I’ve been doing web design for 14 years, starting my first site in 1997 and charged around £300.
Since that time I’ve always been fiddling around with and changing my pricing structure until I got to the point where I started charging some people a little bit more, and some people a little bit less.
The question; “How much you should charge for a web design service” is different for everyone and varies immeasurably. It really does depend on each individual design.
The reason I say this is because target markets will vary from area to area. Personally I target small, local businesses, (generally sole traders).
So you could say that my target market revolves around companies and individuals with low budgets-so my pricing is a little bit lower than your may be. If I was, however, targeting medium-size companies with a bigger budget then I would tailor my prices accordingly.
So to break it down, here is my pricing structure.
Charge an hourly rate:
To start with I have an hourly fee which works out at £40 an hour. This fee is for any work requested outside of the initial quotation. This is especially handy when people approach me and ask if you can have a look at their website with a view to fixing a problem. The first question they always ask is “how much do you charge?” And you should always have an answer ready and waiting.
Offer package deals:
The other thing that works especially well for me a package deals. So I for example offer a five page website which would include logo design, an integrated blog, a brochure and a business card design. For this service I usually charge £1500 and it seems to be a popular deal. I tend to think of it more as a starter kit for small businesses.
I’d say 80% of my work is hourly rate work which includes occasional consultation to small businesses mostly from my existing client base. A lot of this type of work falls under the maintenance category of work and also includes occasional e-mail campaigns.
Customise your packages:
E-commerce websites tend to be a little bit different, it really depends on how many products you need added to your new site, so I tend to use £1500 package as a starting point and work up if necessary depending on the job.
I hope this has been some help if you are just starting your very own web design business. Please feel free to share any other hints and tips in the comments section below.
Devon-designs.com are a web design company in Plymouth UK and offer a wide range of SEO services to suit all budgets.
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