webdesign rates

[AdidasROXX]

I know in the ads/offer forums there are templates for sale... and to figure out rates for those you can pretty much look at the market.

but wut if you're giving a site and complete overhaul. how do you charge clients for that?? a flat rate?? or an hourly rate? how do you determine a cost for it?

[Hk-]

ermmm, let me think...
pick a random number?

[chocoholic]

i think webdesigners charge you by the hour. most of them i guess.

[pro5ject]

for large projects, which have a complete spec i charge a fixed amount for that amount of work.

for sites which develope with my and the clients ideas i charge a rate per hour, anywhere from 10 uk pounds - 25 uk pounds depending on the client and their budget.

[mikhail]

Charge per hour. That way no one gets screwed. Client doesn't pay too much for something you whipped up and you don't spend more time than agreed upon without getting paid.

[spec]

the two systems of payment are fixed and hourly. I have found most people want to deal in fixed rates (clients) b/c they are afraid you will tell then you worked 20 hours when infact you only worked 10.

For webdesign it usually starts around $250. Now that usually includes the layout only in html form.

For me I usually give a fixed rate ($N an hour x Estimated time)
This is good for beginning webdesigners to use as a template.

Hourly rates without a fixed price will not go well for wither client or designer. Most people mean well but if you say $25/h and it takes you 2 days and you charge em $1200 they're eyes will bulge and say no thanks and there goes 2 days work.

I might be making a epic novel here but here are my ideas on getting started.

Try something like this:
what do they need?
New design
New programing
Current content added

Give them a time frame
It will take me 3 days to create the design
($10 x (8h x 3))
Layout cost $240
do it
have them pay you
Give them the layout

do the next step programming

If you follow something like this there is less chance of being screwed, b/c all though you want to trust people there are alot of swindlers. My moto "you get what you pay for"

if you are unable to complete step 2 of 3 then at LEAST you have done step one they have got it and can find someone to do the rest. Contracts can be nasty and you dont want to get locked in a dispute.

Hope this makes sense. I might be wrong but this is how i would do it