basic rate & pricing information for irmacreative projects
This is the text of an actual email I received:
"Hello Mr. Azaria, I need a website. How much will that cost? Please send me what you would do and how much it would be as soon as possible. It needs to be your best cheapest price.
Thank you,
(name withheld to protect the inquisitive yet unhelpful)"
While this email is more blunt than most (and forgetting the gender confusion), it accurately reflects about 90% of my first interactions with potential clients. The first question I am almost always asked is "How much is this going to cost?" And quite often, this is followed by a plea that I offer my "best price" becase (a) the site is for a new business, (b) there probably won't be a lot of people looking at the site, and (c) the economy is bad. And just as I almost always get the same questions, I always offer the same stock answers to this request to charge my "best price."
(a) While your business may be new, mine is not. I do not need pieces to add to my portfolio. You, however, need to make a good first impression on potential customers and a clean, well-designed website is an easy way to do this and reach a broad audience. Furthermore, your website will need to grow with your business. I can help you develop a site that can be expanded seamlessly alongside your needs and budget.
(b) If you don't think your website will have a lot of traffic, then perhaps you need to rethink if you even need a website and what your specific purpose for having the site is. If the main intention of your new site is to showcase your collection of terra cotta pots, then you might be right -- and you might be better served by utilizing one of the many (free) gallery-type online services out there, the most popular being Flickr. However, if you are planning to use your website to publicize and sell your services/goods, then you need a customized website that appropriately conveys your message in tone, aesthetic and information. With an efficient and accessible website, you might just be surprised at how many users you earn.
(c) Yes, the economy is struggling these days and it is hurting everyone, including and especially freelance contractors. (Hello! That's me!) In order for me to support myself, I must charge a fair price. In order for me to give my best attention to each project, I must factor in the time I will spend working on the special details and making sure I have created the best site for you and your needs. That being said, I understand the difficult nature of our economy and I am more than willing to discuss alternative payment plans and/or brainstorm with you to decide which parts of the website are most important to the success of your websute and postpone the development of more complicated (costly) components such as an online store or interactive calendar. This will help to get your website live quickly and economically with the flexibility to add more expensive features when your budget allows.
In other words, I always offer my best prices -- just as I always offer my best work.
I cannot give any firm price estimates until I have a firm grasp of what kind of website you require. To understand better how I determine my price for a project, click here to read a few thoughts on the subject. The best way to begin working towards my design proposal and price quote is to fill out my potential client questionnaire.
Payment terms will be unique to each project and will be clearly defined in our contract. To give you a general idea, here is the breakdown of a typical payment schedule:
- 30% deposit due upon signature of contract
- 30% due upon completion and approval of PDF mockups that define the layout, aesthetic and content plan for the website
- 40% due upon launch of the website
I typically provide a draft mockup of my first ideas for your project prior to the signing of a contract. This mockup and our initial consultation is free. However, if a client wants multiple mockups prior to signing a contract, there will be a nonrefundable fee of $200-500 (based on complexity & number of mockups) that can be applied to the project rate.
