What would you charge for a "basic" website?

[newviewit]

Depends on the client's competition, industry, requirements, goals, etc...

Basic site for a law firm may have the same programming features as a basic site for a part time blogger... but both have very different needs. In order to estimate prices I would first have a look at their competition and see the quality of keywords-SEO/content/graphics/images etc. If it's high quality and requires large amounts of research and planning then a simple 5 page corporate site could run around $5k+ easily (not including internet marketing).

However if a client just wants a basic blog for fun then I suggest they get a free Wordpress template.

Sometimes we'll accept smallish projects for $2-3 but only if it's in a fun niche.

[wickes]

I say stick within your niche.

If you specialize in a type of niche I find crossing them to be very time consuming with new clients.

What many designers fail to realize is the amount of hours you spend researching your clients industry. That I have found to be just as much work as designing.

I find it easier to figure out how much you work per hour and then track each minute you spend on developing, researching and designing your work making sure you are compensated for researching your clients industry.

[BBC2009]

I did 5 (live) websites. For two of them i charged money. Have some 15-20 finished, different presentations at my notebook.

Most time went (and many years) at fun and tweaking design and scripts, without a knowledge that i could actually earn something on all this. Then i started to show my presentation in noteboook and i saw response. Then i decided to start earn money.

Those two i charged for, i charged 1000 € (ca 1200 $), respective 500 €. (Europe)
Strange is that this one (500 €) is 20 times more complicated then first basic one (1000 €). But i do need some showcase (live sites) before serious business.

But most important now. I know it is low price in Europe for good looking web sites (mentioned my presentations in notebook, and people´s response).
For first website i asked only 500 €, and client agreeded and after some 15 minutes of conversation he by himself dubbled price. Strange, but it is the true.

I beleive he was afraid he will get low quality if i work for so little money.

So, if 1000 € is a little bit "low" in west Europe. What is then right price.
My opinion is to go after how "big and strong" is client you are working for. How wealthy is client.

And something important too. I have seen serious web companies totally compromiting themselves when they offer basic websites for little money. They do this sites in hurry, totally with lack of interesse and they put that awful websites in their "Portfolio" at their website.

Completely anti-commercial and repulsive. Honestly, i would not wish one of theirs websites even if they give it to me for free. There is too many such web companies. (or webdesigners)
(They charge a minimum of 700 €, mostly)

[tamaraboyyd]

It really depends on how you value your time and your work. If you need work and do not want to potentially lose a client who is working on a budget, my advice would be to tell them what your normal fees are and what they can expect for those, and immediately follow it with "What kind of budget do we have to work with..." that way, if they can't afford what you are asking, you will know what kind of income you can still potentially make. For me, it tends around 500 for a basic site.

[arsenalfun]

50-100$ would be fine.. I guess

[Torettox84]

Our price depends on the demands of the customer. And because some of the "sales" are done through a website where people "compete" for bids, we've got a pretty good idea of the clients budget. This might sound a bit "dirty" but if we see someone's got a big budget, but we know it'd be an easy job we aim high.

Our prices have increased as time has passed. We started out at €500 and are slowly raising our prises. We're now at a point where we (the team) agrees that €750 is the absolute minimum. If someone wants a fancy site, wants us to write the text... in other words, wants to go all the way you're looking at a price around 2,000€

The people in this thread saying that anything around or over €500 are probably not even TRYING to make a living ;-)

[Cholent MT]

Well let me put it this way. I do not do "basic" sites on Joomla or any other CMS for that matter. I would use a different actual website builder for oh 124-999 just depending on how many pages on how much content I have to do for my self. But all CMS sites start at 1000 with a possible 2 week turn around.
I conduct business for clients all over the world. And your paying for someone highly skilled who will guarantee everything you need.

[Obir]

Depends on the size of the site of course. I've found success in offering sites starting at $400. That gives them a basic site with a web presence. Further development and customization is sold a la carte so they can scale their needs to their budget. Many people choke on a quote of 2-3k but when broken down into smaller bite-sized morsels, it's more appetizing.

[SEMaster]

I would start with an $800 range for a basic site. Keep the design simple and clean. Just add to the price if the client requests more details and pages. If you ever decide to do the contend yourself then I would charge an additional $ per hour. That amount depends on you. Make sure you cover all expenses.

[Cholent MT]

if someone wants a legit website, minimum of $500 ( they would need all the written content and pictures ready with a template they like from a template provider) If they wan't to go below that and are fine with me cutting corners I would work something out.

[BlueFractals]

I know, the answer is, "It depends." But figure in customizing a pre-existing template (free or purchased, from RocketTheme, JoomlaShack, JoomlaBamboo or any number of providers), changing out the type, creating a 10-page site, working hand-in-hand with the owner to do the writing or drop in pre-existing content, including photos.

If you were to be forced at Joomlapoint, to name a price for such a site, what would you estimate?
I put it at $800; how about you?

Came across this interesting old thread. Just wondering how much do you charge now?

I charge in the range of $800 - $1000 for 4-5 page site with pre-existing template modification (just styles and images). Concept of pages is quite irrelevant in terms of CMS-based sites but still....

[wdarlington]

Here in the UK my first website I charged £100, for 2 pages.

But now a days its around... £100-250 per page. As everyone is trying to get great content, it could take hours to just to a page... so my hourly rate can fluctuate!.

Worst off is when someone wants things changed on the pages ...arghh. "free work"

[Tyte]

Don't fall for that.. You can get a decent website build and hosting for way less.. Find a freelancer who does good work. I think you can even find someone with skills on Fiverr

[mike1179]

I had an e-commerce website created for me by a professional web developer about a year ago. The website consisted of 15 pages and the graphic design was fairly simplistic. I provided all of the content and all of the images. The web designer charged me $1200. I paid $600 up front and the other $600 once it was completed.

Unfortunately, there were some bugs that had to be worked out. I did not notice them all right away, so the developer considered the deal to be done. About a month later I emailed the developer with a short list of programming errors that needed to be corrected. He ended up charging me another $200 just to fix his errors. I was very upset, but I could not do anything about it.

Since then I have discovered other errors, but every time I try to contact him, he ignores my call or acts as though I am bothering him. In retrospect, I feel that I should have hired someone a little more professional. Spending a few more hundred dollars would have been worth having the job done right. In my opinion, $1800 would be a fair price for the website I had made.