Budget and rates

When it comes to getting the job done properly, I don’t like surprises, and I'm sure you don’t either.

That’s why I submit a detailed proposal to a prospective client before any job is accepted. The proposal will include an estimate of what the website will cost. (See below about my hourly rate billing approach).

The client gets a chance to review, comment, and revise the proposal, and, when satisfied, the client approves it, which turns the proposal into a contract.

I don’t run a “cookie cutter” operation, so I know that each job has its own requirements, which will affect costs.

Beyond the basic website, there are a range of custom items that I can additionally offer, such as photography, copy writing and editing, slide shows, YouTube videos, Google AdWords campaigns, response forms, email marketing campaigns, and integrated content management systems, etc. If any of these or other items are of interest to you, I would be glad to include them in the proposal.

Why I do hourly pricing

Because It’s Fair.

You only pay for the work I do. No “cushion” added by me to cover unknowns. I work efficiently on a speedy computer, and, after over 20 years of building websites, my workflow goes at a pretty good clip!

But, you ask, how much will it cost?

Of course you want to know approximately what the project will cost. Will it be $500? Will it be $5,000? So, after having a few conversations/emails with me, I can give you that ballpark figure. But it’s only a ballpark figure. The final cost to you might be less than the estimate — or more.

So I will provide you with that estimate. And it will most likely be a “granular” estimate — an estimate of each of these components:

1. The basic website design (colors, fonts, navigation, etc)
2. The text content (if you want me to provide it)
3. The photography (if you want me to provide it)
4. The e-commerce shopping cart (again, if)
5. The Content Management System (if)
6. Etc.

My current billable rate starts at $60 per hour and more for complex projects.

I structure the workflow of the project so you immediately receive value from my billable work. For example, when I first do the site design and architecture, you immediately own that. You can stop the project there, and pay me only for that work. Of course, if you’re happy with the value you got from that workflow module, we move on.

Time savers

As I said, I’ve been building websites for over 20 years. I know what wastes time, and what saves it. And when we start working together, I will tell you about that. I don’t want you to waste your time or your money. My top priority, honest, is for the website to save and/or make you more money than it costs.

Honest.

So I’ll start giving you some tips right now. Here are some really good time savers:

• Give me all of the text content at once.
• Give me all of the photos at once.
• Or if you want me to photograph for you, streamline the time spent.
• Don’t drag the project out, because every time I have to open it up, there is time spent getting up to speed.
• Establish priorities, putting optional items (for example, a site-based search engine) into Phase 2. Then decide whether the budget will allow for those items. In other words, let the benefits derived from the first phase of the website launch (time saved, money saved/made) work for you before expanding into the second phase.

Questions

If you have any questions about all this, just call me at 518-284-2419, or send me an email.