Design your way

Working as a web designer is not an easy job. It can be very expensive to get started.

These expenses include your computer and the hardware and software needed to do the job. You will also need a portfolio for people to look at the work you are capable of doing.

This will take time to build. Now that we have everything gathered up to start work it is time to start making some money.

Placing value on Your work

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When deciding what to charge for your work make sure to take into consideration your time and experience. If you have little experience do not try to charge the same prices of someone that has 5 years under their belt. You need to be reasonable with your prices to increase business as well as gain clients.

It is extremely important to get the pricing right. You need to build a client base to start with, to build your portfolio with positive feedback from clients, and thus build the business on a strong foundation. Remember this is your responsibility and the future of continued work starts here.

If you are new to the freelancing world do some research to see what others are charging and compare their experience level as well. This will give you a base to start with. You want to be able to be fair in your price to the customer, you don’t want them to feel overcharged but you don’t want to seem cheap either. Do some studying before placing a price on your work?

Starting a new journey in life can bring lots of different emotions. You may feel excitement, nervous, or scared. Whatever the emotion, they will settle down after you finish a couple of projects and get the positive feedback you are looking for. On the other hand, if you get rejected, do not give up, use what you learned from this project to improve your efforts. If at first you don’t succeed try, try, again!

Your Expenses

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Job related expenses: these may include rent or a mortgage for a place to work, insurance, equipment, internet connections, a computer and the software and hardware to do the job, web hosting and phone charges are a few things that are important to think about.

Living expenses: these are expenses that everyone has, like housing expense, a car or some sort of transportation, utilities, as well as food.

Contingency plan: this is money you have put back for emergencies that may come up. For instance, if your computer quits working it has to be replaced so you can get back to work. If you have a contingency plan, then you will have the money to replace the computer and get right back to work without losing time.

Client Expectations

Some of your clients will come to you with a project completely mapped out with what they want. Others will not have a clue what they want or need, with these clients it will be your responsibility to make sure they understand what they are asking for and what it entails this will include you having to:

• Explain the process in depth to them and help them to get through the decisions that need to be made.
• Show them how you are going to create a web site for them. This may require some teaching skills.
• Make sure the client knows his needs and interest are foremost in your mind.
• Give them a base price and options to choose from each at an added price or included in base price. This gives them input into what is on their website and makes them part of the process.

Simple or Complex Website

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Understand whether you are doing a simple webpage or a complex webpage. It is very important to know the difference between the two. A simple webpage is just that simple it is quick and easy to get done therefore cost less to have done.

On the other hand, a complex website takes a lot of time to get done and has a lot of different features on it. Due to the time and effort these types of websites cost much more than a simple one.

It is up to you to help the client decide what type of webpage is best for their company and within their budget. Give them examples of webpage designs with prices for each and discuss the advantages of each one, with this information the client can then make an informed choice as to what they need.

Timeline

It is very important to determine how long the project will take to do. You need to set deadlines for each project you and meet those deadlines in order to be a productive freelancer and make the money you desire. Do not trade quality for a quick timeline as this will not bring you more clients. Be sure to allow enough time to give your customer a top quality webpage.

Number of Revisions to Include

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You need to limit the number of times you will make revisions to the project as some customers will continually ask you to change this or that during the project. This will cost you time and money. In order to stay on schedule, you must limit these interruptions.

There will always be some tweaks that need to take place or a few changes to meet the clients’ needs. This is always standard procedure and should be taken into consideration when figuring the time, it will take to do the job.

Charging by the hour or by the Project

When quoting web design project, trying to decide how to charge, per hour or by project, can be a challenge. In some cases’ it is better to charge by the hour and in others it would be better to use a fixed price per project.

Most clients would prefer to pay a fixed price per project because the price is given up front for the basic project this will allow them to make changes according to the budget they have because, they can add other features and will know the price for each feature added. This will make sure they do not go over budget on the project.

There are benefits to charging by the hour as well as charging by the project. There are also disadvantages to both. Check into each before making a choice as to which one will work best for you.

Best Quality for the Money

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Make sure you provide clients the best of quality work. You will earn more clients and better reviews if people know they are getting a great value for their money. This is very important for the sustainability of your freelance career. People will be loyal to you because you provided excellent work at a good price.

The Final Decision is Yours to Make

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If you are new to freelancing it could be advantageous to use the price per project method to start with so as not to overcharge the client because, it took longer to finish the project than first thought. Due to the lack of inexperience it will probably take longer to do until you get it down. You can always update your pricing as your experience grows.

More Experienced freelancers may choose either or both ways to charge knowing how long most projects take to get done.

Carefully think about each option before making a choice as the future of your freelancing career may depend on it.

I hope that this guide on how to quote a design project helps you to better optimize your fees.

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