What would you charge to design this website?

acidosmosis

Posts: 1,310   +0
How much would you charge for this service? I do actually work as an employee for this company, but I make $9/hour. I am 1 out of 4 employees. Two of us are techies, the other two are receptionists. I am not sure how this kind of thing is done, but I would think that I am due some sort of bonus after completing this project. In any case I want to know what your PROFESSIONAL opinion is about what I should be due (if anything) after this is completed.

I have been given the title "Webmaster" so in some ways I guess you could say I have been promoted. I am 100% in charge of our website plus customer's websites (once we start doing webhosting).

The owner has asked me to completely re-design the company website from scratch. I will be the only person working on this website.

The website will consist of several pages:

The HomePage
-high quality graphics (spliced images)
-email login with script (will remain in view at all times)
-search field with script (will remain in view at all times)
-a main "frame" (where all links will load into)
-bottom bar with contact/acceptable use policy/user policy links
-mid-top bar with the main links
-top bar with company logo

The search field and email login will actually remain on the page at all times (the page will be using tables with spliced graphics), so I will have to write up a script for both of these to work correctly.

Links from the Homepage
-> Main Links
-Home
-News
-Services
-Support
-About Us
-Contact Us
-Links
-> Misc Links
-Acceptable Use Policy
-User Policy

Graphics
-Compositing a pre-made logo (a globe) onto the page's graphics
-All other graphics from 100% scratch

ALL GRAPHICS, CONTENT, SCRIPTS, EVERYTHING.. will be done by me alone.

So at the moment from what I have told you, how much would you think I should make off this project? My hourly wage of $9? $500? $1000? $1500?

In my opinion.. $1000 or more.


Update: This screenshot is a basic IDEA of how the website will look. All graphics will be COMPLETELY different, and done by myself from scratch, with a one pre-made logo of a globe composited onto the graphics that I design for the html page. Scripts will be done by me for the search page and email login. All content will be typed in by myself.

Current Page Design (done by a former employee)
www.globalusaonline.com

RE-DESIGN WILL LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS
www.4templates.com/images/preview/xeno3bl.jpg
(you will have to copy and paste this into the address box to get the link to work).



When the work is done I will provide a link so that everyone can see the final product (due to be finished around September 1st at the latest).
 
US$1000 / US$9 = 111.11 hours of work.

You should calculate first how much time you think it will take for you to make the site and then multiply it by the hourly fee.

In my opinion, 1000 dolars is a bit low... BUT, you'll have to fight with others that'll make him the site for a lot less, you must convince the client that it's cheaper to pay $1000+ instead of $500 for a crappy page that he'll have to change in the future.

Your hourly fee will also depend of what kind of work you do. HTML, Graphics designs, Flash Design and server side applications connected to database doesn't cost the same per hour to design.

If you could tell us more what exactly your are going to put inside that site I think more people here can give you other numbers to compare.
 
Ok, I'm going to give you my point of view. I really haven't created a business website for a company yet, the owner of California National Bank want's me to make him a website sometime this summer. I haven't made an approach yet because I need to finish learning MySQL. I have created numerous gaming and professional dark sites, but I suck at white clean sites. So I am making my own projects on my computer to see how good i can do on a white site.

If you must create the search engine and an email log in thing, you should charge $1000~$1500. If you don't have to make it, don't hit over $1000. First, take a number like 500 and calculate labor at 15~30 bucks an hour, then add it up. A site like that will take you 3 weeks at a steady pace and very influenced ideas.
(Take it from me, I've made more than 50 sites and have administered at least 10).

Don't think you can charge so much because you work for him (not like I know anything about you, him, or your job), because he will seek someone else who will do the same for less. Don't take advantage of him, he will probbably know and thus know you took advantage.

What the hell do I know? I'm 16 years old and I haven't done any official work like this for a boss--yet. Though, I can tell you that I used to own a site that pulled in 1000 unique a day. That's all I can say. Long live SCN--my retired site.
 
I already told you what I am putting in the site. I work for this company and I am in charge of redesigning the website from 100% scratch. Please read my post first before replying to it.

You guys don't understand my question here.

First off I have been doing "webmastering" for about 6 years. There is no question to the quality, it will be a high quality website, and I know exactly what I'm doing. I've also been to college for computer animation so graphics are of no significant challenge.

The real question here is if I am given @*&# later on about something I want to know how much someone would charge for this type of job so I can be in an informed position to say "Hey, a high quality job like this with graphics, scripts, content, etc will cost you X amount of bucks so get over it".

The pay isn't what I am really concerned about. I'll do this for the $9/hour that I am making, because right now I am in this job for the experience and credentials. I just want to know how much I *should* be getting paid for the job in case I can use that information in the future.
 
acidosmosis,

I've read your post before replying.

I was talking about the technical part. It's not the same to calculate the price for a site in html that in ASP.net with a MS SQL database and a control panel where the own customer can change the content of their site, have custom statistics.. etc. That's a dynamic site.

I you are not going to do a dynamic site then you can't charge too much and I think that the $1000 is good, maybe a little more if you include the login and the search.
 
If you are doing all the work during your normal working hours, then I can't see how you can possibly charge for it.

You could. however negotiate a bonus, payable on completion (as you already mentioned), if he likes your work, or you could suggest doing it in exchange for some training, books, tools, etc.

