Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:56:07 +0000

Buyers Worldwide Want to Outsource and Hire Freelance Talent in 2009

How much do UK-based freelance web designers get paid?

What hourly rate can UK-based freelance web designers expect to earn?

It depends upon the skills and experience of the particular designer and what theire personal circumstances are concerning their own outgoings.

Some designers may be employed full time, have little experience and and work from home. They might only charge 30 USD / 20 GBP per hour.

Another designer might be working from their own office which they have to pay rent for, have their own home which they have to pay a mortgage on. Drive to visit their clients and they might have 10 years experience. They might charge 250 USD / 160 GBP per hour.

I have known consultants to charge a daily rate of 1000 GBP per day and drive expensive sports cars.

It depends on so many factors and whether or not they have the knowledge to back it up.

Rapping Around

“What should my hourly rate be?”

One of the hardest parts of start out into full or part time web design is setting fair prices. It’s a topic that we’ve tackled before in our week-long Pricing Bootcamp series. Since then, we’ve received a lot of email asking the same question. We decided to revisit the pricing discussion with a survey on hourly rates.

This survey kept things simple by only including two fields: one for the hourly rate, and another for additional comments. In the interest of a global economy, I did not ask for location or nationality. In today’s web industry, a firm miles away in Germany can be just as competitive as the one next door.

The Results

Thanks to the 107 readers who took time to respond (original survey live on Google Docs). All respondents were asked to submit their rates in $USD for consistency. The charts below break down the responses into seven price brackets.

Please keep in mind that this was an informal survey, and the results shouldn’t be considered definitive.

What Can I Learn From This?

The most valuable information to take from this survey? An idea of what not to charge. Assuming you have the skills required, charging less than $20/hour for your services is not as competitive as it may appear. In order to compete with the professionals, a rate starting at $50 would be better. For the largest price bracket ($25 to $50), the average rate was $35.

Influencing Factors

Many of the designers priced below $25 also commented that they were either students or in a country where dollar value was strong. It’s also important to keep in mind that while this survey has trends, it only asked for a price: not specialized skills or quality. I suspect that many designers have not yet settled on a solid hourly rate, and charge lower than they reasonably should in order to be safe.

Additional Considerations

Many of you left additional comments that brought up some great points to consider. I’ve selected a few of the best for discussion below:

Underestimating Time

Estimating a project price using your hourly rate is good for estimates, but be careful not to underestimate the work involved. The longer you spend on a project, the lower your hourly value becomes. It’s concerning when a client asks for hourly rates but not estimated time. As we’ve said before, efficiency shouldn’t be punished by a low hourly rate.

“Often a project gets bid by a total with my estimate on hours. If I estimate badly, my hourly rate drops. [It] can go as low as $50 but this happens very rarely. $80 is more common, once I calculate ALL hours, incl. email exchange with client, my own learning curve on the project etc.”

Your Service is Valuable

Clients can be treated well without a bargain price. Low prices prevent growth and invite lower grades of clients. Price like you’re worth it.

“If you always undercharge, clients will continue to expect low-ball prices. Price what you truly think you’re worth from the beginning.”

Clearly Define Project Scope

Scope creep is a terrible thing. Communicate project goals before agreeing to lock in a price.

“Scheduled payments or lump sum totals for projects. Clients must clearly communicate and sign off on all major decisions. Line items must be defined.”

Take the Follow-up Survey

I’ve created a second survey (including location) on Google Docs to continue this conversation. Results are public (see spreadsheet) and hopefully as more people read this post, the responses will give a solid second opinion. Interested to see responses? Take the follow up survey now.

Now it’s time to hear from you. What points do you consider when determining hourly rates? Do certain situations affect your rate, or is it constant? What’s a reasonable rate for your location? Leave your response below.

Related posts:

1. Charging Project Pricing Versus Hourly Rates
2. Quote This Project! – Win a Billings License

Tags:

ClientsHourly RatePlanningPricingSurvey

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