RESULTS: Web Pricing Survey

Two months ago I sent a survey to all my current customers and followers of the #thesiswp and #headwaywp hash tags on Twitter. I asked 10 questions, here are the results:

Q. Based on a your web developer having the credentials (certifications, testimonials, and a sexy portfolio) answer the questions below honestly.

1 . What is a fair hourly rate?

29% – $25-50
26% – $75-100
26% – $50-75
13% – $100-125
3% – $125+

2. What is a fair setup fee?

32% – Less than $250
29% – $500
18% – Price is less of an object when there is a 50% deposit upfront and 50% at completion
11% – $750
8% – $1,000
3% – $2,000

3. Which pricing model(s) do you like best?

35% – Per Project/Flat Fee
25% – When Milestones are Met
19% – Hourly Rate
12% – Setup Fee + Hourly Rate
4% – Pay As You Go
2% – Retainer

4. What is the deciding factor(s) in choosing a developer?

30% – His/Her Own Site Looks Great
27% – He/She Responds Quickly to the Original Inquiry Email/Call
23% – Sexy Portfolio/Examples
7% – ALL of the Above
6% – Testimonials
5% – He/She Blogs About Web Design & Development

5. When do you prefer to be billed?

42% – Upon Completion of a Project
32% – Monthly
15% – Per Milestone
8% – Bi-Weekly
3% – Weekly

6. How long do you take to pay your invoice?

36% – Immediately
23% – Net 10
15% – When I Know the Website “Works”
13% – Net 20
13% – Net 30

7. Pay-As-You-Go Pricing. Good Idea or Gimmick?

47% – Good Idea
39% – Gimmick
13% – Skipped Question

8. When do you feel like you can trust a developer?

25% – He/She Returns Emails/Calls/IMs/Tweets Quickly
24% – His/Her Portfolio
18% – He/She Displays Prices Upfront
15% – Testimonials
11% – He/She Blogs About His/Her Niche
6% – After One Completed Project Together

9. When do you feel cheated?

41% – When My Final Product Doesn’t “Look-Like” $2,000
24% – When I Get Billed $55 for 3 Minutes of Actual Work
21% – When Deadlines & Budgets Aren’t Met
14% – When I Budgeted $1,000 and I End Up Spending Way More

10. If you could change one thing about a Web Developer?

• Its all about communication… being clear at the outset… not waffling…. professional and delivering the “goods” on time
• Having a flat pricing model
• clear availablity options on website and quick easy communications
• Be realistic with your time line in completing a project. It drives me nuts when someone says two to three months and it ends up taking a year.
• Take the time to really dig into the project to find out exactly what it entails. I hate hearing “this is a little more complex than I thought. give me two more months” when the project deadline is next week. Especially after I’ve been told you’ve done it hundreds of times before.
• Weekly status reports for projects lasting longer than a month.
• would like to work more by phone to better express my wants and their understanding
• I just want to know I will get what I paid for and if I dont I will get my money back.
• getting what i need. if a web developer says, i’ll do x for $1000 , i expect to get x not y or z. do what you say you’re going to do for the amount you said you’d do it for. not more or less. i don’t need a deal, i need clarity and deliverables
• responsiveness; clear communication; ability to respond quickly to problems; someone who can take responsibility for themselves and offers great customer service
• honesty
• If I know nothing about web developing, your blogging about it doesn’t interest me. it only interests other web developers. What interests me are the projects you work on, how you work with your client, how you come up with ideas, and how great the project turns out. In other words, case studies. that’s meaningful to me as a client.
• Most of them do not give support even for 2-3 months after completion of the project….I have been requesting my developer to add the picture of ebook frontpage on my homepage….he says it was not agreed upon..it may be 3-5minute work but these guys leave me in a lurch…..
• a referral from a know source
• I have been well-pleased with my developer.
• Stop promising the world and only develop what you are able to do.
• Having them do what they say they will do when they say they will do it.
• If all the ones that are scam artists, take your money and disappear, would all go away
• honesty
• Similar to attorney show a breakdown of hours spent working. I’ve seen several invoices with a notation of “research” and a charge without denoting what is being researched, is it development or looking at other comparably styled sites. Makes you question if they are browsing for their own research and just charging you or not.
• Knowing that the final product will be delivered with a professional look.
• Don’t choke the goose that lays the golden eggs. You won’t get rich developing websites. You will by developing tons of long term clients. Stop a clients heart with a website quote and they’re gone forever. Do it at a price they can afford and they’ll be back for years to come with their various web needs. You’ll make ten times the money in the long run.
• Quick responds to email.
• I think it’s difficult for most one-person operations to present themselves in a professional, business-like manner. It’s very easy to come across as a lady working from her bedroom. The first big fight with her boyfriend could derail your project.
• Sketched, Drawn, or even Photoshopped drafts of the site. This is easy for you to do, just takes a minute. And if the client sees an initial problem, you won’t have to go back and change a lot. That also makes the client happy cause they don’t have to pay you to go back and change things.
• You must know that they will be able to work with you to provide you with what you want, yet steer you in the right direction when you have no idea what you want.
• Responsiveness and good coaching are key. Not everyone comes to the table with knowledge to maintain their own site. It really pisses me off when my developer acts like an arrogant ass when I ask questions about how to manage my site after development.
• One trait that seems very important in this type of work as it appears it would be alot of e-mails or telephone converstations would be to seek first to understand what the customers’ vision is for his/her website.
• that they could explain how not to break the site. i know you make more money if i break it, but tell how to minimize the impact.
• Doing the job in a timely manner with good communications between the Web Developer and client.
• If I’m a client I wouldn’t want developers to change too much based on my demands. I would vote with my wallet and find someone else.

My Synopsis:

Be honest, clear, and up-front. And answer your flippin’ email and phone – ASAP.

Web Developers perform a service that is based on a small amount of trust. I read all these results and couldn’t believe how I felt: Like I was talking to my mechanic.

Notice how I said, “my mechanic?”. I have one guy I take my Jeep too because he as done the job everytime – on-time. I reward him with repeat business.

Show your client you are ALL ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE and NOT so much about making a quick buck. Don’t screw me, I wont screw you. The Golden Rule still applies – even in this line of digital work.

To all you posers who charge $2,000 and then run? Thank you, because 90% of my business comes from YOU.