How to come up with a price quote for web content

No programming, no design? Just content?

Web Design and Web Programming can start at US$60/hour and up.

Technical writers earn (on national average) around US$30/hour. To me, that sounds about right for what you're doing.

Interested to see what others think.

It depends on the scope and complexity of the project.

At its most basic, my rates take into consideration how much time I'll be spending on the project. I NEVER give a client an hourly rate (many reasons for that), but I use it as a basis for quoting a project.

Here's a small and not-at-all-comprehensive list of things you should consider:

How much you need to make per hour to pay your bills (don't forget to include taxes, medical insurance and other things you'd get at a regular job, but you have to provide for yourself as a freelancer--for me, it's roughly twice my hourly wage at my former day job)
How many hours you will spend on the project (including research time, client meetings, rewrites/revisions, expert interviews, customer case studies, etc)
Your project-related travel, phone calls, office supplies, etc

That should give you some idea of where to start.

Melina is wise.

I'm paranoid. So, everything she said (because she really is wise in this arena) and also make certain for yourself that they own the content you are rewriting, and that you get that assurance from them in writing.

Most of the time rewriting content is really writing from scratch. Ask to see the content before you commit to a price.

Williebee said:

...also make certain for yourself that they own the content you are rewriting, and that you get that assurance from them in writing.

Click to expand...

Oh, oh! Great point.

Before you begin, I'd strongly recommend a clause in the contract that explicitly says they have copyright, or permission, and that you will not be held liable in the event of a dispute (there's a word for this that's escaping me).

Half the payment up front, with a clear contract regarding what they will provide and what you will do and when and for how much.

A lot depends on whether the company is considering a "half-page" to be a half page of a web frame on their site, or a half page of a standard printed page.

But let's just say it's a half printed page. That's around 200-ish words in Times New Roman, 12 pt. Most of the magazines I worked with would pay around $50.00 for a 200 word piece. Fiction rates would be five cents per word, or $10.00. Somewhere in between, I would think, would work if you're comfortable with those numbers.

But if you're reworking old pieces, a lot is going to depend on whether you need to get updated expert quotes (such as calling people to say, "Do you still believe that...[fill in the fact]" and updated facts, or if you're just literally rewriting to make them sound better.

I would personally charge $50.00 per and see what they do. If they gasp and choke, you can negotiate down to a price you both think is fair. Just remember: You can always negotiate down. You can't negotiate UP.

nerdyglam said:

He says that I wouldn't be working from scratch. Instead, I'd be rewriting content from another site that they own.

Click to expand...

Careful on that. Plagiarism and copyright violations are possible.

That said, price by the page or by the hour. For an estimate, multiply the pages by page rate or the hours you expect to spend by your hourly rate. Set your hourly or page rate according to your requirements, not the publisher's. If you can get $10 an hour as a fast food worker, why write for less than that?

My "usual" fee is $20 and hour or $20 a page. That's about 10 cents a word or so, which is already ripping me off. But it's a going market rate.

I used to get $1 a word from top freelance gigs.

Jeff

I like to take into consideration if I've worked with the client before. If I have and I liked them then my rate is usually lower because I want them to keep coming to me. However, I am always slightly under payed and unfortunately my best rate has only been $1 per 100 words, which is sort of why I hoped on this board!

Here's what I do (I do this full-time):

1. Determine how long it will take you.

2. You probably have an idea of what you need to make hourly (overhead, bills, etc).

3. Half page? That can mean a lot of things but generally, quote for 500 words/page.

4. 13 pages to me is a day of work...give them a discount.

5. Run the price by them and see what happens.


Personally, for 13 pages of content assuming it is no more than 500 words per page, I would charge $100 flat. I could do that in 4 hours or less.

If it was 13 pages among 13 different clients, you'd be looking at $200+

Always charge what you're worth. If you live up to expectations...

They WILL gladly come back and pay it again.

My prices are lower than a lot of freelancers outside of content mills. Why?

I usually stay swamped with work and typically work 7 days a week.

So, 7 days making AT LEAST $100 a day isn't a bad week in my neck of the woods.