Hello friends, I have been writing articles for various websites' SEO promotion and have been charging INR 100 (this is just an assumptive number, not the real one) for the same. That was charged by the # of words for the article. Now, I have been asked to write for a website. Quite technical, but I am wondering if the charge should be ideally the same or more? Your suggestions are welcome. (I do not need an exact figure, just whether it should be more or less) Thank you.
Pricing for text services is quite a difficult challenge, in my opinion. I would charge it based on the time it's going to take me to research and then create that article, while also considering the perception of the person buying it. For example, I might be asked to write a site review while already being very familiar with the content and what that site can offer, but even though it may only take me twenty minutes, the cost should not reflect that. I'm not going to charge them $10 for it when the content itself is worth more than that. Then you have to also consider if there may be an opportunity to work for them again, so pricing up might actually put you out of the picture for future work. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone can really tell you what you should be charging, I can only mention the things that I consider when calculating pricing - how long it takes, the perception of value and future opportunities etc.
Technical writing rates higher than general content writing. So does the legal and medical writing. Travel writing, despite the erroneous perception of some clients, takes a lot of factual information and, thus, a thorough research, so it rates higher than general content writing. You will be able to make yourself a more or less fixed price chart once you gain more experience. $50 for a 5-8 page essay might seem like a good deal until you get a list of resources you need to proceed and the requirements you need to meet. A 5 page essay may end up with a 2 week research. Is it worth it? Try to estimate your time and effort before you give the quote.
This is a very good point, sometimes the research required for an adequate piece will be cost-prohibitive. This is a good example of why specialist writers are often the best way to go for clients looking for in-depth pieces in a particular field, ensuring that it's affordable for them and they're not paying more because the writer needs to spend more time gathering the information. I have turned down work when I found that the content the client required would mean hours of research, it might only take an hour to write the finished piece, but the time spent gathering information prior to that renders the entire thing pointless. I wouldn't be comfortable charging a client 50% more than a specialist in the field just because it's taken me longer to gather the core information for the piece.
Simple answer; charge whatever you feel is right. If they aren't willing to pay it, then don't write for them.
Conran & Vlasic, great insightful information there. Yes, its very difficult to judge the fees to be charged. Have been more consistent with article writing than web page writing. Thank you both. Too bad I am not eligible to give you a 'Like' (or maybe I am unable to find it?) TreyC - that is true. Exactly what I think it should be.