Comments on: How Much Do You Charge for Web Dev/Design Services?

By: Ganeshan Nadarajan

Ganeshan Nadarajan — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:44:16 +0000

This is a significant survey and mostly matches the ones coming out of the WordPress 2011 State of the Word survey from self-employed respondents, WooTheme’s Infographic on WordPress in 2012 for designers and developers, and similar studies and reports.

By: Lorelle VanFossen

Lorelle VanFossen — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:30:39 +0000

Thank you for the kind thoughts, but most of the credit goes to the WordPress team for putting out the survey and to others monitoring the news on such issues. Thanks.

By: 3WEdge

3WEdge — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 07:04:24 +0000

All I can say about Lorelle is that she is an asset to our industry. I totally agree with unionization of rates and related issues that undermines the performance of IT personnel. I used ‘undermine’ because low-charge compromise on quality that could be delivered by professionals and I believe somehow this outsourcing activity is constraining this IT industry from exploiting the full capacity because the purpose is somehow fulfilled (at $10 so why spend $500) therefore in my opinion it is not low-charge dude solely responsible for diluting the industry (this is what free market is)there are several other variables such as recession, low-cost demands and Least Developed Countries where wage rate is inherently low (where IT is almost outsourced now) but they are doing fine, again seconding Lorelle I must say institutionalization and unionization would substantially debug the problem. Apart from my opinion I would like to thanks Lorelle for contributing and by reading this article I can support my argument of need for a global governing body of IT affairs.

By: Lorelle VanFossen

Lorelle VanFossen — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:33:20 +0000

LOL! That’s a great video.

Most web designers and developers today are the “roll your own” type, but I really believe that education that isn’t self-directed is just as valuable, often more valuable, for learning the serious nature of the work we do, as you so beautifully explained. With academia comes web standards, design standards, and more standardization in policies and procedures, providing a well-rounded platform upon which to base your work rather than learn-as-you-go-hit-and-miss. Luckily, working with Clark College and other higher educational institutions, I’m now contributing to the breath of web development and design in traditional education, and I love that we’re breaking the rules!

By: Phillip Feed

Phillip Feed — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 22:34:20 +0000

Wow what an article! Thanks Lorelle that has really brought home what I have always been thinking.
I have always thought that I was undercharging for my hard earned skill, over the past 4.5 years I have been learning hard coding from scratch while running a pub for a living! I have lost count of the amount of Books, Magazines I have read and the ammount of hours I have speant learning my trade by watching videos and reading blog posts on the subject.
Yet being the soft touch that I was 2 or so years ago I was highly undercharging for my bespoke websites and yet my clients still felt they could ring me up at say ten to midnight and request a change on their site as a ‘Favour to them’ and it will help my ‘Portfolio’.
Nowadays when I meet a client I come with contract thats foolproof and includes an out of hours fee of £50 so if someone does want me to work at midnight then they have to pay that!
I feel that every freelance coder/geek/developer should have one of these in place. The way I feel web designers should charge their clients is to work out how long the job will take and what they consider their hourly rate would be then charge accordingly remembering to get eh 50% upfront first. for my I feel that my skill is worth £35 per hour which is still cheaper than most web dev companies out there who charge three or four times that for making a simple wordpress site!
Anyway In closing I would like to direct you to a very cool video every web developer should view…. http://vimeo.com/44203213
Hope you like it and really enjoyed commenting on this post
Till next time
-Phillip E D Dews

By: Heidi Hafner

Heidi Hafner — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:25:54 +0000

Lorelle, Thank you for posting this article. It is a great eye-opener both for my clients and myself to know the going rate of a website. I started web designing back in 1996 and have loved every aspect of it. I started my business on pure code, making clean well working pages for my clients. I’ve always had difficulty putting a price on a website because I find I burn myself in the end. I find that people take advantage of me, my time, and my desire to please them. Finding a rate that I was comfortable with yet not so low that it screamed Amateur has been a balancing act. Now, I have become or am becoming well versed in developing WordPress websites. Seeing this article showed me that I’m in the ballpark for my fees, perhaps a little on the low end. For a 8-9 page site with all the custom graphics, navigation, plus installed & configured plugins, if using WordPress, etc runs around $2,000-$2,500 or more depending on the content.

By: kaymurray542

kaymurray542 — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:39:29 +0000

Just discovered your blog and am reading thru it!
This was really informational to read, and I think I’m going to point a few friends here. When I first started, last year, I had no idea what to charge. I’ve taught myself design on my own by building and messing up (and rebuilding) my own websites, and I’ve probably undervalued myself and under-charged as a result.
I’m charging around 300-500 for a WordPress set up and customized theme (I use Builder for layout flexibility, but get into the css for further customizations), and I am honest with my clients that I don’t write code from scratch, which is why my rates are so affordable…. but they still seem to, too often, expect a Ferrari for the cost of a Civic… and I try to treat everyone like they’re a 50 thousand dollar client anyway, so it’s really hard to set those boundaries.
Anyway, learning alot from reading your blog- thanks!

By: Beau

Beau — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 09:24:29 +0000

I know of a few web designers over here in Perth, Australia who charge through the roof for their services, and what’s more they won’t even tell their clients exactly what they are going to do for them. I’ve had clients come to me all stressed because they don’t know what’s going on, but I always try to provide the best service.

Anyhow, this article has been a good read, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for posting.

By: Qatar

Qatar — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 08:49:56 +0000

I would rather copy and paste what Bill has said above, except for the part where he invited her to Australia .. “If she gets to Qatar, I can show her the sights and give her a meal – or even 10″
Please contact me if u ever come to Qatar. Thank you for the marvelous informative post.

By: Lorelle VanFossen

Lorelle VanFossen — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:25:08 +0000

This translates to $1,200 USD, for those counting and comparing. That’s expensive for such a small WordPress site. Your market obviously can take that price.