Member Avatar for Violet_82

Hi peeps,
As I'm beginning to build websites for people, well in fact this will be the first one, I was just wondering what's the best approach to take. The website in question is apparently a small one, no more than 5 pages, static (only HTML and CSS, maybe some javascript).
I've done my research on the net of course, but the price range varies so much that it is difficult to decide what to do. I was thinking the price should be in the range of £250 considering what I know so far (I don't know who will provide the design, whether it's responsive or not and who will maintain it).
Any suggestion?
thanks

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Building on what said about preferring a per-project quote and 's warning about underpricing, here is a concise, practical framework for a small (<=5 page) static site that you can use right away.

Start by turning vagueness into a short, written Statement of Work (SOW). At minimum the SOW should list: number of pages, whether it must be responsive, who supplies text/images, whether you will provide basic SEO/analytics, browser support, image licensing, number of revision rounds, delivery format (HTML/CSS/JS files), and who handles domain/hosting. Say explicitly what is out of scope (content entry, ongoing updates, plugin/licence fees).

Estimate time per task (discovery, design, build, revisions, testing, deployment). Multiply hours by an hourly rate you feel comfortable with, then add a contingency (15-30%) for scope creep. Example: estimated 15 hours x £20/hr = £300; +20% contingency = £360. Require a deposit (commonly 25-50%) and a final payment on sign-off. This keeps cashflow healthy and sets expectations.

Contract items to include: milestones and payment schedule, acceptance criteria and sign-off process (use a staging URL), limit on free revision rounds, extra-work hourly rate, and ownership transfer (files handed over once final payment is received). For small clients, have a one-page contract or SOW; it only needs to be clear, not legalese-heavy.

Practical tips: ask the client for their budget early to align expectations; use a staging site for every review; log change requests and quote them before starting; and, echoing , charge for out-of-scope work rather than doing it for free. This protects your time and builds professional habits for future projects.

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Member Avatar for hericles

The biggest mistake freelancers do when starting out is charging too little (generally thinking they can't ask too much for their current skill set). Find out what the average per hour for web design work is and use that as your base. You can go lower of course, but just keep it reasonable, don't sell yourself short.
If you're planning to charge per hour then charge a decent hourly sum remembering that this is a technical skill set. If you plan to charge for the project then calculate a decent pay rate based on how long you think it will take to do plus a fudge factor (for issues you run into along the way).
More important than that is to clearly define what it is you will do and what the client expects. Get that in writing and then work to it.
Everytime the client wants something that wasn't in the originl scope thats more money to you. DON'T GIVE AWAY YOUR TIME! Even if it's ten minutes work, your clients need to know that extra work means extra cost.

Member Avatar for Violet_82

thanks, I think I'd charge on a per-project basis (not sure why, it feels better) but I will definitely clarify what exactly the client expects, as they've been pretty vague
thanks

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