How much to Charge for Web Design ??? And site Promotion ??

[gn107001]

My regular job is computer repair and networks, but recently I have
done a few websites for clients.

I would love to do this full-time for a corporation, but
unfortunately, my skills are limited. I do not know XML, and do not
know how to write complex code for Online E-commerce. I think that if
I get a request for a page with e-commerce, that I will accept the job
as a challenge, but will not try anything fancy, and instead will try
a "canned solution" from some of the providers of billable web-based
"stores". Ooops sorry, got off track.

My first question is how much should I charge? I looked around for an
hour and found most web designers don't list their fees on their own
websites. I did find a few that did, however, and they varied from
$500 for a simple, 3-to-5 page website, and $1200 for a simple, 3-to-5
page website !! I also saw fees that went all the way up to $2500 for
a full-scale integrated site, which is probably cheap if the site is
really large and if it has e-commerce, and database functionality. I
imagine that corporate websites probably cost 10 grand and higher.

Anyway, the sites I have been doing are simple, but I am finding out
that the customers can be quite difficult. One of them is insisting
that her site must show up when someone types in certain words
pertaining to her site - in a search engine.

This leads to my second question. I have really researched website
promotion in depth, to get my client's sites to show up in the various
search engines. But I find it to be very frustrating. It is hit and
miss, and no matter how many times you submit it, and no matter how
many different Meta-Tags, and Meta-Tag approaches you use, there is no
guarantee of anything. Also, it is leading to customer
dissatisfaction - one customer is calling me and complaining that her
site is not showing up in the search engines !!

I am considering that it's not worth it, and that I should simply tell
prospective clients, "I will do your site, and will do one submittal
to the top 10 search engines, but after that I will not continue to
promote it". Sounds harsh, but this search engine fiasco is making me
feel like I am backed into a corner. What do you guys think? Bite
the bullet and submit, submit, submit the sites to the search engines
.. . . . or simply advertise web design only, and leave promotion
up to the customer ??

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

Regarding search engines, tell you client that you can only submitted the
site, and there is no guarantee if it will be listed unless want to pay for
paid placement which can be around $35.00/page more or less. Short of pay
for placement, if the site can be listed, it can take 3 or more months.

As for as charging, that depends on your skills. You might want to start out
with a per page charge.

--

==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe (Microsoft MVP - FrontPage)
WEBMASTER Resources(tm)

FrontPage Resources, Forums, WebCircle,
MS KB Quick Links, etc.
==============================================

 

[Bobbee]

I have the same problem and the same questions. I am
hoping for more of a response than an advertisement.

 

[Steve Easton]

What advertisement???

Your fee depends upon your skill level and the
features the client wants included in the site.

I've seen 5 page sites for $500,
and 5 page sites for $2500.

Some people charge $150 for 3 pages and $10
per image, and then $25 per page thereafter.

Will it be hosted on a UNIX server or a server running IIS?
Will sections be password protected.
How many e-mail addys', and who sets them up.
Does it need or use a database??
Forms??
Form results via e-mail???
Javascript??
VB script??
ASP???
Does it have one of those gawd awful shockwave intros??
Who's responsible for registering the domain, and configuring
the Domain Name Servers???
Does it require server statistics.

And on and on.......

Using some of the "cheaper" design firms rates,
my "hobby" site now weighs in around $14,000.00


--
95isalive
This site is best viewed..................
...............................with a computer
I have the same problem and the same questions. I am
hoping for more of a response than an advertisement.

 

[Destin_FL]

Your ability to charge for web design is totally dictated by what the market
will bear. If you very little experience and aren't very good, people aren't
going to pay you much if they do even a smattering of comparison shopping. If
you are great and already have a strong client base of important area
businesses, you get to charge more and should charge more. It also depends on
where you are. A half-baked designer in Atlanta can get more for the same thing
than in a much smaller market.
The reason really good designers and design firms don't put their prices on
their sites is because each job is completely different AND a good salesperson
wants the opportunity to build need and value long before discussing price.

As to search engines. Having your sites show up in search engines has almost
nothing to do with how often you submit, and these days, almost nothing to do
with meta-tags. It has everything to do with page optimizing, relevant content,
and incoming links from highly ranked - highly relevant sites.

Tim


<gn107001> wrote in message My regular job is computer repair and networks, but recently I have
done a few websites for clients.

