Many technology professionals dream of becoming a freelance programmer or starting their own business, but they don’t know how to get started. One of the main concerns relates to the price charged for services and how to conduct negotiations. However, the price must be consistent with the work, time, fixed costs, and additional costs , among other aspects we’ll address in this article.
To begin, it’s important to define what a web development project is. We consider a web project to be any activity involving an online presence; this could include website and app development , chatbot creation , and other similar activities.
First steps to becoming a freelance programmer
Before advertising your services, it’s important to organize and plan your way of working. This will help you in your initial negotiations with the client and later in setting the price. Therefore, the first step should be to create a process to guide the sale of web development projects. It shouldn’t be overly complex, just important information for defining the exact cost of the service and the amount you will be charged. To do this, you’ll need to answer some questions such as:
- What is the client’s objective?
- What does the customer want and what do they need to achieve the goal?
- What is the deadline for europe cell phone number list delivering the project?
- What effort will it take you to deliver the project within the requested timeframe?
- Will it be necessary to hire any additional services?
As you’ve probably noticed, these questions are simple but essential for setting a price for a web project. When expectations are clear from the start of negotiations, the chances of success are much greater. This means the client, the professional, and the end user will be satisfied with the result.
5 steps to find out how much to charge for your work
The first concern of every freelance programmer should always be to create a brief . This stage is the time to gather all the initial information and ask the client as many questions as possible. Ask for references and clarify any questions your client may have. From there, you can move on to the next steps:
1. Definition of project scope
Defining the scope of a digital project is essential for setting a price. This is when the freelance programmer will identify everything business model: what is it, their main types and how to choose the optimal one necessary to deliver the project in accordance with the request. In addition, you will define the activities to be performed here.
Let’s suppose the client wants to hire a website for creation; this includes web hosting , programming languages or CMS , design services, photo production or acquisition, and content production. As you can see, there are various aspects that must be defined with the client. Each of these components will include your requirements and the final price.
2. Execution time
Estimate the time required for project development and determine how many hours you can dedicate per day or week to that activity. With this information, you can calculate the completion time for each job. Pricing is typically based on labor hours, considering the professional’s expertise in the contracted activity.
3. Knowledge
The level of expertise required to develop the contracted service directly influences the project’s value. Each freelance programmer has a specific area or specialty, and the cost of the work will depend largely on this. If the client decides to have a WordPress website, the value will be different than a website developed in Java or PHP, for example.
4. Fixed costs
Make a list of all the fixed costs for developing a web project. This means considering the rental of your space, the internet service you use, etc. In other words, all the tools you use to provide the contracted service. For example: let’japan data s say you work 80 hours per month in a coworking space and you’re going to dedicate 20 of those hours to developing a certain project. The cost of those 20 hours should be passed on to the client, along with other fixed costs. Therefore, it’s ideal to define your average fixed costs to facilitate budgeting.
5. Extra costs
As the name suggests, additional costs are eventual expenses that can vary depending on the project . In the case of website development, you’ll need to hire a web hosting service, perhaps purchase a website template, stock photos, etc. When setting a price, you should also consider these types of expenses.
What is the ideal profit margin?
This is another very common question a freelance programmer has when setting a price. Profit is directly related to the size of the project , the time commitment , and their professional objective . A large project, involving the development of a website, a blog, a chatbot, and a mobile app, will likely require more than one professional or agency; therefore, the profit must be higher to make the work worthwhile for everyone involved.
Another important aspect to consider is the client’s size; the type of relationship you have with them and your market position . Small entrepreneurs generally have limited investment resources for digital projects, so to achieve a good profit margin, it’s better to develop a website using a CMS than to start a project from scratch. If, on the other hand, your client is a large company, you can propose a more comprehensive project, which will be more valuable to the client and will also add more experience to your resume.