I'm really interested to know how everyone does their website design and development quotes. I have up until now been quoting very low to build up a client list. Now that I have done this I am ready to be competitive while charging what websites are worth. Thank you all in advance.
i have a unit price, say $15. then each item needed to be designed i add a unit. ie logo + header + navigation + sidebar + banner. thats 5 units x $15 = $75 now the $75 u can give a 10/20% discount. You have itemised the quote and work to do. the unit price you will have to adjust depending on your client. Will they pay $50 for a logo? or $5?
I started out small with the amount I thought I could get for a job. When I was busy, I upped my quote a bit. However, as my skills became more proficient, my rates went up. I have sites that have gone for over 6x the amount of my original works. If you believe your works are getting more proficient, bump the cost by a percentage, like 10 or 20. However, make sure you keep the medium point and you have enough work. Remember, a lot of jobs at a lower cost could make you more money then a few jobs at a higher cost.
I work mainly for corporate clients and charge by the hour. From $40/h for basic XHTML/CSS stuff to $80/h for very demanding projects (which include custom php/javascript development)
DO NOT CHARGE BY THE HOUR! Design isnt something that can be given a timeline... well let me put that better... a FIRM timeline. Also by charging by the hours you are basically robing your client blind, most people out there who seek out us designer to build a site have no clue what it takes to build a site, they also have no idea what it costs to do. When you rip a client off in order to make a quick deal you hurt yourself in the long run. Web design and development pricing should be a fixed rate. It will take you a few times to figure out how to quote people properly because you need to be sure about how long certain jobs will take so you can quote your client accordingly. to sum things up... sit down with your client and discuss the details to their full extent, make notes, go back to your office and determine how long it will take you to complete, then based on that determine a price. normally 30-50 an hour. but again you wont be quoting an hourly rate, you will simply base your fixed price quote on the amount of hours you feel it will take times an hourly rate
just like eating out, you can eat at a fast food place, grab a sandwich, or you can sit and eat at a 5 star hotel. Your still eating. The quote would be hugely different. plus dont you love those clients who order a cheeseburger. you deliver, they ask where are my fries and shake?
I don't fully agree with this. If you are an experienced designer who knows approximately how long it will take you can tell the client it will take anywhere from x-y hours at the rate of $a.bb an hour. However, the problem with this is if you go over, to avoid upsetting the client, you may have to eat a part of the profit.
you can quote as per your hourly rate. you can quote as per the functionality or complexity of the website, you can quote as per the size or number of pages of the website.. depends on the mutual understanding between you and your customer.
I don't agree with that - I don't rob my clients blind. I sit with them and inform them about what I have to do and how much time it will most likely take. Again, I'm not ripping off. I've been doing this self employed and full time for over six years. When clients ask for a fixed price, I give them one but not after explaining that it might be more expensive than invoicing by the hour. Why? Because when quoting a fixed price I have to build in a security - 10% most of the times. It's of course a matter of being honest and not over charge. I make sure before I start that things are clear and during the project I stay in touch, provide progress reports, have meetings to discuss the project. Now the above applies to projects for corporate clients who have big projects. A small business owner who wants a basic 6, 8 page site gets a fixed price.
I figured out that the best way to quote for myself is to create items such as homepage with 5 pages is a base price based on the hours that it takes to design it with no forms or database interaction. Then I have standard costs for each form, database, etc. Markup based on complexity. I have however seen this structure cause me to do a little work for free to keep the client happy although overall it works great. Thank you all for your input.