Freelance web guys - questions

[rh71]

I'm considering doing some freelancing for local businesses - posting on billboards, craigslist, etc. Doing somewhat simple sites to start a personal portfolio and also because of time constraints. I'm already in the field professionally but am unsure what actual going rates are these days as i just get a salary. Do you go hourly or per project (say about 5 pages and some images)? How much do you charge (cheaper for straight html, how much more for asp/php)? Is this something you can make a living from assuming you're selling yourself enough, or is it just enough to supplement a regular income?

What do you do about domain names and hosting? Did you do a reseller acct or repeatedly sign up with the same host? Do you have them go through registration themselves so you're not responsible annually?

I'm sure i'll have more questions later...

 

[Tweak155]

You can actually sign up to sell godaddy domains and you get a cut. Google it a bit as I'm sure the process has changed.

As far as per-job, its up to you. If I were you I would analyze my skill set and pick whichever has more profit per job. If you'd charge $100 to do 5 pages and it takes you 1hr, you're making 100 an hr. But if you take 10 hrs to do 5 pages you're only making $10 an hr. So then I might charge something like $20 an hr for example.

In either event, I'd get the detail of the jobs before just touting quotes. Some people will take real advantage of you if they like what they hear and can think of a way to get around your system. It is in your better interest to get the details of the job then give a quote. If they aren't paying you what you think its worth then move to the next job.

You can always have a minimum charge, though.

 

[Ka0t1x]

I work hourly. To me, work is work so even if its html/css instead of script/db it should still be the same hourly rate.. because you're still working and its still on your time. If you're writing script you're also outputting html/css.

There should be other design/code houses in your area, find them and look for their rates. I actually have a client that came from one of them, I know their hourly rates and how bad their code is, lets just say its sad.

I could probably make a living off of this if I actually pushed and it took over my regular hours, and paired up with an actual designer person.

 

[rh71]

what do you guys implement for e-commerce solutions? Are we limited to what the webhost is able to provide? Say someone was interested in making their small store available online. Or are there packages out there that I'd buy and implement by simply uploading code on each of the sites I create? About all I've done is a paypal check-out implementation.

Would you guys say an internet cert like CIW is worthwhile in pursuing? I had already started but it was years ago and I got sidetracked. I know certs can be overrated/useless but perhaps it's one of those where I'd learn a ton of things I could never if I just played with code on my own. As a background, I learned ASP and ColdFusion while on the job but there hasn't been much room/opportunity to stretch out - really all I know is the environment I've been working in for so long. It's just not as satisfying as it once was. Was reading this: http://education.internet.com/articles/5-certs-that-put-developers-on-the-fast-track/

 

[Tweak155]

I don't know much about the cert but a cheap cart solution ($35 a month) is 1shoppingcart.

You can write your own but its extremely involved with security, reporting, etc. It may be worth your while if you can sell it to multiple businesses, though.

 

[Ka0t1x]

I don't deal with eCommerce or have yet to get that wonderful experience.

As far as certs go... I guess they would put clients at ease. I'm not big on certs for languages/platforms because you can learn the cert from a book usually, and that's not the case when you're working on an actual problem. Could be different for me because I mainly deal with PHP & MySQL/Oracle.