Hi DeaDLocK,

I had go through ur site and it's a great site. Especially the Services area. Actually I have one question.

It is about the domain and hosting fees. I plan to pay those fees for the 1st year. How about the renewal when the time come? I mean normally the client should pay for that or we meed to pay?

Hope you can share with us.

Thanks

If you're a company servicing a client, the 1st year is kinda like a complimentary offer to get clients to host with you. However, in some circumstances you don't mind adding a little more value by paying on behalf of the client.

Your question has 2 different answers and should be answered by this question.

Who is hosting the client?

If you're hosting the client, then you should manage the billing.

If you're hosting the client at a 3rd party provider, you should still manage the billing.

If you've briefed the client you're using a 3rd party, ask if they'd like you to manage or they'd prefer to manage personally. Difference? They'd not have to pay you a servicing fee for managing the billing when you pay on their behalf.

And if you think about the risks, it's measured against a customer service value. Imagine what if you renewed the domain for 5 years (at client's request) but the client doesn't pay you for it after 30 days and suddenly, they close shop.

Therefore, it's really up to you and the process you put in place to manage this scenario.

Hi All,

I'm kinda new in the web designing field, I've been working for a web designing company for about half a year, and have done quite a few websites for various clients. My question is, is it ok (or legal) for me to show those websites that I've done for my clients as part of my portfolio for freelancing?

you have to ask your boss. if no agreement was signed on this, then it should be ok. but still, its better to ask your boss.

It should be okay. But better to ask as some companies have stricter policies.

It's respectful to ask for permission. And prepare a document for signing for formality. Just note in the document you're using it to promote your wok however will duly note, project information provided was done by your company and you were part of it.

Don't want to the company suing you when their clients question them.

hmm, its kind of gray area now that I think of it again. Anyway, if it was me I would ask and sign like Etsuko said.

Thx etsuko & djzen for your reply, that sure helps a lot~

This post has been edited by dunn086: May 9 2010, 10:58 PM

Hello everyone,

I am looking for web design services as I need someone to design a new web for me, if possible PM me the quotation/prices and so on or you can contact me through my mail at melthq@gmail.com

Regards,
Melvin

This post has been edited by melthq: May 9 2010, 11:20 PM

Here's the important thing when it comes to hosting and domains: you do not want to be a hosting company. Your offer of the hosting and domain is a value-added service to your customer, but it should not be the main offering.

Even though I have the expertise, and I could if I wanted to, I never take care of domains or hosting for anyone unless they are my clients or close friends. It is just not worth the headache, and unless you are prepared to do a lot of it, the margins are too low and are not worth your time.

On your question on whether or not to offer these services for free, it all depends. What is the value of the contract or how much can the client afford? Is there potential for a lot of continued income from the client after the site is released, which can "justify" you absorbing the cost of the hosting? How are you running the hosting - are you planting it into existing reseller/VPS/dedicated space or are you buying specific hosting just for that one client?

This is how I operate:

1) I generally give the first year free, unless the project is a small one.

2) In most cases, I manage the domain and hosting completely, and therefore, I also offer the client technical support (setting up e-mail accounts etc). I charge for this for most clients for the second year onwards, but the fee depends. If you offer good support, you can charge more than the cost of the hosting, but you cann't make a lot of money on this because people are not stupid and they know how much hosting costs. Offer a fair rate and that should be fine. A lot of clients don't have the time or the desire to figure out control panels and technical issues themselves - they are happy to pay a small premium for someone else to do this for them. You can be the recipient of this premium.

3) I invoice them traditionally, rather than let them pay their billing through some kind of payment portal interface. Again, most successfull clients (and the kind who will pay well for good sites) don't want to be bothered about the nitty gritty. Just make it simple for them.

4) I INSIST on giving away free hosting (even when the client wants to go external), especially for the first year, because most of the sites I develop are dynamic, and some of them have very specific software requirements (certain modules and libraries need to be installed on the server). When I build the site, if I am hosting it on my own dedicated box, I know for a fact what software is on there and I know for a fact that it runs stable. I don't have to spend any time troubleshooting technical compatibility, because I have it on there. I have a test domain that I give to my clients to preview their sites, and then on go-live I just literally move the folder across to the live area, and the site is then live. My local development server has the exact same specification as my server, so from development to testing to launch, the entire software platform is identical. If you have built complex dynamic sites, you will understand how important this is in saving time and giving you piece of mind. I also have full root access to the box, so I don't have to wait for my hosting provider to troubleshoot stuff or ask them whether it is okay to install software - I just go in and do it.

Hope this helps.

This post has been edited by DeaDLocK: May 10 2010, 11:02 PM

Very important point to note.

That's why most preferred website design companies either host in a server of their own or with a vendor they already recognize which has this compatibility.

Hey there I'm an amateur web designer... In fact I'm just a normal dude who never learn anything about web designing but cuz all self learning by designing my own blog and promoting stuff tru my blog etc...

