Hi,
Basically, I was just wondering how much people charge for sites they have designed with Freeway. I know that there are pros out there who use Freeway and charge for their work but how much do they charge? Is it less than normal web design due to the fact that it isn’t ‘hand coded’?
Thanks,
FT
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My rate is the same, but an overall project might end up being less because it takes less time.
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The tools that you use for a job should not affect the pricing. If you dug a hole by hand with a shovel or used a mini digger then would you charge less because the digger took less time? You charge for the result not the method.
If you are charging for a site on a per hour basis then as Joe says it might work out cheaper for the Client than someone hand coding.
Bear in mind that this is a competitive world and if you have that ‘time’ edge over the competition then don’t give it away.
A hand coded site is not necessarily any better than a site built with FW so why should you charge any less than the competition.
David
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I love these kinds of questions. I get this all the time from my customers. . My answer.
Are you going to give me all the content? Images? Text? Logos? Tell me how many pages you want? Do the photography? Draw the pictures? Edit the text? Verify the links? Tell me the colors to use? Design the buttons, layouts, forms, etc.?
If I’m just a technician, fine. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it by the hour.
If I have to answer all those questions and create/find all those answers, then I’ll still do it by the hour but it will take a lot more time. And cost a lot more money.
Freeway or coding. We all use the tools we know and as we know more we can make more.
And I agree with Dave & Joe.
That’s my 2 cents.
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I agree with Joe, but somewhat disagree with DeltaDave.
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On 12 Dec 2008, 9:50 pm, Dan J wrote:
I agree with Joe, but somewhat disagree with DeltaDave.
Hi Dan, which part do you disagree with - I am interested in your take on the subject,
David
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On 12 Dec 2008, at 15:45, Fergus T wrote:
Basically, I was just wondering how much people charge for sites
they have designed with Freeway. I know that there are pros out
there who use Freeway and charge for their work but how much do they
charge? Is it less than normal web design due to the fact that it
isn’t ‘hand coded’?
Charge what you like. Whether or not you’re using Freeway doesn’t
really come into it. What you do comes out of your head, you make it
from scratch, you dream it up. What you use to actually get it out
there is of no importance at all. The creativity is yours alone. Maybe
Freeway frees you up to get even more creative because you don’t have
to waste time worrying about the hack work, in which case, charge
more. I’m serious, by the way. You make all the choices; you decide
what type to use, what leading, what white space, what graphics and at
what size and presentation, you decide the layout of the whole thing
so that it looks lovely. Compared to that, software is of minor
importance, which is not to detract from Freeway’s genius in any way.
I do a lot of my design in the shower, or while walking my neighbour’s
dog; those are the bits I charge for.
best wishes,
Paul Bradforth
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This is an interesting subject…thanks for all the prompt replies, it’s good to hear all the different opinions!
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Paul said:
Charge what you like…
Not so much what you like as what you think you can get away with.
Do you really want to do the job - then be keener on price to get it.
Not fussed if you get it or not because the Client is a PITA - then add 50% - a bonus if you get it, no loss if you don’t.
Don’t be too worried about being cheaper or more expensive than your competition - there are wildly different price structures out there and you are bound to be cheaper than some and dearer than others - no matter what the others are charging.
But remember if the Client is buying on price alone the job is probably not worth having.
David
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On Dec 12, 2008, at 6:23 PM, DeltaDave wrote:
But remember if the Client is buying on price alone the job is
probably not worth having.
You hit the nail on the head in this statement. I have had people say,
“I have a budget of $200 per month and I need this and this and this
done every week. You can’t go over the $200. Can you do it?” I just
say, “No, I can’t.”
You want people who want you because they like your work or they know
someone who recommends you and your service, someone who trusts you to
be able to do the job for them, who values a responsive web designer.
Those are the people who aren’t going to nickel and dime you and try
to get something for nothing.
I have taken over several websites where people paid really good money
for a very upscale site, but then couldn’t get the web designer to do
any updates. Too busy, I guess. Didn’t even respond to emails. The
nicest site in the world isn’t worth it if the customer support isn’t
there.
