A common question from other professional graphic designers is, “How much should I charge Company X for their web design?” It’s a tricky conundrum, as the quality per price ratio of the project itself is always somewhat debatable. All in all, deciding how much to charge a client for your website redesign involves almost never-ending variables including the client’s budget, the amount of time you’ve invested, as well as the quality of the production itself. However, it’s not an impossible goal to bill the client and in fact, not charging what you’re worth is downright stupid. With that in mind, take our tips below to accurately charge your clients for your next website design:

  1. The Time Factor: When billing a client for your website design, first consider the amount of time you’ll actually spend at the keyboard designing. Will it take only a weekend or will you spend an entire month hammering out each and every last detail of the included scope? If the latter, charge a hefty lump-sum for all your hard work: The quality and care you’ll put into the project should be rewarded, and don’t you dare think otherwise! However, If you’re working for a shorter amount of time, consider charging by the hour. Keep a running clock, and if the project demands fewer than 24 hours worth of work, simply bill the client for the time rendered—and perhaps with a small additional fee added on.
  2. Special Requirements: Another factor to consider is the workflow itself. Have you had to meet special demands as set by the client? Have you been forced to use materials already present that were less-than optimal for use in the new design? If you’ve had to do any translating of material, or recoding of old items, you’ll want to be sure to charge accordingly. To hesitate to tell a client the added work requires additional pay. When buying a used car, you don’t pay the asking price if the rig needs a lot of maintenance. If you’re playing mechanic, you deserve to be paid like one.
  3. Quality Concerns: Lastly, how much can you actually charge the client? In other words gather a feel for the company itself, and decide if they’re more worried about quality or speed. If their budget is large enough, take your time with the project and charge more than you think you should. This will actually make the quality-concerned buyer more comfortable with their decision to hire you, no matter what you might think.