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How do you charge for small changes to websites?

by Naets
8 replies
Hey guys,

I build websites for clients and every now and again they come back and ask for changes to their site - some changes are big and some are small.

My question is, how do you change for SMALL changes? For example if they ask you just to remove a page. Or add a menu tab. Or add one image. etc. Something that only takes you a minute or 2.

Do you accumulate a few minutes work here, and a few minutes there and bill them when you reach on hour? Or do you charge minimum 1 hour or 30 mins or whatever?

I would like not to charge for really small thing but people tend to keep coming back and expecting you to do things for them for free. What do you do?
#charge #small #websites
  • Profile picture of the author bradstern
    If it's something that would just take less than 2 minutes, I would be willing to do that for free.

    If it's more than that or is something you would classify as a 'big task,' that is the time I would charge. The amount would probably be in proportion to how much you would regularly charge.

    You can at least quantify it in something like: "This seems to be like 25% of what I usually do." That means I would charge around 25% of my normal asking rate.
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  • Profile picture of the author imsolutionsgroup
    If this is a client you worked for in the past I suggest either offer them a support package or provide them with an hourly rate for miscellaneous website support like this.

    Of course, make the package more appealing so you can get this client on a monthly retainer.
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  • Profile picture of the author chemifarma
    It depends on so many factors such as the client, the type of change, how long will it take, is this
    do able or can you do it for free etc... and you can make the decision for yourself. In my case I do not charge for simple things I just do it for the better-man of the relationship that I have with the client.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brian Arthur
    Hi Naets

    From personal experience I found some (not all) quick jobs can end up taking longer than expected. So now what I offer to my clients is the first X amount of time is free then afterwards its a standard hourly rate. It would be up to you as to what you would be willing to do for free.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anthem40
    Part of my website sales process is giving them 2 hours of support for free once it is completed. After completing those 2 hours of work, I generally will sell them a year long support package. I have a standard price and a "you are a shitty client" price that is a certain percentage higher depending on how much of a pain they are.
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    95% of IM'ers have great relationships with clients who also advertise offline and with other people. Stop missing out on that cash and leverage into it. PM me if you are an established marketer and want to find out how.
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  • Profile picture of the author reboot38
    My question is, how do you change for SMALL changes? For example if they ask you just to remove a page. Or add a menu tab. Or add one image. etc. Something that only takes you a minute or 2.
    A quick job < 5 minutes would be on me but I would make sure they understood why it was a free because it was a super quick fix.

    Do you accumulate a few minutes work here, and a few minutes there and bill them when you reach on hour?
    I have and would never do it again. When I did do it, it was against my will It's an unnecessary headache. If you have a client who frequently needs small changes, set them up on a monthly support plan.

    Or do you charge minimum 1 hour or 30 mins or whatever?
    I charge by the hour. If I'm sure that it's not going to take more then thirty minutes I only charge half my rate but, again, I make sure they understand my policy is to charge by the hour and that charging them by the half-hour is the exception. The "give an inch, take a foot" rule can come into play here if you're not careful.

    More often then not, I quote smaller projects based on the amount of time I think it will take me. If I go over, it's my loss. I always pad an hour and if something comes up that was unexpected then I make it known that it will cost additional to complete the project.
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  • Profile picture of the author slc4us
    Get the tool for editing your website may help you and also you can discus with me later.
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  • Profile picture of the author amcg
    Originally Posted by Naets View Post

    Hey guys,

    I build websites for clients and every now and again they come back and ask for changes to their site - some changes are big and some are small.

    My question is, how do you change for SMALL changes? For example if they ask you just to remove a page. Or add a menu tab. Or add one image. etc. Something that only takes you a minute or 2.

    Do you accumulate a few minutes work here, and a few minutes there and bill them when you reach on hour? Or do you charge minimum 1 hour or 30 mins or whatever?

    I would like not to charge for really small thing but people tend to keep coming back and expecting you to do things for them for free. What do you do?
    I'm assuming you use some kind of online accounting (Xero) or invoice (Freshbooks) software - can you not just send them an invoice? If you charge clients on an hourly or project basis, invoicing them using these online systems should be relatively straight forward.
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