April 13, 2006
Good Point
imagined by: James Mathias
It’s not very often I read something that I 100% agree with online, but that seems to be the case with this article by Chris Tacy from my home town.
Good points are made about the actual costs of developing web-sites, and getting what you pay for. A must read for any developer or potential client.
Good Point
- 04.13.06 at 3:15pmthrown down:
- James Mathiasimagined by:
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8 comments
Apr. 17, 2006 (5:18pm) [#1]
Jordan
Hmm I still think $10k is a bit much per page! I did a website for a company who sold photographs, built a gallery for them and integrated online shopping into it as well as a nice site design, standards the lot. All for £300. You may call me cheap, but there is reasonable and there is greedy.
Apr. 17, 2006 (6:04pm) [#2]
James Mathias
I understand your point, but I think you missed the actual point of the article. It’s not saying that the developer should get 10K per page, it is saying that when all is said and done and all costs are tallied you are going to be looking at a 10K per page average.
In any case 300 pounds for what you describe is grossly undercharging, and it places a low value on yourself and the work you produce as well as the industry and the work we all produce overall.
And in the end the major idea from that article is not to undervalue yourself or others by charging ridiculously low prices.
Apr. 17, 2006 (6:08pm) [#3]
Jordan
Yes I suppose you are right, as a student £300 seemed quite reasonable. When it becomes my full time job I am going to up the price, probably not as high as 10k though, however I will be a one man team. If you are a large company then your overheads will be higher so 10k is probably understandable. So it probably depends on the type of company you are.
Apr. 17, 2006 (6:28pm) [#4]
James Mathias
Charging less for your services as a student is fine. I agree that it is more resonable in that case, however if you’re positioning yourself as a professional developer and charging student rates, then you are not helping yourself, the industry or your clients.
Also, from your second comment I still feel you are missing the point of the article I linked, it’s not about money, greed, or what a developer gets paid. It’s about overall cost to the client, overall.
Apr. 17, 2006 (7:08pm) [#5]
Jordan
When I read the article it seemed to say, if as a client you go for the cheaper quote - simply because it’s cheaper, then you are likely to have to get it re-done by another firm because it was just cheap and cheerful and didn’t last or fulfil the role you wanted it to. So it’s better to go for the higher quote because in the end you only have to go to one person to get it right in the first place, therefore saving you time and effort.
However this may work as a general rule of thumb, but I think there are exceptions to that. A good website doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. The client should be looking into the firm more than just the quote they are given. They should look into past projects by the firm, how the firm operates, they should probably meet with the firms as you can often get a good feel for the company through a meeting with them.
So while price may play a part, I think there are other things that the client should take into consideration.
Sorry if I am still getting the wrong end of the stick :p
Apr. 17, 2006 (7:58pm) [#6]
James Mathias
I believe you are getting a part of what I took from the article.
And I whole-heartedly agree with you on the fact that clients need to look at more than a quote when making their decision, unfortunately in the real world they don’t.
And a majority of the time when a developer is charging very low rates for expensive work, they either don’t know what they’re doing (bad) or they do know and they just don’t understand the value of that (worse). In either case they’re doing themselves a disservice, as well as the client and the industry as a whole.
I think having a client understand that 6 months of work is not going to be under $500 or even a weeks work, is important to the industry and the fact that some “developers” charge minimum wage for the same job (not necessarily the same quality work) makes it very difficult.
Apr. 18, 2006 (5:21am) [#7]
Jordan
What would you say the minimum wage is in the development market then?
Apr. 18, 2006 (3:26pm) [#8]
James Mathias
Hi Jordan,
It comes down to experience, quality of work and talent. The better you are in those areas the more money you can make.
But, to answer your question the lowest I’ve heard of is $25(usd) per hour for entry level positions. That said, most quality developers make more.
It really comes down to what you are worth, which is something you need to figure out for yourself, and stick to.
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