Thread: Pricing for a project....

I would say it is best to charge per hour. You should give an estimate of hours it will take - this is the hardest part of it all. On eof my professors, who worked for IBM said that the way they estimated hours was to think of the longest possible tmie it will take, than multiply it by 2.

If this is your first gig don't charge too much though, as it will be a valuable learning experiance for you as well.

>>validating how many hours I've worked for<<

there should be an agreed to contract beforehand.

Hi jverkoey,

You have some good questions. From what I've seen in the web design industry is usually a flat fee for design, depending on an average of how many hours it may take you to complete the project. Any additional run-ins do count, and you should be able to charge more if seen fit.

a) $300 once I finish the site, plus 5% payments from profits over time
» This sounds reasonable.

b) $500 one time payment once I'm done.
» That is a good starting price. Databases, and other complex systems can be time consuming. Keep in mind they will want changes and modifications to the database and/or advertisements, message board, etc... You could state where they might pay an hourly rate for any additional changes after the job is complete.

Most companies charge from $1000 to $3000 for poorly generated static pages, etc... I don't think realtors should mind paying an extra $5 to $25 an hour for additional maintenence and/or support. It could help them and help you. Like a win-win situation. Just try not to over-charge, for it may discourage them.


Just my two cents,
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I break the project down into smaller parts.
Then smaller again until each task described and time can be estimated.

You can then point out which bits are expensive ect when discussing the price.

Be sure to point out what is your responsibility to fix later, what they will have to pay for. What you need them to supply you before, during and after the project.

As to price, check you competitors sites for a guide to prices (or ring and ask)