Question

You can google a few local web design companies in your local area and check out their websites to get a feel for what the average prices are in your area.

I would usually say you should take the highest price and offer a little below that but I'm guessing you are outsourcing the work and have never done it before. So I would suggest you just tell them anywhere between $550-$1000.

Also make sure you collect 50% upfront, especially if you are outsourcing. Hopefully that completely covers the cost you have to pay for the guy you are outsourcing to. Be positive whoever you are outsourcing to is going to produce A++ work. If not, no one looks bad but you.

If you need help with outsourcing web development you can PM me if you want.

"Who else have you spoken with?"

"Would you mind sharing with me, off the record, the ballpark of what they've quoted?"

There is no 'standard pricing'. There are only expectations. If a guy has spoken with $500 designers, and you quote $1000, you're going to be "too high." If he's spoken with $3000 designers, you'll be "too low and something must be wrong."

Find out what range you're in before you quote. Then at least you can adjust your approach. If you want to be lower, you can tell them an effective reason. If you're higher, you can position yourself accordingly.

Or you can throw a number out there and see what happens. Your choice.

What does their sales process look like?

How does this website fit into that?

What is the average customer value for them?

These factors contribute to your price.

One thing I really want to be clear on: deal-seekers are no good as clients. They want the moon for nothing, and don't value what you do. After all, you could be replaced with the next-cheapest designer and who cares? They sure don't.

To justify higher fees, you must have a certain level of infrastructure. You have to talk the talk of higher level designers. What does the website do? Just plop some text into place in case someone wanders by?

Does the prospect have a marketing plan and budget for bringing traffic to the site?

Are they managing inventory, accounting, EDI or other functions through the site?

If you're not getting the idea already, you have to go back and get more info about the scope from your prospect.

This is not what you do, so tell them.

Exactly. I built a site last winter for a non-profit Remnica House | Every child deserves a lifetime of peace and family harmony for $100.

Anyone else would have paid $1000 minimum and probably couldn't have gotten me to do it anyway.

I would give them your best recommendation for an established web designer.

Before you can provide them a quote first you need to know what all functions and features they will need built into their site.

Then cross reference the costs of any plugins or licenses that will be needed.

Estimate your time it will take to set up time hourly. Then add 15% more to the actual time for additional trouble shooting time that may occur.

Decide how much you are going to charge per hour of your time.

Then, viola-You have your Minimum price. You can add more to it depending on how you feel they will receive the costs.