How much is this website worth?

[qcom]

Hey guys,I was doing a website for a client, and being quite new to this stuff since I'm only just starting and I'm in high school , I wanted to get some feedback from everyone here.The client is asking for a functional website that they can maintain themselves.Their website name is www.aquadual.com where they specialize in a certain unique type of bathing suite.Now, I'm capable of doing more work than what you see currently. And, the reason you don't seen any products or categories other than samples, is just because I did not say that I would be doing their data entry, which is why they have their GUI, fully-capable back-end.I was wondering what you think a project like this is worth?I need some honest advice and experience here.I'm getting $100 for this.Is this way to high or low?This was a modified version of a tutorial too, just because I've been more familiar with Microsoft technologies, where their server over at Hostgator required them to use PHP, so I didn't feel like making one of my kinds of sites from scratch. So please don't take this as all of my work.Sorry if this isn't the place to post this, I didn't know anywhere else I could ask!Thanks!

[wirehopper]

The hourly rate for US-based web developers probably ranges from about $15 - $35+ an hour, obviously depending upon experience, education, and skill.Since you're in high school, you're probably on the lower end of the pay scale (regardless of whether that's fair or not).Think about how many hours you're putting into the project and calculate your hourly rate, then decide whether you think it's fair by comparing it with other opportunities.You might not be doing this for money, but for experience, in which case, part of the compensation is the chance to practice your skills and include them in a portfolio.You might want to look into systems like http://concrete5.org, http://wordpress.com, hosted service solutions that you can just set up and turn over to your clients. That allows you to deliver a powerful site in a very cost effective manner.I didn't look at the site. $100 isn't nearly enough for a site that the client can maintain themselves. I'd put a minimum at $1000. Many web companies charge $150-$200+ an hour - but - that covers expenses you don't have, like an office, health benefits, etc.

[qcom]

The hourly rate for US-based web developers probably ranges from about $15 - $35+ an hour, obviously depending upon experience, education, and skill.

That's cool, now, when you say web developer are you considering web design a part of what a web developer does? Because, obviously, making simple changes to a static website is so simple it's great, whereas this project was quite complex.

Since you're in high school, you're probably on the lower end of the pay scale (regardless of whether that's fair or not).

Agreed.

Think about how many hours you're putting into the project and calculate your hourly rate, then decide whether you think it's fair by comparing it with other opportunities.

OK, like you gave in your range, it will vary depending on the project's complexity.

You might want to look into systems like http://concrete5.org, http://wordpress.com, hosted service solutions that you can just set up and turn over to your clients. That allows you to deliver a powerful site in a very cost effective manner.

That's quite nice! Thanks for pointing that out. That appears to make it real easy to offer multiple "ends" of the project to different users with varying experience level.

I didn't look at the site. $100 isn't nearly enough for a site that the client can maintain themselves. I'd put a minimum at $1000. Many web companies charge $150-$200+ an hour - but - that covers expenses you don't have, like an office, health benefits, etc.

Even if it is based off of a free template? I thought $100 was way to low. Hmm, any good way to convince a future client? :)But yes, like you said, this isn't just for the money, as I like designing and developing and could use some great experience, which this provides, but I also like getting the biggest bang for my buck! :)Thanks so much for your help!

[Synook]

Personally I don't think much of the design, but the backend by itself can still be worth quite a lot (though we can't see that), even if the client hires someone else to do the visual design. The easiest way to value a site is to come up with a rate, consider how long you spent on it, and just take that amount. The intrinsic value of some piece of code can differ greatly in amount.

[qcom]

Personally I don't think much of the design, but the backend by itself can still be worth quite a lot (though we can't see that), even if the client hires someone else to do the visual design. The easiest way to value a site is to come up with a rate, consider how long you spent on it, and just take that amount. The intrinsic value of some piece of code can differ greatly in amount.

OK, yeah, the design is awful to say the least! :)However, the backend, I agree, is where the value comes in.I appreciate your suggestion, thanks for the help!

[wirehopper]

Setting a higher price often increases the perceived value of a product or service.Think about when you go shopping - you look at several products, and if you want something good, it's easy to assume that the more expensive product will be of higher quality, based on price.I'm not saying that paying more is a sure way to get a better product - but don't undersell your skills and services - you may be able to make more money faster if you pay yourself fairly.

[ApocalypeX]

Woah 100 bucks?! My first site I charged £500 which at the time was $1000! Dude if you've written a good backend system for them then you need to charge minimum $300 even $500 minimum.

[ilyakar]

i think $100 for that website is a good deal