How much does a web designer charge?

[RSK3000]

I am at the stage where I have more and more domains, and no time to develop - I need to think about passing the development process to others.

What are the going rates (£) for 1) Basic Wordpress SEO work, 2) Uploading Wordpress and getting it how I need it and 3) Custom Wordpress template development. Is payment per job or per hour?

I can then concentrate on the content.

Should I go with a generalist, or chose different specialists for 1, 2 and 3.

 

[DomainPortfolio.ukDomainPortfolio.uk is verified member.]

1) Basic Wordpress SEO work, 2) Uploading Wordpress and getting it how I need it and 3) Custom Wordpress template development. Is payment per job or per hour?

@ RSK3000, Ribble-Valley posted his new design service here which deals with WordPress design/upload etc: http://www.acorndomains.co.uk/mini-...ady-drupal-wordpress-mini-sites-kick-ass.html

 

[aZooZaaZooZa is verified member.]

Ours is launching soon.

 

[techtimmy]

A generalist should be able to do all 3 to a more than satisfactory level. That said specialist in design will make you a better template and a specialist in SEO will have more tricks up his sleeve. Specialists usually cost more.

1) Sounds like just installing the good Wordpress SEO plugins. Shouldnt really take too long.

2) Amazingly simple task. Especially if you already have a preffered template you can use across multiple sites. Installation of Wordpress is about half an hour tops.

3) This will cost if you do a new template for each site. Pay good cash for 1 quality design that you can easily change for all your sites.


Pay by job, specify what you want and you should be given a time frame for completion. Paying by hour means the designer can take as long as they want and rip ye off.


I'm currently available for all this work. PM if interested

 

[denchomsky]

If you are planning developing a lot of minisites then I wouldn't use wordpress, for each minisite you have to install a Whole new Wordpress application, for a minisite this is overkill.

If you are going to pay someone to build you a minisite site then get them to do it in standards compliant HTML and CSS, I used to build minisites for between £18-£40, unless you need all the extras that wordpress offers then it's space taken up on your server that's unecessary, and alot of hosting plans will only let you install 1 or 2 wordpress app's, but will let you host unlimited domain names each with there own pages.

If you are building a larger 1 off site then worpress may be a cheaper option as it has loads of free themes that can be easily adapted.

 

[stevebrowne]

you can install Wordpress MU for multiple sites; one core install with lots of sites hanging underneath.

 

[ribble-valley]

I am at the stage where I have more and more domains, and no time to develop - I need to think about passing the development process to others.

What are the going rates (£) for 1) Basic Wordpress SEO work, 2) Uploading Wordpress and getting it how I need it and 3) Custom Wordpress template development. Is payment per job or per hour?

I can then concentrate on the content.

Should I go with a generalist, or chose different specialists for 1, 2 and 3.

Talk to me. I specialise in all 3 requirements and my rates are through the floor.

 

[namealot]

Why on earth use wordpress….? even with all the add on's its very hard for it to compete with a good bespoke made site, Seen to many people ripped off when the buy a supposed template type one with word press that think it will do it all....

 

[stevebrowne]

Why use dreamweaver when notepad can do it all anyway?

Wordpress satisfies a gap in that it has content editing and categorisation built in so that you don't need to start with the same basics every time. PLUS you can give others permissions to edit the stuff. I wouldn't let my wife anywhere near HTML or Javascript, but she can drive Wordpress without a problem.

 

[ribble-valley]

but she can drive Wordpress without a problem.

Automatic or manual?

 

[ddwebguru]

If you are concerned about the cost, you should opt for one specialist who has expertise in these three areas. But if you are concerned about the quality, you need to make sure that you have employed three experts from one company or from three different companies for this purpose.

 

[RSK3000]

I have read Ribble Valley's summary of what he is offering. Thats the sort of thing I need. I have had approaches from various other developers so I need to have a think about this.

 

[julian]

I don't want to shatter your dreams but there aren't any "web designers" on this forum, but there are lots of self taught network nerds who know how to upload a hacked-up wordpress template and connect it to a backend - but don't get me wrong because that pretty sounds like what your looking for anyway, and if it saves you time, money and mostly gets you the result you want..

 

[RSK3000]

Perhaps I should have been clearer...........I suppose I was looking for advice from domainers who had contracted out the development side to web designers, rather than the designers themselves.

I can't be the only one here on Acorn who needs their portfolio of domains developed.

 

[stevebrowne]

I don't want to shatter your dreams but there aren't any "web designers" on this forum, but there are lots of self taught network nerds who know how to upload a hacked-up wordpress template and connect it to a backend - but don't get me wrong because that pretty sounds like what your looking for anyway, and if it saves you time, money and mostly gets you the result you want..

Errr. Not entirely true. Depending on your definition of "designer". Do you mean graphic designer or web developer? People use the term interchangeably when the two roles are very different.

I don't do graphics much, but I do development. But that's my day job rather than domaining. The difference between developing sites for businesses and for affiliate sites is very different indeed. Yes, affy sites can be based around modified templates and the like, but real sites aren't. You start with a blank piece of paper and find out what the business wants. Then you work with a team of (or your role is) architect/developer/graphic designer/tester etc. I love taking on new work and building a site/internal webapp for a customer, so don't assume that some of us on here don't do web design/dev commercially.

However, much of the development tasks requested on forums just don't talk sensible budgets, so from my point of view it's a waste of time putting myself forward for the work. My expectations and the budget available just wouldn't match. I would rather carry on looking for proper project work and work on my own projects in the background.

