Seraph is right: there are clients out there who expect a custom WP theme design done for <$100. Some of them are just cheap. But there are some that just don’t know what’s involved. So it’s best to educate them. My 2 cents!

Cheers!

I actually had one guy a few weeks back who wanted a full website with flash headers, an admin backend, membership database, etc etc….and he wanted it for under $150.

Up until now, I thought that I must be the only person (especially in my market which is in and around Salt Lake City) who does web site design & development by hand to deliver a creative, hand-made “one-off” project.

The problem that I typically face is this: Although I am much, much more affordable than any of the local design agencies, most of the people who ask me for bids are expecting $10/hr rates AND somehow think that a logo should take one to two hours, they also believe that a web application GUI just kind of falls into place as you program along (oh, not more than a couple of hours per page, by the way, regardless of complexity) and so on.

Then comes the added headache of combining design with functionality (say, a shopping cart and a payment gateway integration) which poses interesting challenges to me.

At any rate, I appreciate your insights. Even though I will have to adjust my rates according to the market and the competition and what my clients ultimately can (and are willing to) pay, I’m still glad to find out how you think about that, and how you come to your conclusions.

Thanks!

WebGyver

It’s great to read this sort of thing and see how other people cost out projects. It’s almost like asking what brand of underwear someone wears if you ask them how they estimate or bill. A strange taboo, but present nonetheless.

I tend to reward good clients in the end with a few conspicuous added value bits…essentially a bonus for *good behavior*. High-maintenance clients certainly aren’t penalized, but they get exactly what they pay for and pay for what they get. Otherwise, my methods are pretty on the mark with yours.

Thanks for the post.

The last paragraph is very true however, in that your pricing very much depends on your experiences and personal choice. But, for beginners in the industry looking for guidance on how to start charging for things before they have those past experiences - this is a great article to start from.

Its in the price range that most people could afford if you split the payments into 2 or 4.