Website costs

What kind of hourly wage is reasonable for hiring a computer programmer?

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Submitted by CSherman on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 1:51pm

Website Costs

Submitted by Lucas Sommer on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 11:43am.

The costs invovled with web development can vary depending on who you work with and where they are located. We have heard of rates as low as $5/hour coming out of India and South America. Rates in the United States typically range from $50-$150 depending on what company works on your project. Contracting with a web developer is much like working with an architect. If you want the best of the best you will, like anything else, have to pay for it. If you want to work with the local college architecture graduate the rates will likely be much cheaper but you may sacrifice on quality. There is a vast selection of web developers out there with different levels of experience, knowledge, ability and price. The best way to determine what you should pay a developer is likely going to be based on what you can afford.

If you have the layout and graphics then you have the first step of your project completed already. A web development project always starts with storybords. If you do not provide the storyboards then your developer will likely charge you for the hours his team spends creating these on your behalf. Going back and forth with the graphics department of a development company can be a hassle so creating your own storyboards is a great way to increase efficiency and decrease your costs. The systems development (coding) department will then take the graphic storyboards and turn them into code. Typically graphic design and story board creation is about 20% of the cost of development.

If you would like to learn how much your development project will cost, The Launch Pad recommends using www.designquote.net. This site allows you to "list" a project and have potentail developers submitt proposals for your review and compete over your business. This is a good place to start when determining what costs a "professional" will charge you for the project.

Once you know how much a professional service would charge you can form a basis for paying your developer. Keeping your budget in mind, as well as the experience and portfolio of your potential developer, you can decide what is a fair payment structure.