Yes, I use WP for some of my own sites as it's quick and easy to get domains working and earning for me. I also have sites that I built from the ground-up. I have another project of my own that I'm currently working on that has a desktop application that grabs and processes stuff connected to a web service running under Windows Server 2003 which updates a SQL Server database. A Wordpress plugin on another machine running Linux then consumes that web service to generate content that is displayed in a WP post or page. A little bit more complex than hacking a template.

 

[julian]

your a web developer with good clean design skills, and I agree noone is goign to pay decent dev rates here when wordpress-template-bashers society can do most of what's needed.

I suppose "web designer" is now a bit of redundant term.. as both are expected to be one now..?

anyway, sorry my post was a bit cantankerous really, I suppose i'm just pointing out that you don't need a hardcore web developer if you just want dev some mediocre domains into aff sites..

i'm seeing peolple whacking up beautiful looking templates (..ahem.. I mean sites) and they couldn't write a line of code or design a graphic to save their life but thats the beauty of todays web I guess!

Errr. Not entirely true. Depending on your definition of "designer". Do you mean graphic designer or web developer? People use the term interchangeably when the two roles are very different.

I don't do graphics much, but I do development. But that's my day job rather than domaining. The difference between developing sites for businesses and for affiliate sites is very different indeed. Yes, affy sites can be based around modified templates and the like, but real sites aren't. You start with a blank piece of paper and find out what the business wants. Then you work with a team of (or your role is) architect/developer/graphic designer/tester etc. I love taking on new work and building a site/internal webapp for a customer, so don't assume that some of us on here don't do web design/dev commercially.

However, much of the development tasks requested on forums just don't talk sensible budgets, so from my point of view it's a waste of time putting myself forward for the work. My expectations and the budget available just wouldn't match. I would rather carry on looking for proper project work and work on my own projects in the background.

Yes, I use WP for some of my own sites as it's quick and easy to get domains working and earning for me. I also have sites that I built from the ground-up. I have another project of my own that I'm currently working on that has a desktop application that grabs and processes stuff connected to a web service running under Windows Server 2003 which updates a SQL Server database. A Wordpress plugin on another machine running Linux then consumes that web service to generate content that is displayed in a WP post or page. A little bit more complex than hacking a template.

 

[stevebrowne]

Templates are great, don't get me wrong, but putting a WP site up with a template behind it is only very rudimentary development of a name. It depends what the aim of it is. I have currently running and being used by people (apart from my affy sites etc.) a Home Information Pack management system, a contract hire management system, a nutritional analysis website (public facing: Food Calculator - Nutrition Information ) and others. But none use or would ever use any off the shelf templates, as they have been developed to cater for a specific set of requirements.

Your point about designer/developer are they the same now is an interesting one, as I have noticed a definite change in customer expectations. In the past, everyone went to the nice flash graphicy design agencies to get super whizzy looking sites. That seems to be changing to people who want lots of stuff behind the scenes and ask if I can get someone to do graphics etc. They seem to have realised that a great looking site (and some of the templates out there, and others I have seen on here look great) is only part of their vision, and if it is only skin-deep, then they are not going to make their new idea work.

So whereas some people saw SQL, patterns and practices, source management, sharepoint, n-tier systems, client server, security, parameter validation, web services as boring, BUT LOOK AT THIS PHOTOSHOP MOCKUP!!! Others have kept going on the more techy side. I think web design agencies that have skilled up in the last few years should carry on OK. The purely graphical ones will suffer more on the web side of things.

But my current project which uses .Net / c# / sql for the techy backend stuff and then Word Press for the presentation layer gives me the best of both worlds, as I can use funky templates to display my info that was generated and gleaned using the best tools I have available to me.

 

[techtimmy]

I'm a web designer though I prefer the phrase web architect. Sounds much cooler.

A lot of agencies have a person specifically for designing websites and another for real hard database coding. However, the web designer doesn't just 'design', they have to be able to build the whole site too with HTML, CSS, javascript. The developer then adds all the php/.net code.

But why have 2 people when you can have 1; Web designers have had to pull their socks up and get their hands dirty in the coding side of things. Your modern web designer NEEDS skills in both front end design and back end programming as well as SEO.

So if you're after some one to develop your sites, you will need a freelancer. In order for a freelancer to survive in this day and age they will be good at all aspects of making a website. A Jack of all trades.

 

[stevebrowne]

timmy - yes, tend to agree, but with some reservations. There are very few people who can do both the polished graphical work and the backend programming. Javasctript may even be an issue for them. Yes, they need to understand the limitations, but my experience tells me that agencies have people who live in photoshop and design sites. That is design layout and page designs. Some of those people can chop the page into elements and deliver a static CSS driven site. Very very few will be able to take it much further than that.

But yes a freelancer is the best bet. But then it raises the same question as freelance SEO. IF you can do it for others, why aren't you doing it for yourself? After all the rewards are so much more if you get it right for yourself.

A couple of reasons are for a change, a challenge or to work on something new with someone else paying!

But from a freelance point of view, I can't compete pricewise with some of the prices I have seen quoted around these parts. They simply wouldn't cover the basic public indemnity insurance, data protection registration, software licenses etc. let alone my own wages!

I'm happy to take on medium to long term (2+ months) development plans with someone, starting from a blank piece of paper, through development and deployment but I don't think my charges would be entertained. Maybe someone with a budget wants to surprise me... ?