The next time he asks you to do work on it, you could then ask for a raise, as your job is now more than tech support. I don't see how he could argue with that.

However, if you start asking for money straight off, then he may not take kindly to it. Just my $0.02 worth.
 
Yea, I understand what you mean. I'm actually not "charging" anything at all except for my hourly employee rate of $9. Though in the future if need be I would like to have a quoted price that other companies would normally charge for this website had someone else done the job. I also thought about $1000 would be right.

At the moment we aren't doing anything dynamic really. Though we are kind of considering it and have talked about it a bit.

One thing in the future I might try to do is implement some sort of option where people can type in their zip code to get weather information, and this information be automatically displayed in future visits (using cookies for the PC to remember the zip code). We also talked about possible stock quotes.

By any chance did you take a look at our current website? www.globalusaonline.com
I've been very unimpressed by it since I've been working here and have made numerous complaints about the un-professionalism of the design. If you look at the page you also notice that there are links to lots of useless websites. I also removed a link for AOL Instant Messenger (AOL is about the largest competition we have) recently. I didn't even ask to do it I mean it is common sense that you DO NOT do that sort of thing. LOL. You can tell the person that created the website did a very bad job, and is by far an amateur.
 
Originally posted by dani_17
I was talking about the technical part. It's not the same to calculate the price for a site in html that in ASP.net with a MS SQL database and a control panel where the own customer can change the content of their site, have custom statistics.. etc. That's a dynamic site.

EXACTLY! That is what I'm trying to say. It depends on what you do. DO NOT expect much for an HTML site with maybe iFrames, I'd laugh if you got 1000 dollars for that in the future cause whoever you sold it to is pretty stupid.

Calc your own price at the ammount of technology you use and if you have to create complex php with mysql on backend such as for a search engine, or a login, etc.

Yeah, I know, that site blows chunks. It sucks dude. I hope you do a good job on remodeling it. :grinthumb Definately an amateure's work. Just don't use templates or even make the site look like it's a template, even though it's not. That's the most unprofessional approach and I'm sure people hungry for layouts have visited free layout sites.
 
have him give you the big, bonus

tell him, what, you really want, is your own rocket ship system,(*to serve you better in your duties, hmm, cough, cough), which wouldn't be half wrong..........and, get him to commit........then, you get paid, and, you get, the big,.......bonus :eek:
 
That site does look very bland, as if it was a rush job done using templates. Its functional, but its not somewhere you would want to spend time browsing, though I've seen worse. Should be simple to brighten things up a bit.
 
there are so many sites

that for 30/50 bucks a month, you just peruse a plethora of templates, avi included.................i wouldn't even waste my time........just pick one out, and you're stylin'
 
I am a professional I wouldn't use iframes. If they were used it would be in a professional fashion. Dont insult me with such assumptions :D.

Anyway as I said the website will be composed of tables and spliced images.
 
There is nothing wrong about iFrames, nothing wrong with Classic frames, theres nothing wrong with JavaScript...etc. It's just that people doesn't always know HOW and WHEN to use them. The current site of globalusaonline.com is quite "bad"... :p

JSR, before paying 50 bucks a month to get some templates i'd rather copy another site directly... it just makes the same feeling. Templates/Modules tend to be very generic, also, if you want to take advantage of the Corporate Image of the company, you ALWAYS have to do the design from scratch.

Acidosmosis, just try to get to a price that's comfortable for both of you (i'm not getting now into if you are the employee already...etc, I assume you are getting paid for the site). But for what you said in the other post referring to the ISP software package, your boss is the kind of client that will buy the cheaper. Normally people that buy the cheaper product in the technology will finally buy the quality product... thus having the price of the cheapo+quality product.

This may be a trick: If you do a nice sample of what could be he's site, add some flash animations... just the frontpage, it can even be a whole jpeg image, don't bother with html yet, maybe he'll start thinking in the site and give you the project.
 
We spoke about flash also, and we decided against it due to the fact that we are a dialup ISP. Also from personal experience I know the majority of our customers can't even understand how to double click much less install a flash plugin. So, we decided 100% against Flash :)
 
What are you talking about? I am insulting no one here.

iFrames are the best thing to use with html. Never use SSI or frames. iFrames are the way to go. But, if you know php, definately go with php includes.

Listen to me, DO NOT USE TEMPLATES. PERIOD.
 
OMG....just had a look/see at that site Acid. Underwhelming. Always more challenging to fix crappola than start from scratch and get it blazing right to begin with. Eh?

Do me a favour, will ya? go have a look at www.inforoute.net
(don't worry, it's a Montreal based website)

I know a few website designers/webmasters, including one who is my nephew and lives in northern California. Another nephew in the U.K., as well, the designer/webmaster/owner of Inforoute is a wonderful friend. :)

They've all been at it for a goodly number of years, each and earn their livings doing just that. If it is so in your mind to, I can posit the question to each of them and let you know what they would venture.

No charge for the info they give me and I know they will judge the thing on its merits and be totally hones $$$- wise. Maybe even give you a boost up.

There are no dumb questions. Only people who don't ask them.

Ooooh, my eyeballs. This is brutal.
 
Seriously acid, I've been doing this since I was 12 years old. I've been doing this for a little bit more than 4 years. I haven't stopped making projects and I keep progressing. Please, do not ditch my thoughts as ones underminded because of experience.
 
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