.

Web Design Factor #2: Deadlines. It is common practice to charge clients more if they require that you complete their project in a short period of time. The less time you have to complete it, the higher your price. However, it is important to remember that you must be able to hand in the completed project on time.

Web Design Factor #3: Prior experience. Any prior experience that you have that is relevant to a project will allow you to price your services higher. Web design companies that have a good image and are known for completing high quality work are also able to charge clients more than other, less reputable, companies. You must, however, ensure that your prices remain at a reasonable level.

Web Design Factor #4: Maintenance and follow-up. Some clients request that you continue to maintain and update the site that you have created for them after you have completed their project. In such a situation, you or your web design company should obtain a separate contract for the maintenance work, and charge accordingly.

Web Design Factor #5: The current market rate. You should base your rate on the current rate that other designers are charging for similar projects. If your rate is too much higher than the market rate, your client may decide to seek the services of someone who charges less. Try to obtain information about the pricing and salaries of web design companies that operate on your a similar level to yours and work out your pricing strategy accordingly.

Web Design Factor #6: Your expected earnings. The amount that you wish to earn for the month or from a particular project will also affect your price. If you need to meet some financial goal or requirement, then you can vary the amount you charge according to your needs.

Rules of Thumb
There are some things that you should always consider before you decide to accept a project and also in deciding how to price your projects. Both you and your web design company should always consider the following when accepting new work:

1. Always ensure that you can complete any projects that you accept in time. If you are unable to meet the deadline or any project requirements, then you should not accept the project.
2. Always obtain a contract from your buyer that clearly sets out the details of the project. Doing more work than you agreed to is never a pleasant experience.
3. Have personal integrity. Your clients pay for you to meet their requirements and if you accept a project, then you agree to meet those requirements. If you are unable to meet them, you should inform them immediately.

A Web Design company usually decides on its pricing policy using the same set of factors. However, because they can obtain more work than a freelancing individual can, they usually give employees a good salary and bonuses, privileges and overtime or bonus pay for good work.