If you are starting to venture into website development, the first question that you should ask is how much you should charge your client. You want to stay competitive in the market, but at the same time, you want to ensure that the price points are appealing to your target market. When starting, you may choose to use templates and customize those templates to meet the demands of your clientele. So, how much should you charge for a website with maintenance? Here are a few things to consider.
Charge for the template
A basic WordPress template may be free or up to $300. Start your pricing by finding all of the plugins and add-ons the client wishes to have. They are not all free. If you are trying to push the user experience, you will need more than just the apps for the site. You will need to have supporting applications for the website. Take this into consideration. Most plugins are under $10 a piece. Combine this cost with the cost of the template to find out how much to charge.
How many pages?
Page count is significant when pricing the website. Look at the template and determine how many pages are provided. Some templates allow you to add additional pages for a fee, while many templates do not include such. When this is the case, you will need to code the pages or purchase a different template. Any changes to the template should be added to the overall cost.
Page count should be determined before doing any customizations to the website. The client should provide you with a brief of what is expected on each page.
Are you charging for your expertise and time?
Regardless of the template used, there will be a necessary level of design work. This is especially true if you use an HTML theme that requires coding manipulation to look and feel for the client's needs. Charge the client a rate that is equivalent to your skills and the estimated time it will take to complete the template customization. The cost for building a site can range from $500 up. If using a WordPress template, the cost is substantially lower as the customization is pretty much drag and drop on most available templates. Price your time per hour rather than give an overpriced evaluation.
Cost of Maintenance for a template site
The type of website will change the amount that you should charge for the development and management of the site. Small blogs should charge between $5 and $25 per month. Portfolios should be no more than $60. Business websites should be $35-$300 depending upon the size of the company and the amount of labour required each month to keep the site up and going. If there are any particular tasks associated with the running and maintenance of the site, factor in the cost.
For example, if you use a template to make a logistics site for a client and the client wishes for you to tie the site to their IMS or WMS software, you should charge for the IT it will take to maintain the website's stability.
Website hosting
The domain and web hosting services that you choose will determine the amount charged every month to the client. There are many affordable WordPress hosting sites and low price web hosting for HTML, C++, or CSS sites. Before committing to a hosting platform, discuss with your client the amount of control you have over the site and the amount of control they wish to have. Additionally, if the hosting server provides services, check to see if there are any potential fees. An example will be if a site uploads content and a maximum on the storage site or uploads per month. Such costs should be passed to the client.
Domain name registration
Most domains can be registered for around $15 for the first year. After that, the cost increases, and there is typically a fee involved. While you can purchase names from a low-cost domain registration site, it is recommended that you find a site that offers multiple years of domain registration for a fixed fee. When purchasing your domain, do an audit on the domain's value. If the name has several similar domains priced high, the odds are that the domain name will increase substantially when it comes time to renew it.
How much should you charge?
After factoring in the cost, the total would be $500. This does not include the web hosting or the domain name, as these will change depending on the domain and website services that you choose to use. Keep in mind that this is the minimum average. The cost may increase or decrease depending upon the work that needs to be done, the type of template bought, the amount of maintenance expected to be conducted, and the profit margin you wish to have from the sale.
Friday, October 22, 2021