One thing that I've noticed over the years is the wide range of fees that developers charge for their services. So my question is, what are developers supposed to use as a basis when they are coming up with prices for their services? Has anyone come up with a standard pricing index for developer work? It seems to me that the client may be likely to find that one developer may charge $1000 for creating a database driven site, while another may charge $5000 for the same site. Yet another might only charge $500. So where is the standard? Will there ever be one?
i doubt so, but am interested to hear about this. I believe if a standard is ever set, it will be the product of all of the amounts you provided, since its all about making gold ol' $$$
its hard enough to get people to use standards in development, much less rates.
i think in order for some kind of 'standard' to be accepted and adhearded to, developers would need some sort of governing body, like IEEE or OSI does for standards in networking, hardware, etc
without some governing body all the kids at scriptlance are always going to bid $5 for any job.
personally, I hope there is never a standard. I want people to bid $5 for some job. If anyone pays someone $5 for a script that is worth well in excess of hundreds, well, you get what you pay for.
free market, keeps prices down. its up to business owners to invest in quality products and make intelligent descisions.
do you need some governing body controlling how long your certification lasts or telling you you cant do something becasue you havent paid them this year?
to answer your question a little more directly, I believe a developer should charge fees based on their experience, how long a job will take, what expertise are involved, if the developer has a niche and is an expert (or just a kid), costs and overhead, etc. if you are going to take a contract or job to develop something, you owe it to the client and yourself to develop a plan before you quote someone a price. this plan should involve something similar the microsofts MSF model; microsoft solutions framework. the MSF consists of 4 main parts, all devided up into more specific task;
-envision
-planning
-developing
-deploying
if a developer makes a good enough plan, the fees should be pretty clear once the MSF is complete.
There will likely never be a standard simply because people have different requirements and as such it cannot be standardized. What it really comes down to is the amount of work and complexity of that work. For instance: a static, simple layout would without a doubt cost a lot less than a dynamic, database-driven, e-commerce oriented one. Moreover, the quality of the work should also be a key price factor. A developer using best practices deserves more than a developer in which isn't.
When I quote a job, I always tell prospective clients:
"Web design is like a paint job. It is not only about how good it looks the day after, but how long it lasts. If you do not need a guarantee that your site will be functional in a next browser release, you can certainly find someone who will make it at 20% of my quote. I'm not really concerned about losing your order, because chances are you will come back to me in a year with the request to make it right, so I will get my money, but you will pay twice..."
Most listen ... ... and those who do not are most probably a pain to work with anyway
Working web site is not the one that looks the same in a few graphical browsers, but the one that adequately delivers its content to any device accessing it.
Working web site is not the one that looks the same in a few graphical browsers, but the one that adequately delivers its content to any device accessing it.
You should do some market research for your immediate area to discover what your competition is charging. Take a look at the sites they design and develop and price accordingly.
Markets with a smaller population can't sustain a web dev business that charges what a major firm in New York City or L.A. would charge. If you are an individual developer, take an inventory of your bills. Figure about how long it takes to build a site and charge enough to pay your bills and put some money in the bank account. After all, no business can lose money.
Imagine being a one-man team. I work in an office where I do everything: graphics, html, css, javascript, php, asp, vbscript, xml xsl, mysql, postgresql, ms access, sql server, you name it. My question is, are there other developers ou there like me? I feel like I take on a boatload of responibility.
I really don't know what I'm worth anymore since I do so much. Not only that, how do I charge people with so much experience under my belt? --Craig
Originally posted by crh3675 Imagine being a one-man team. I work in an office where I do everything: graphics, html, css, javascript, php, asp, vbscript, xml xsl, mysql, postgresql, ms access, sql server, you name it. My question is, are there other developers ou there like me? I feel like I take on a boatload of responibility.
You're not the only one. I don't do any ASP, Access, or VBScript coding, or any Microsoft stuff, but just about everything else (and if I don't do it now, I'll probably be doing it in the future). It's best to learn each language, one at a time, very, very well, before going on to something else. But you know, if you're only one person, your employee expenses are less, so that is an advantage; although if you get famous and start having too much work to do, hiring some other people to do it for you and paying them isn't a bad choice, as it may be better in the long-run.
Visit Slightly Remarkable to see my portfolio, resumé, and consulting rates.
simple question... how much would you charge for a basic website, no database or scripts, just something customers can refer to as information. like prices, location, phone numbers etc.
???
o yeah, btw...
crh365- i like your website ya got there..
and Vladdy, thats a great motto...or "saying"
lol
i live by..>>
no matter how hard you try, know matter what you do, they are still going to blame you for it.
lol
Last edited by Booooze; 04-19-2004 at 11:44 PM.
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I don't do any ASP, Access, or VBScript coding, or any Microsoft stuff, but just about everything else (and if I don't do it now, I'll probably be doing it in the future). It's best to learn each language, one at a time, very, very well, before going on to something else. But you know, if you're only one person, your employee expenses are less, so that is an advantage; although if you get famous and start having too much work to do, hiring some other people to do it for you and paying them isn't a bad choice, as it may be better in the long-run.
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