I would love to do this full-time for a corporation, but
unfortunately, my skills are limited. I do not know XML, and do not
know how to write complex code for Online E-commerce. I think that if
I get a request for a page with e-commerce, that I will accept the job
as a challenge, but will not try anything fancy, and instead will try
a "canned solution" from some of the providers of billable web-based
"stores". Ooops sorry, got off track.

My first question is how much should I charge? I looked around for an
hour and found most web designers don't list their fees on their own
websites. I did find a few that did, however, and they varied from
$500 for a simple, 3-to-5 page website, and $1200 for a simple, 3-to-5
page website !! I also saw fees that went all the way up to $2500 for
a full-scale integrated site, which is probably cheap if the site is
really large and if it has e-commerce, and database functionality. I
imagine that corporate websites probably cost 10 grand and higher.

Anyway, the sites I have been doing are simple, but I am finding out
that the customers can be quite difficult. One of them is insisting
that her site must show up when someone types in certain words
pertaining to her site - in a search engine.

This leads to my second question. I have really researched website
promotion in depth, to get my client's sites to show up in the various
search engines. But I find it to be very frustrating. It is hit and
miss, and no matter how many times you submit it, and no matter how
many different Meta-Tags, and Meta-Tag approaches you use, there is no
guarantee of anything. Also, it is leading to customer
dissatisfaction - one customer is calling me and complaining that her
site is not showing up in the search engines !!

I am considering that it's not worth it, and that I should simply tell
prospective clients, "I will do your site, and will do one submittal
to the top 10 search engines, but after that I will not continue to
promote it". Sounds harsh, but this search engine fiasco is making me
feel like I am backed into a corner. What do you guys think? Bite
the bullet and submit, submit, submit the sites to the search engines
.. . . . or simply advertise web design only, and leave promotion
up to the customer ??

 

[Tom Gahagan]

where you are. A half-baked designer in Atlanta can get more for the same

thing
than in a much smaller market.

Living and working in a small community about 90 miles south of Atlanta I
will add a big AMEN to this statement.

However, I will also add this thought. One of the best sources of business
for me has been cleaning up after these expensive messes the "big" guys in
Atlanta make. We have scores of people in our area that have been burned big
time by these folks and we are getting a lot of business cleaning up after
them.

So we advertise and purposly market ourselves as a highg quality but much
less expensive alternative to this major market. We are trying to make a
living and not a killing and that REALLY plays well in our area (West
central Georgia).

Which would you rather have, lots of work at $45 per page or none at $75.
Like it has been suggested.... study your market and price accordingly....
but make sure you are presenting a valuable service to your customers and
you should do fine.

Best to you....
Tom Gahagan

 

[chris leeds]

yes!
though I'm not actively looking for new work at the moment (I'm doing a
little harmony-sustaining construction at my wife's command), there are a
couple "big name" web dev/ design places locally who really stink. I'm just
keeping an eye on their "portfolios" and will take their customers when I
need to.

 

[Tom Gahagan]

"chris leeds" wrote in message

yes!
though I'm not actively looking for new work at the moment (I'm doing a
little harmony-sustaining construction at my wife's command),

More important than web work anyway!

couple "big name" web dev/ design places locally who really stink. I'm just
keeping an eye on their "portfolios" and will take their customers when I
need to.

Good for you!

Another area where we are distinguishing ourselves from the competition is
in the area of ownership. When we finish a site we give the client a cd with
all their files on it. We also register domain names in THEIR name and just
sign ourselves on as tech admins or admins. Many of the other companies in
our area KEEP ownership of all files, domain names, etc as THEIRS and this
really makes clients mad when they decide that they might want to make a
change in who works on their site, only to find that in the fine print of
their contracts THEY ACTUALLY DON'T EVEN OWN THE SITE THEY PAID FOR!!!!!!!!

I REALLY don't understand why other companies do this, but I like it because
it is helping us make good money and giving us the opportunity to
distinguish ourselves as working for the CLIENT and not ourselves. Something
that many.... well how shall I say... small town... small business owners...
REALLY appreciate.

Best to you....
Tom Gahagan

 

[Ken]

It's amazing that some of these websites developed by the big-name
designers . . . somebody actually "paid for".

 

[chris leeds]

I'll book mark one of their portfolios more eagerly than a cool script I
find somewhere.