Robin Stark
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Have a look at this site to get an idea of what people are offering and then decide if it’s worth it to you to jump in a give it a whirl.
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Forget about the tool used and figure how much you need to earn
annually to keep everything spinning. Just to be safe figure that out
of the normal 2080 work hours per year (40/wk x 52 weeks) that you’ll
spend only 1000 hours doing actual billable work with the remaining
time spent trying to develop new clients, unless your fortunate enough
to have a nearly constant stream of work then more power to you. So if
you need to earn $80k/yr then assume you’ll need to charge $80/hr. Of
course actually getting paid that is much easier said than done but at
least it’s a starting point; a reference.
Something else to consider is the type of client you’re going after
and your skill level. If for example you plan to compete at a higher
level (think corporate) and land clients with deep pockets and big,
complex design needs then you may well be able to charge a lot but
you’ll also need the skill set and experience to go with the high
rate, it’ll be expected. But if your intended client base is more
modest then you may find they are less willing or able to throw down
long green (especially in this economy) in which case you need to
decide how flexible you’re willing to be with your pricing to get the
job but still feel like it was worth your time and effort and eat
every day. Not easy decisions to make. Ultimately we’re all at the
mercy of what the market will tolerate. My market may pay more than
yours and yours may pay more than Susie Web Designer in North Dakota
so there’s yet another factor that comes into play.
Figure out what you need to earn to live comfortably and work from
there. If your expectations are unrealistic then the market will let
you know in short order. You’ll recognize the sign: when you look at
your dinner plate it’ll be empty.
Todd
On Dec 12, 2008, at 9:45 AM, Fergus T wrote:
Basically, I was just wondering how much people charge for sites
they have designed with Freeway. I know that there are pros out
there who use Freeway and charge for their work but how much do they
charge? Is it less than normal web design due to the fact that it
isn’t ‘hand coded’?
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Here’s a neat tool to help determine hourly rates
http://freelanceswitch.com/rates/
Marcel
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You’ll recognize the sign: when you look at
your dinner plate it’ll be empty.
Hah, that might do me some good. 
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Some interesting stuff here…! Thanks!
Does anyone have an example of a website they designed with Freeway, that a client payed for - and how much the client payed?
Hopefully that won’t be taken the wrong way, would just be interesting to see the type of work that is getting done for certain prices.
Thanks, ft
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On 13 Dec 2008, at 00:23, DeltaDave wrote:
Not so much what you like as what you think you can get away with.
Should have made myself a bit clearer: when I said ‘charge what you
like’, I assumed that ‘what you like’ would incorporate an
understanding of market forces 
best wishes,
Paul Bradforth
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You hit the nail on the head! To work out what to charge, you first need to know what it costs you to produce said work, then add your profit to that.
This is why prices vary so much, everybody’s overheads are very different.
David
On 13 Dec 2008, at 4:13 am, Todd wrote:
Forget about the tool used and figure how much you need to earn annually to keep everything spinning.
David Owen ::
Freeway Friendly Web Hosting and Domains
http://www.ineedwebhosting.co.uk
Could you tell us all what you’re currently charging for sites? Also do you work from home or your own office? Do you have any staff? Are you working full time doing web sites creating taxable income, or just on an adhoc basis for friends and family.
On 13 Dec 2008, 11:20 am, Fergus T wrote:
Some interesting stuff here…! Thanks!
Does anyone have an example of a website they designed with Freeway, that a client payed for - and how much the client payed?
Hopefully that won’t be taken the wrong way, would just be interesting to see the type of work that is getting done for certain prices.
Thanks, ft
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I do a lot of my design in the shower, or while walking my neighbour’s
dog; those are the bits I charge for.
You charge for your time in the shower? Man, I like that!
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I haven’t yet charged for any of the sites I’ve made - they’ve all been for friends and family etc. and used as portfolio builders…and they seem to have worked, a large leisure company has approached me about web design for their new cinema! so…that’s why I thought I’d ask the initial question. And no, I have no staff!
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