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Question About Web Design Services

by Finandom
11 replies
Hi guys, I have some questions about web design services and would like to ask here:

1. How do you charge your clients on web design?
2. How do you prevent clients from keep changing and complaining about the web design?
3. How do you understand what is the needs of a clients on web design?

I have a client who doesn't have any web pages for his business. He is asking me for the quotation to create a web site for his business.

Thanks
#design #question #services #web
  • Profile picture of the author atrbiz
    Originally Posted by Finandom View Post

    Hi guys, I have some questions about web design services and would like to ask here:

    1. How do you charge your clients on web design?
    2. How do you prevent clients from keep changing and complaining about the web design?
    3. How do you understand what is the needs of a clients on web design?

    I have a client who doesn't have any web pages for his business. He is asking me for the quotation to create a web site for his business.

    Thanks
    Hey there,

    I have many web design clients and just thought I'd give you some quick advice:

    1) I charged based on the project complexity - (does the client need just a basic informational site for their business? do they need e-commerce functionality? do they need a membership portal? etc...the more functionality the more work.

    2) Communication is vital. The initial consultation is very important - you need to gather as much information upfront, ASK all the questions you need to get an idea of the website they want... what type of front end design they want, how many pages, will they provide logo?,etc.

    I've had to cut business relationship with a client before because they kept wanting changes outside what was agreed upon for free - and I ended up cutting them loose because they were taking advantage of me.

    3) I do this several ways: solid initial client consultation with a questionnaire/guideline I use to gather all info, such as target market, logo, color scheme, competitor sites, any sites design they like? and why?, purpose of site?,etc.

    Best of luck,
    Ahmad
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  • Profile picture of the author Zen Productions
    Originally Posted by Finandom View Post

    Hi guys, I have some questions about web design services and would like to ask here:

    1. How do you charge your clients on web design?
    2. How do you prevent clients from keep changing and complaining about the web design?
    3. How do you understand what is the needs of a clients on web design?

    I have a client who doesn't have any web pages for his business. He is asking me for the quotation to create a web site for his business.

    Thanks

    1. This depends on his needs. If he is a simple business then a simple 5 page site should be perfect if that is the case anywhere form $300-500 should be good. Make sure to get reoccurring income and charge $25-$50 a month for 6-12months.

    2. Again, this is based on what niche he is in. If it is a restuarant then they will want to change every 3 days. Which in that case I make the front page a "blog type" so they can eaily update every day and I sell that as one of the features. If its a roofer who may never change his site, then I give him 2 re-designs a year. Most of the time they will never use it.

    3. This should be done by you, I made a post about how to know exactly what a client wants in this forum its on the front page look for it . Don't expect him to do any of the work, because he shouldn't. Go in and ask detailed questions on what he is looking for. Have three samples ready from different websites in his industry and ask which ones he likes the best.


    Quotes are hard, usually I always wait to the last second to give someone the price because If I can convince him to buy before he knows the price then most times I can charge double of what I normally do. In this case just quote high and he keeps backing off you can say something like

    "well, ok Mr. Prospect, I usually charge $500 but since I can see we both really want this relationship to continue i'll be willing to work at a discount for $400"

    If he keeps trying to get you to go down then just drop him. Make him want you and your golden!
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by Zen Productions View Post


      Quotes are hard, usually I always wait to the last second to give someone the price because If I can convince him to buy before he knows the price then most times I can charge double of what I normally do. In this case just quote high and he keeps backing off you can say something like
      This is exactly what not to do if you want to build a great reputation.

      Have set prices for packaged plans.. have available add ons, and then have an option for a custom job.

      1.) I charge all up front for anything under $4,000. Sometimes I have my lowest plan at $499, others $699... sometimes I use coupons depending on the advertising I am doing. It depends on what they need.

      2.) If you get the right type of client then you won't have this problem. If they want changes, no problem. If they like the basic frame of the site, then we move forward, if they have issues with graphics, no problem... change text? Cool... want a template or something completely redesigned? Then you're paying me the fee again since you now will have 2 websites. Communication is definitely key.

      3.) You should know this before you even start the project. Ask.
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      • Profile picture of the author Zen Productions
        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        This is exactly what not to do if you want to build a great reputation.

        Have set prices for packaged plans.. have available add ons, and then have an option for a custom job.
        I would disagree, if your starting a business then maybe you have a point; however, if you are a freelancer with no business then having a variable to change your price is the way you survive.

