Getting into web design and development. I'd love some pointers, help, advice, etc from experienced people.?

Question

My cousin and I decided to become business partners and do web design and development. We've been learning the proper knowledge required for this.
Where we're stuck on is issues like pricing. Is it smarter to charge a flat rate and with that flat rate for a web site? Or is it best to be flexible and charge based on what they want. I've been told by other designers that a flat rate is best while others say its best to just charge according to what they want.
Also, what's a good way to create residual income from this? We've been looking at various companies and many charge monthly fees for things like SEO, Google AdWords, etc. Is this a smart and effective way to create residual income? Any other ideas?

Any other advice on what we should/shouldn't do our first few months?

Answer 1

Hello there,



The biggest thing that can make or break your new web dev business is mastering the discovery and briefing process.



Work out a few 'packages' that will cover your targeted clients. Make one for business, one for portfolio and a basic ecommerce. Be clear about the deliverables on those and that will speed up the quotation process.



When it comes to working out exactly what a client needs I would suggest putting together 100 or so questions that help you understand what the client is after, things like 'what do you want your website to achieve' and 'name 3 websites that you like and 3 you hate' will give you an idea of their true requirements.



Once you get the brief back you can then work out if your 'package' will cover the requirements or if you need to quote more.



If you are looking at being a web development company try becoming a reseller with a host / domain provider and that can provide continue income, remember most business owners are happy to pay a minor retainer for you to go in and update the website, plugins or make minor edits, but the best way to ensure continued business is to under-promise and over-deliver on everything you do, this will get you a tonne of referrals. Stay away from internet marketing unless you truly know what you are doing in this.



I wish you and your cousin the best of luck in your new business venture, remember to have fun :)



Cheers



Phil

Answer 2

The easiest way to go is to come up with a flat fee and then charge them for additional artwork or customization. Web design for basic web sites has become a commodity which means it is going to tough to make a living from it. Your business will be a good experience for you but you may quickly find that people are not really willing to pay much for the work you are able to do. Then the other problem is that people will expect you to be able to all kinds of advanced services like take credit card orders and maintain an inventory of items they have in stock.



If you go out on Yahoo or Google and look for under "web sites for free" you will see who your competition is and they are not charging or charging very little for what you want to charge people for.



Best wishes!

Answer 3

Well if all you're doing is designing and developing a website on contract then I don't see how you would be able to charge them a continual fee. Unless they request maintenance and constant updates to the site.

Answer 4

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