Freelance Web Design, How To Make Money

I decided to write this post after reading a very interesting article on DesignBit about getting paid for working freelance. I have learned a lot of lessons, many of them the hard way. Being great at web design, and being great with clients, are 2 very different requirements. By setting your self some basic rules, you will save yourself a lot of trouble and time when working on projects.

Be realistic when Costing Projects

This is a classic mistake many freelancers make. You need to be realistic when you work out the cost of a project. The best method is to work out a realistic hourly wage you want to be paid. Then take that number and multiply it by the number of hours you will take to complete the project. This will give you the magic number you should look to put forward in an invoice.

Always Write a Brief

By writing a clearly defined brief, which your client then signs, you are creating a safety net for yourself. Writing an outline of objectives ensures a clear understanding of what the client expects and what needs to be achieved. In the classic case that a client decides half way through a project to change a feature or include new functionality, you have a signed document, which you can refer them to. Depending on the request you can then decide if the change is within scope, or needs to be charged as an addition.

Phase The Payments

Talking about money can be a tricky subject, but if you clearly define a structure it will make life a lot easier. Phase payments require you to break a project up into segments. When phase 1 is completed X amount is paid. then phase 2 can commence, and so on. This not only ensures confidence between yourself and the client, its also a great motivational tool.

Organisation Is Everything

There are some powerful open source project management tools out there. Basecamp is my personal favourite. By breaking down a project into individual tasks, you can clearly identify your workflow and timelines as well as focus on individual goals.

Keep It Professional

When you’re dealing with a client keep it business like, Use email instead of Instant Messaging. Keep them up to date with progression reports. Lay boundaries for times when you want to be contacted and stick to it. This not only shows you mean business, but gives the client more confidence in your professionalism.

After Sale Service

So 3 months passes after you have completed a project and your old client comes back to you, they have uncovered a problem and they want you to sort it out. Now this is a classic example of something that happens time and again. What’s important to remember here is how you would feel if you were in there position. By going that step further you can cement some strong business relationships and build a good business network, its work considering that around 80% of business tends to come from referrals. So by helping out a client, you could be indirectly helping yourself.