Got my first web design offer but I'm lost on pricing

I landed a small business client in Austin last week who wants a simple 3-page site for their bakery. I've never done paid work before and I'm thinking $500 but I have no clue if that's too high or too low for just starting out. Does anyone have a rule of thumb for pricing your very first project like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

milalewis18d ago

Wait you're thinking $500 for a full website? That's crazy low. I've seen people charge that for just setting up a basic template and walking away. A custom 3-page site for a business that's going to make money off it? You're practically giving it away. Think about it this way - if it takes you 20 hours to build and tweak everything, that's only $25 an hour before taxes and expenses. That's less than what you'd make flipping burgers in some places. Your first project sets the tone for what clients expect from you in the future. If you start at $500, they'll think that's your real value and next time you ask for more they'll balk. I'd say at least $1000-1500 for a simple bakery site including a few hours of changes after launch. You're not just typing words into a box, you're solving a problem for their business.

scott.alex18d agoTop Commenter

Flipping burgers" is where you lost me. I don't know where you live, but around here nobody is paying $25 an hour to flip burgers. More like $12 if you're lucky. So at $500 for 20 hours we're talking $25 an hour, which is actually double what most entry level jobs pay. I'm not saying charge $500, I'm just saying that comparison is way off.

victorhernandez18d ago

My buddy did his first site for $400 and spent way more hours fixing mistakes.