Member Avatar for basti

Hi guys,

Hope all is well, first off, happy new year to all. so here's my question, Im new to web developemnt business and a starter I guess I 'd say Im pretty lucky to start off with this project that im going to develop... anyway,

A client that I met wants a website (a clone), that similar to this "". well basically, he wants pretty much the same way how it works. So Im thinking of using Joomla. but if anyone of you guys recommend anther CMS would be much appreciated. Now, any of you guys have any idea of how much should I charge him? Im located in CAnada by the way. Thanks very much for your time.

regards,
seb

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by coolsaint

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Thread context: is planning a clone of a business-review/directory site and mentioned Joomla. Early replies touched on pricing philosophy and estimating time. Concrete pricing depends entirely on confirmed scope; the most useful next step is to turn the target site into a short, testable specification and price every item.

Typical features to confirm (turn each into a line item): public listings and categories; front-end submission with moderation; reviews/ratings and anti‑spam; search and faceted filters; map integration; paid/premium listings + gateway; user roles (owner/reviewer/admin); SEO (sitemaps, schema); import/export; analytics and reporting; mobile/responsive design.

A simple, repeatable pricing method is: break every feature into estimated hours, choose an hourly rate, add a contingency (15–25%), add third‑party costs (themes, plugins, API keys), and decide on a post‑launch maintenance retainer. Example estimate (fill your numbers):

Discovery/spec: 8 h
Design (mockups + revisions): 12 h
CMS install + theme setup: 6 h
Listing system (config/custom): 24 h
Reviews & moderation workflow: 12 h
Search/filters: 16 h
Maps integration: 8 h
Payments/premium listings: 12 h
Testing & deployment: 10 h
Training & docs: 4 h
Subtotal hours: 112 h
Contingency (20%): 22.4 h
Total hours: 134.4 h
Price = Total hours * your_rate + license + hosting + maintenance_retainer

CMS note: Joomla is workable, but evaluate alternatives before committing. WordPress has a larger plugin ecosystem and many directory plugins which can speed delivery (WordPress, Joomla). Choose the platform that minimizes custom code for required features.

Contract and delivery tips: write a one‑page scope with acceptance criteria, milestone payments, and a clear change‑request process; include a short warranty/support window and offer an optional monthly retainer for updates and moderation. Protect the site against spam/attacks and backups—follow basic security practices (OWASP). Combine ’s client-retention thinking and ’s time-buffer idea by building contingency and a post-launch support offer into the quote.

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Member Avatar for plgriffith

Charge him as much as you think he will pay comfortably. By this I mean don't be greedy. You want to get as much as possible but still make sure that you keep him as a client. If you are just starting you need to make sure you hang on to every client.

Member Avatar for coolsaint

Dear Friend, It is really tough to estimate a Web Site's price unless you review it. The Price depends mostly on Functionality of the Website and the HR (Human Resource) Time you need to make it happen. Technology is also a factor involved. For an example Cutting edge technology like AJAX can increase the price of the same functionality higer.

I will suggest you to review the Site of your clients choice.

Check the functionalities and estimate the time you need to acquire that functionality + Design. When you got the time add some more time with it. Because you never know what would happen if anything goes wrong.

So now you got the result, Time. Derive the Money you want for spending that much time. I wish you got the equation and found the result yourself. Wish you best of luck.

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