Category: General Development

Why I charge a lot for a website

Googling “web design price” returns so many price variations it would drive anyone — especially a newbie freelance web designer/developer — up the wall.  It’s not funny.  You’ll see prices like “$299 for a 4-6 page website,” $350 a homepage & $75/page,” etc.

This is cheap, but usually they’re also ugly because these websites use already-made, boilerplate templates, which, in the end, makes the website just like the 50,000 others already out there.

Designing and developing a website takes a lot of time and effort, especially if the person working on it has his/her reputation on the line.  Being a believer of “you get what you pay for,” I believe this also applies to web design/development.  You can either buy a Toyota Corolla (cheap and like everbody else’s car) or get a Ferrari (expensive but unique).

A passionate and good designer/developer would employ the following (at the least):

  • Best practices
  • Standards-compliance
  • Use optimal CSS/XHTML structure and adaptation
  • Compose professional-looking graphics
  • Create a clean, unique, and striking feel of the website
  • Be so detail-oriented as to having OCD (e.g. looks at pixel spacing)

I’m writing this blog not to preach or rant, but to share my experience and explain why I charge $1,500 and up to design/develop a website.  I’ll say it again, it comes down to “you get what you pay for.”  Heck, I put in a lot of time and effort, not to mention the time I’m losing from spending time with my family, to create that quality website.

My pragmatic programmer goals

In light of Tip 8: Invest Regularly in Your Knowledge Portfolio in The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master, I’m adding/copying these bullet points [from the book] for archival and sharing purposes.  Here goes:

  • Learn at least one new language every year. Different languages solve the same problems in different ways. By learning several different approaches, you can help broaden your thinking and avoid getting stuck in a rut. Additionally, learning many languages is far easier now, thanks to the wealth of freely available software on the Internet (see page 267).

  • Read a technical book each quarter. Bookstores are full of technical books on interesting topics related to your current project. Once you’re in the habit, read a book a month. After you’ve mastered the technologies you’re currently using, branch out and study some that don’t relate to your project.

  • Read nontechnical books, too. It is important to remember that computers are used by people—people whose needs you are trying to satisfy. Don’t forget the human side of the equation.

  • Take classes. Look for interesting courses at your local community college or university, or perhaps at the next trade show that comes to town.

  • Participate in local user groups. Don’t just go and listen, but actively participate. Isolation can be deadly to your career; find out what people are working on outside of your company.

  • Experiment with different environments. If you’ve worked only in Windows, play with Unix at home (the freely available Linux is perfect for this). If you’ve used only makefiles and an editor, try an IDE, and vice versa.

  • Stay current. Subscribe to trade magazines and other journals (see page 262 for recommendations). Choose some that cover technology different from that of your current project.

  • Get wired. Want to know the ins and outs of a new language or other technology? Newsgroups are a great way to find out what experiences other people are having with it, the particular jargon they use, and so on. Surf the Web for papers, commercial sites, and any other sources of information you can find.

It’s important to continue investing. Once you feel comfortable with some new language or bit of technology, move on. Learn another one.