Recently someone approached me and asked me to design a website for a business which sells security systems(CCTV etc)

I haven't accept the engagement but the person is really insisting that I accept it..

What I'm planning is from my previous experience which is to set up the website from www.ucoz.com which is free.. and using my amateur html coding abilities to design it, I have no experience in using flash in designing website..

So I'd like to know around what price I should quote? I won't wanna be doing it for free just bcuz I'm not an actual web designer cuz it does take up my time and effort too to design and create it..

If I were you I'd outsource it to a professional, charge a professional rate to the client and take a cut from the fee.

You might even earn more this way, because with good work, there can be a good charge.

Just overcharge =) If they accept, then go hire someone else. If they decline, you didnt want to do it anyway!

overcharge. outsource it to a pro. the good work done will certainly give u a gd name and will enable u to build things from there.

pertaining to the hosting & domains fees, i told my clients the first year is free while the cost to them is renewal frm the 2nd year onwards. i'm a hosting provider as well and designing sites r a bonus to our income.

so yea. that's how we r doing it.

for new designers, don't be afraid to charge professional fees because you can always learn the art of outsourcing if the site requires more than your knowledge and expertise.

however be sure to note that the work done by the outsourced party CANNOT be named after them. If they r ok, you can proceed with them. this is so that you can build your name with your client.

What the above is recommending is to become an account/project manager.

If you wish to do it this way, come clean with the client by telling them you'd like to help however would be more comfortable referring his project to a professional friend you know.

If he asks why, let him know you're still learning and don't wish to experiment with his corporate website. Unless he wants you to. LOL!

But then again, if you plan to refer someone to this job. Don't think after introducing it's done. Because your client might not understand why his/her cost is more than what he was expecting be delivered from you. Therefore, this is the catch when you try to become a freelance account/project manager. You are selling a person's services/products.

If you'd like to handle this on your own, I'd advice charging from anywhere between a RM10-50 hour rate. Think:
1. On average how long you'll need to complete the project.
2. Adjust the rate
3. Buffer for negotiation
4. Win it!

A freelance website designer starts somewhere. It's scary to handle your first job and you don't want to f*ck it up. And you don't want to be the monkey receiving peanuts too. Therefore, ask yourself when you've your figure:

Am I worth this much for my experience and quality of work now?

Well, good luck and let us know how it goes.

This post has been edited by etsuko: May 12 2010, 01:58 PM

We are looking for a web designer who can design a website for corporate uniform & premium gifts business. Do pm me ur quote and details for those who interested. Thanks

hi all..

need to ask your honest opinion.. a fren of mine is asking me to help to upgrade their static website to a more interactive (forum, logins, account) type of website.. any idea how to quote them? (excluding the hosting part).. I'm planning to use joomla as the backend.. so it will be easier to manage later on.. and I have to train one of the staff on how to upload or put up the contents on joomla..

appreciate ur suggestions or thoughts..

This post has been edited by psyntium: May 18 2010, 11:36 AM

How close is this friend? How good is your previous work? How fast do you work? How established are you? How complicated is the project, and what modules are required? How big is the client? How long will the project take? Are designs and specifications provided or will some consulting also be involved? What kind of support do you expect to offer post-launch?

Answers to all of these questions have a bearing on the fee. It's impossible to even give you an estimate without more details.

But the first question I would ask is this: it's all fine migrating a static site to a CMS-based system, but other than that, is there any real purpose behind any additional functionality? Does the site really require a login functionality for the visitors, or is that just there "for fun" or just "because we can"? Don't be afraid to tell your client they are making a mistake. Successful web designers do not just sell a skill, they sell their professional analysis and opinions.

The second question is this: do you really need to use Joomla? I find it is SOOO bloated and hard to work with. I always avoid Joomla, unless there is a specific need for certain Joomla modules. For lighter applications, I much prefer Wordpress or Drupal, or if you have a little money in the budget, shell out for ExpressionEngine.

Don't know how to work with anything other than Joomla? Learn.

Hope this helps.

Hi Deadlock,

Thanks a lot for the thorough thought process, I can understand better now. Not sure if you're asking me those questions for me to think or you want to know the answers as well.

CMS is needed (as I suggested this earlier to him) so that it will be easy for their staff to upload/modify simple content. They also need an event registration mechanism. They also need a platform for their top level to have online discussion instead of spamming the mailbox. for this, I suggested using forum.

And thanks for mentioning wordpress. previously i thought that WP is just for blogs. but after further research, i believe, it would be easier to teach someone on how to manage contents using WP instead of joomla, as I'm required to train 1 of their stuff to add/modify content which don't have any html or web programming backround. So WP would be the best choice in this case.

Perhaps, is there any proper templates for web design quotations with RM prices that I can refer? This is my first time doing a proper quotation, so would like to have proper language being used in the quotation.

Thanks again.

Hi all, I wonder how to find clients/customer for web design? other than freelance sites, i have no idea where to get customers.