        You should have done your homework beforehand and when you are on the close the price should not be brought up until the end of the sale. If he wants something simple then it should be a simple price based on his needs. However, if he want something extensive then you should be able to double your price without having to backtrack.

        If you come in and say websites are are this set price and then have to backtrack at the end, in my experience doesn't go well.

        However, I am just a freelancer
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        • Profile picture of the author somacorellc
          Originally Posted by Zen Productions View Post

          If you come in and say websites are are this set price and then have to backtrack at the end, in my experience doesn't go well.

          However, I am just a freelancer
          This is a great way to end up with a pain in the ass client that knows they can beat you up over price and can probably beat you up over changes to the website.

          Whether or not you're a freelancer is irrelevant, your quote for the job is $x. If the client doesn't like $x or can't afford $x, too bad.

          That is not to say you can't negotiate or have different pricing levels, but backing down on price just for the sake of pushback is weird.


          To answer the OP:

          1. How do I charge? By requirements gathering and estimating, then giving them three options.

          Option 1 is the estimate x2 for the premium stuff
          Option 2 is standard stuff
          Option 3 is bottom of the barrel stuff

          The goal is to steer towards option 1 or 2. Usually they pick 2. Win/Win

          2. By charging prices that discourage these types of clients from contacting you.

          I believe #3 has been discussed sufficiently.
          Signature
          Web Design Columbia SC
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          • Profile picture of the author SEO Jerry
            I suggest you sit down with a pen and paper and ask yourself how long it takes you to build a basic 5-pager, a 10-pager, and a large site. Then add in your hourly rate for images/image creation (headers, logos, etc).

            My bottom rate for any site build is $1000. I enjoy building them, and my work is very good with SEO built in. Plus, it will take you 10 hours to start and finish a good ~7 page site with some nice graphics and decent optinized content.

            Also quote your fee for the follow-on offsite SEO work and a third dollar figure for your monthly maintenance.

            Keep to your deadlines and remember that some clients are problem children, and some of those problem children get referred away from me. I will fire a trouble-maker in a second, and as for "free" work - don't do it. Just show them that you kept your promise and anything beyond that is x-dollars.
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            Jerry Davis, Sr. Developer/Marketer
            Houston Website Optimization
            Dallas Wedding Photographer
            Houston Pool Repair

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    • Profile picture of the author reactiontm
      Originally Posted by Zen Productions View Post

      In this case just quote high and he keeps backing off you can say something like

      "well, ok Mr. Prospect, I usually charge $500 but since I can see we both really want this relationship to continue i'll be willing to work at a discount for $400"
      So you're training your client in the following ways:

      1- your price quotes mean nothing
      2- they should never take your initial offer
      3- negotiate every little thing
      4- since you're willing to throw away $100 at the drop of a hat, they're now curious to see just how far they can test you in terms of pricing
      5- in fact, soon enough, everything you say now becomes called into question

      I tell you what: from the dishonest/misleading initial approach you claim to use, to the lack of legitimacy that you add to your pricing, it's a miracle that you're able to sell anything at all.

      The average buyer is SKEPTICAL. They're looking for reasons NOT to buy and NOT to do business with you. And with the things you've been saying in this and other threads, unless your prospects are completely asleep at the wheel, surely they detect both of these subtle and overt warning signals.

      It can't be helping.
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  • Profile picture of the author dogstar
    I tend to agree with SEO Jerry on pricing...unless you have canned sites that you can slap up quickly, $1000 is a good starting place. Plus, get like 30% to 50% upfront when they agree to go forward...it has been a good policy for us...
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    Truth About Marketing

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    • Profile picture of the author somacorellc
      Originally Posted by dogstar View Post

      I tend to agree with SEO Jerry on pricing...unless you have canned sites that you can slap up quickly, $1000 is a good starting place. Plus, get like 30% to 50% upfront when they agree to go forward...it has been a good policy for us...
      My mother gave me the best advice a few years back.

      "Charge twice as much as it's worth and get half up front."
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      Web Design Columbia SC
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  • Profile picture of the author genanovlis
    It depends on the type of his business strategy.If you want to build a 5 pager website then you can charge him $500.If you are making a site with various internal pages, then you can charge him on monthly basis or hourly basis starting with $50 or something like that.You need to update the site with every new fact or information in the form of videos, images or presentations.The structure and content of the site should be unique and keyword rich.
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  • Profile picture of the author zon3d
    Make sure you have a contract between you and the client.
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    Web Design Brisbane
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